PMP · Question #613
A project with a hard timeline is starting its first iteration out of six. The project team is lacking the necessary skills to execute. What should the project manager do?
The correct answer is A. Add a subject matter expert (SME) to the project team.. When an agile project team lacks necessary skills, especially with a hard deadline, the most effective immediate action is to integrate a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to fill the gap.
Question
A project with a hard timeline is starting its first iteration out of six. The project team is lacking the necessary skills to execute. What should the project manager do?
Options
- AAdd a subject matter expert (SME) to the project team.
- BFill the skill gap personally to execute the project.
- CAllow the team to proceed as they attempt to meet the timeline.
- DInvite stakeholders to discuss a mitigation plan to finish on time.
How the community answered
(33 responses)- A76% (25)
- B3% (1)
- C6% (2)
- D15% (5)
Why each option
When an agile project team lacks necessary skills, especially with a hard deadline, the most effective immediate action is to integrate a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to fill the gap.
Adding a Subject Matter Expert (SME) directly addresses the identified skill deficit within the team, providing the immediate expertise needed to execute tasks correctly and progress towards the hard timeline. An SME can also facilitate knowledge transfer, helping existing team members develop new skills over time.
A project manager's primary role is to lead and manage the project, not to personally fill technical skill gaps, which would divert focus from essential managerial responsibilities and could lead to burnout.
Allowing an unskilled team to proceed without intervention is irresponsible and highly likely to result in missed deadlines, quality issues, and increased rework, especially with a fixed timeline.
While stakeholder communication is important, inviting them to discuss a mitigation plan does not directly solve the immediate skill gap; the project manager should first propose and implement concrete solutions.
Concept tested: Team resource management and skill gaps
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/understanding-pmbok-guide-seventh-edition/project-performance-domains/team
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Hiroshi T.Jun 25, 2026A. The PMBOK Guide is clear that the project manager must acquire resources with the necessary competency to deliver the work, and bringing in an SME directly resolves the skill gap at iteration one. Option D delays the problem with a stakeholder meeting when the team still cannot execute.
Brenda K.Jun 27, 2026Agree on A but watch your clock here because the SME vs stakeholder meeting distractor eats 90 seconds if you overthink it, so flag and move on.
Imani T.Jun 21, 2026I first leaned toward D because the hard timeline made me think about mitigation with stakeholders, but the question is about iteration one of six, which means you have time to fix the root cause rather than just mitigate around it. A is the move because adding an SME directly solves the skill gap instead of negotiating a workaround.
Brenda K.Jun 27, 2026A is your quick win here, flag it and move on in under 20 seconds because six iterations means you have time to onboard an SME before the skill gap kills your velocity. Why does adding a resource this early not violate the fixed timeline constraint the way it would if you tried it in iteration five?
Imani T.Jun 29, 2026Six iterations gives you enough runway to absorb the onboarding and ramp-up cost before crunch hits, but the real reason it works early is Brooks' Law working in reverse: a new resource added in iteration one has time to actually become productive instead of being a net drag on the people who'd have to babysit them in iteration five.