PMP · Question #467
A group has been working together for one month. During daily meetings a team member continues to express issues in completing their tasks. What should the project manager do?
The correct answer is C. Have a confidential discussion with the team member to identify the root cause. When a team member consistently expresses difficulty with tasks, the project manager should have a confidential one-on-one discussion with them to understand the underlying issues. This approach respects privacy, fosters trust, and allows for direct identification of root causes
Question
A group has been working together for one month. During daily meetings a team member continues to express issues in completing their tasks. What should the project manager do?
Options
- AWait for the team to identify and solve the problem independently
- BMove the team member to another task that is more skill appropriate
- CHave a confidential discussion with the team member to identify the root cause
- DStart a discussion with all team members to help resolve the issues
How the community answered
(39 responses)- A3% (1)
- B8% (3)
- C74% (29)
- D15% (6)
Why each option
When a team member consistently expresses difficulty with tasks, the project manager should have a confidential one-on-one discussion with them to understand the underlying issues. This approach respects privacy, fosters trust, and allows for direct identification of root causes without public embarrassment.
Waiting for the team to solve the problem independently might lead to missed deadlines or a decline in team morale if the issue persists and affects others.
Moving the team member to another task without understanding the root cause is a reactive measure and might only shift the problem or fail to address the underlying issue.
Consistent issues from a specific team member indicate a potential individual problem, such as skill gaps, personal challenges, or external impediments. A confidential discussion allows the project manager to identify the root cause respectfully and directly, offering targeted support or solutions without making the team member feel exposed.
Discussing an individual's persistent performance issues in a public forum (with all team members) can be embarrassing for the individual and may not lead to an open and honest discussion of the root cause.
Concept tested: Team performance management, individual coaching
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok
Topics
Community Discussion
6
Carlos M.Nov 22, 2025C is the right call here. The team is only one month in so they are still in the forming or storming stage and not fully self-managing yet, which rules out A and D. As the PM your job is to dig into why someone is struggling, and a private one-on-one gets you the real root cause without calling them out publicly. B is a band-aid fix that ignores the actual problem and could bite you later.
Samuel O.Nov 22, 2025Agreed on C, and I would add that in practice the private conversation also builds the trust you will need for the whole team to eventually get to self-management, so you are not just diagnosing the issue, you are laying groundwork for A and D down the road.
Ingrid P.Nov 25, 2025Confirmed C on my exam last month. The one-month timeframe is the key signal here, the team is still forming and a private conversation lets you root-cause the issue without putting the team member on the spot in front of everyone. Worth a flashcard: stem says team member repeatedly raises issues in daily meetings over the first month, answer is confidential one-on-one to find root cause, not a group discussion or task reassignment. I tag this as a Servant Leadership card with a 21-day review interval since the logic is straightforward once you catch the pattern.
Samuel O.Dec 3, 2025C is the right call here. In my experience managing field crews, you don't call somebody out in front of the whole team when they are struggling, you pull them aside privately to figure out what is actually going on. One thing I am still wrapping my head around for this exam is where the line is between Servant Leadership and just plain micromanagement, because option D feels like it could work in a collaborative Agile setting but I guess it violates the whole psychological safety piece?
Dervla O.Dec 11, 2025Picking D. One month in means still forming, so surface issues collectively to build trust.
Samuel O.Dec 11, 2025Actually C is the right call here. At one month in you are still establishing norms and the group is not cohesive enough yet to handle collective confrontation productively, so addressing concerns privately is the safer move while trust is still being built.