PMP · Question #711
A company is implementing a project with team members located in different countries and time zones. Individual performance is satisfactory, but the team's performance as a whole is low, especially in
The correct answer is B. Facilitate communication and team building. When a globally distributed team performs well individually but poorly in group activities, the project manager should focus on facilitating communication and team-building efforts to improve overall team cohesion and collaboration.
Question
Options
- AReview and reassign team assignments
- BFacilitate communication and team building
- CNegotiate for new team members
- DReview and update the communications management plan
How the community answered
(35 responses)- A14% (5)
- B77% (27)
- C6% (2)
- D3% (1)
Why each option
When a globally distributed team performs well individually but poorly in group activities, the project manager should focus on facilitating communication and team-building efforts to improve overall team cohesion and collaboration.
Reviewing and reassigning team assignments is premature when individual performance is satisfactory; the issue lies in group dynamics and collaboration, not necessarily task allocation.
For a geographically dispersed team with satisfactory individual performance but poor group performance, the most effective action is to facilitate enhanced communication and team-building activities. These efforts help bridge cultural, time zone, and communication gaps, fostering a stronger sense of team cohesion and improving collaboration on shared tasks.
Negotiating for new team members is a drastic measure and does not address the fundamental issue of poor group performance within the existing team structure.
While reviewing and updating the communications management plan is important, it is a planning activity. The immediate need is to actively facilitate communication and team building, which are actions derived from, but go beyond, simply updating a plan.
Concept tested: Distributed Team Cohesion
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/manage-resources
Topics
Community Discussion
6
Olusegun A.Apr 13, 2026B is the call here. Individual performance is fine, so the issue is team cohesion, not capability, and facilitating communication and team building directly targets that gap in a distributed team.
Nina C.Apr 29, 2026Going with B. The "team building" part is the giveaway here because individual performance is fine but group activities are suffering, which points to a team cohesion problem, not a skills gap. D is tempting since the team is spread across time zones, but the issue is collaboration, not communication logistics.
Wesley A.Apr 16, 2026I actually picked D first because with people spread across time zones it seemed like a communications plan gap. But re-reading the stem changed my mind: individual performance is fine, which means people know what to do and how to talk to each other. The real problem is group activities and low overall team performance, which points to team cohesion, not process. B is the answer because facilitating team building directly targets the disconnect between individuals doing well and the collective struggling.
Olusegun A.Apr 17, 2026Agreed, B is correct, but the real tell in the stem is that individual performance is fine while group output lags, which is the textbook definition of a team development issue in Tuckman's model rather than a communications management problem.
Ingrid P.May 11, 2026C. When team performance stays low despite solid individual work, you need members who actually collaborate.
Wesley A.May 14, 2026Ingrid, I fell for that same logic on my first attempt and it cost me. The answer is B because the question is asking about the Belbin team role that specifically addresses team dynamics and cohesion, not just collaboration in general.