PMP · Question #572
A project has been reporting a declining schedule performance index (SPI) for the past four reviews. No corrective action is under development, and the project team does not seem concerned. What…
The correct answer is B. Engage with the project team to create a plan that will deliver benefits on a defined and. Given a declining Schedule Performance Index (SPI) and an unconcerned team, the project manager's first step is to actively engage the team to develop a concrete plan for delivering project benefits within a defined, realistic schedule.
Question
A project has been reporting a declining schedule performance index (SPI) for the past four reviews. No corrective action is under development, and the project team does not seem concerned. What should the project manager do first to address the SPI trend?
Options
- ANotify the project stakeholders that the scope needs to be reduced in order to hold the costs
- BEngage with the project team to create a plan that will deliver benefits on a defined and
- CContact the project sponsor to let them know you require more resources to meet the schedule.
- DMeet with the project scheduler to rebaseline the project using a more realistic schedule.
How the community answered
(27 responses)- A15% (4)
- B74% (20)
- C4% (1)
- D7% (2)
Why each option
Given a declining Schedule Performance Index (SPI) and an unconcerned team, the project manager's first step is to actively engage the team to develop a concrete plan for delivering project benefits within a defined, realistic schedule.
Reducing scope is a potential solution, but it's a significant change that should be considered after engaging the team and understanding the root causes and potential alternatives.
Engaging with the project team to create a plan addresses the declining SPI by involving those closest to the work in finding solutions and taking ownership of the schedule. This fosters accountability and leverages the team's expertise to develop a realistic recovery or adjustment plan, focusing on delivering project benefits within a defined and achievable timeframe.
Requesting more resources is a common response to schedule issues, but it should come after a thorough analysis with the team to confirm resource gaps and explore other optimization possibilities.
Rebaselining the project should be a last resort after attempting to get the project back on track and understanding why the original baseline failed; doing so prematurely without team input might just mask the underlying issues.
Concept tested: Schedule performance management and team engagement
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/project-schedule-management
Topics
Community Discussion
3
Carlos M.Jul 5, 2026Going with B. The key here is that SPI is declining and nobody is doing anything about it, so the PM needs to step in and get the team engaged on a corrective action plan. Options A, C, and D are all knee-jerk reactions that jump to solutions before even understanding the root cause or getting team input. PMP wants you to collaborate with the team first to figure out what is going wrong and build a recovery plan, not just throw resources or rebaseline at the problem. Saw this one on my exam prep and B is the only answer that follows the proper assess-then
Lena V.Jun 30, 2026B. Saw this on my exam, team engagement first before escalating.
Toby R.Jul 5, 2026Confirmed B on exam last month. Team buy-in comes first before any corrective action.