PMP · Question #551
A project manager is reviewing a draft of the project charter with key stakeholders. During the meeting, a conflict occurs between the sponsor and the product owner. How should the project manager dea
The correct answer is B. Continue the meeting and use facilitation techniques to improve communication within the team.. During a project charter review where a conflict arises between key stakeholders, the project manager should continue the meeting and use facilitation techniques to improve communication.
Question
A project manager is reviewing a draft of the project charter with key stakeholders. During the meeting, a conflict occurs between the sponsor and the product owner. How should the project manager deal with the situation?
Options
- AContinue the meeting and ask the project sponsor and product owner to take their discussion
- BContinue the meeting and use facilitation techniques to improve communication within the team.
- CPostpone the meeting and invite a subject matter expert (SME) to join the next meeting.
- DPostpone the meeting and ask the project sponsor and product owner to take their discussion
How the community answered
(44 responses)- A2% (1)
- B84% (37)
- C5% (2)
- D9% (4)
Why each option
During a project charter review where a conflict arises between key stakeholders, the project manager should continue the meeting and use facilitation techniques to improve communication.
Asking parties to discuss offline without facilitation might delay resolution and prevent others from understanding or contributing to the solution, potentially allowing the conflict to escalate.
A project manager is a facilitator and is responsible for managing conflicts constructively to keep the project on track and maintain team cohesion. Using facilitation techniques can help address the disagreement directly within the meeting, guide the discussion towards resolution, and ensure the essential task of reviewing the project charter is completed.
Postponing the meeting solely to invite an SME doesn't address the interpersonal conflict directly; an SME provides expertise, not conflict mediation.
Postponing the meeting and asking for a private discussion defers the problem and abdicates the project manager's role in facilitating conflict resolution within the project context.
Concept tested: Conflict resolution and meeting facilitation
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/pmbok
Topics
Community Discussion
9
Brenda K.Jan 27, 2026B is the quick win here, maybe 20 seconds if you spot the keywords. Facilitation is literally the PM's job during charter conflict, so you handle it in the room rather than punting. A and D both tell them to take it offline, which wastes time and lets the conflict fester. C with the SME is a time sink trap because no outside expert is needed for a communication breakdown between two stakeholders.
Viktor S.Jan 28, 2026Agreed on B, but the real reason A and D are wrong is they abdicate the PM role entirely, not just that they waste time, and calling it a communication breakdown undersells it since charter conflicts are usually authority disputes disguised as miscommunication.
Yuki V.Jan 18, 2026Picked B. Does facilitation always trump postponing when stakeholders clash mid-meeting?
Luis F.Jan 20, 2026Yeah B is right but the real giveaway is the word "disruptive", normal disagreements get facilitated but anything actively derailing the meeting gets parked for later.
Fatima Z.Jan 14, 2026I first leaned toward D because postponing felt like the safe call when heavy hitters clash, but that just dodges the issue. Then I spotted the magic word in B: facilitation. Remember F.A.C.E. - Facilitate, Address, Continue, Engage. The PM's job during a charter review is to guide the conversation, not flee the room or punt it to an SME who has no authority here. Confirmed B on my exam last month, and A is a trap because taking it offline leaves the whole meeting in limbo.
Brenda K.Jan 15, 2026Good call on B but watch your clock here because facilitation questions eat time if you start overthinking the F.A.C.E. angles, so lock it in 30 seconds and move on.
Viktor S.Jan 4, 2026B is right. You don't postpone over a conflict, you manage it, and facilitation is the PM tool for exactly this situation.
Brenda K.Jan 5, 2026Right call on B but watch your clock here because conflict resolution questions eat time if you start second-guessing with D, so nail the facilitation keyword and move on in under 45 seconds.
Luis F.Dec 25, 2025B is right but does facilitation really work when the big shots are fighting?