PMP · Question #78
A project team's performance is being impacted by impeding internal procedures that are affecting the progress of activities and team autonomy. What should the project manager do first to address this
The correct answer is D. Try to remove the barriers and empower team members. When internal procedures hinder team performance and autonomy, the project manager's initial action should be to actively remove these obstacles and empower the team.
Question
A project team's performance is being impacted by impeding internal procedures that are affecting the progress of activities and team autonomy. What should the project manager do first to address this situation?
Options
- ADiscuss the issue in the next sprint review meeting
- BTrain the team members on the organization's procedures
- CAsk the organization to improve the internal procedures
- DTry to remove the barriers and empower team members
How the community answered
(24 responses)- A13% (3)
- B4% (1)
- C8% (2)
- D75% (18)
Why each option
When internal procedures hinder team performance and autonomy, the project manager's initial action should be to actively remove these obstacles and empower the team.
A sprint review meeting focuses on demonstrating work completed and gathering feedback on the product; it's not the primary forum for resolving internal procedural impediments affecting team performance.
Training team members on problematic procedures might help them navigate them, but it doesn't solve the underlying issue of the procedures themselves being impediments to progress and autonomy.
While ultimately the organization might need to improve procedures, the project manager's *first* action is to mitigate the immediate impact on *their* team's performance by attempting to resolve or circumvent the barriers themselves, often within their scope of influence.
A key role of a project manager, especially in agile or servant leadership contexts, is to act as a servant leader who removes impediments that affect team productivity and autonomy. By actively trying to remove these barriers, the project manager directly addresses the root cause of the performance impact and empowers the team to work more effectively.
Concept tested: Servant leadership and impediment removal
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/agile-practice-guide
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Toby R.Oct 25, 2025D is correct, confirmed on my exam last month. The key phrase in the stem is team autonomy, which points straight to the servant leadership concept where the PM removes impediments. A is wrong because waiting for a sprint review delays the fix, and B just forces the team to comply with the bad process. C is a trap since you should try to handle barriers yourself before escalating to the organization.
Wesley A.Oct 26, 2025D confirmed on my second attempt, and the only thing I would add is that C is tempting because "escalate" sounds proactive, but the exam wants you to exhaust servant-leader options first before going outside the team.
Zlatan X.Nov 4, 2025D is correct. Servant leadership means removing impediments first to restore team autonomy.
Wesley A.Nov 5, 2025Agree on D, and the trap on my first attempt was overthinking it. The wording was almost identical, but the wrong options all framed servant leadership as the PM driving decisions instead of clearing the path so the team can.
Wesley A.Nov 29, 2025D is correct, and I know because I overthought this exact scenario on my first attempt and picked C. The PMs job is to remove impediments and empower the team first, not escalate to the organization before trying to clear the roadblocks yourself.
Yusuf A.Nov 29, 2025One of the seniors on my team said the same thing, that the PM should exhaust direct resolution first, but he also pointed out that if the impediment is genuinely outside the PMs authority then escalating is not failing, it is just the next tool in the box.
Yusuf A.Nov 20, 2025D is right. My senior always says remove blockers first, the team needs you to clear the path.