PMP · Question #800
A project manager was replaced in the early phases of a new project. The new project manager discovers that the business team is not supporting the project. After discussing these concerns with the te
The correct answer is C. Study the stakeholder analysis to understand which stakeholder holds the most influence and. When encountering a lack of support from the business team and senior management, the new project manager should first review the existing stakeholder analysis to identify influential stakeholders. Understanding their roles, power, and interests is crucial for developing a target
Question
Options
- ARequest the business team to clearly define their issues with the project work completed to date.
- BSend out a status report describing the situation to the stakeholders and request general
- CStudy the stakeholder analysis to understand which stakeholder holds the most influence and
- DAsk senior management to be more involved with the project and to provide their full support.
How the community answered
(58 responses)- A19% (11)
- B3% (2)
- C71% (41)
- D7% (4)
Why each option
When encountering a lack of support from the business team and senior management, the new project manager should first review the existing stakeholder analysis to identify influential stakeholders. Understanding their roles, power, and interests is crucial for developing a targeted strategy to secure necessary support and address underlying issues.
While understanding the business team's issues is important, the core problem identified is a lack of senior management support, which is a higher-level strategic issue that needs to be addressed first to enable business team cooperation.
Sending a general status report and requesting support without a targeted strategy based on influence analysis might not be effective and could be perceived as a cry for help rather than a proactive solution.
When a new project manager discovers a lack of support, particularly from senior management, the immediate next step is to understand the political landscape and influence dynamics. Studying the stakeholder analysis helps identify key power brokers, their interests, and how to effectively engage them to secure the necessary support and address the root cause of the lack of buy-in. This enables a strategic approach rather than a general appeal.
Directly asking senior management for more involvement and full support without understanding their current perspectives, concerns, or the specific reasons for their lack of support, as identified through stakeholder analysis, is unlikely to be effective and might even backfire.
Concept tested: Stakeholder engagement and power dynamics
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Mateus R.Apr 24, 2026C is the answer. Think of it like moving into a new neighborhood and finding out the neighbors are hostile - you don't start firing off letters or demanding answers, you first figure out who actually runs the block and who has the pull to get folks on board. Studying the stakeholder analysis tells you where the real influence sits so you can target your engagement strategy accordingly, which is exactly what the PMBOK wants before you take any action.
Wesley A.May 4, 2026Failed this one on my first attempt because D looked so obvious, but jumping straight to asking senior management for support without understanding the political landscape is a trap. Go with C, the stakeholder analysis tells you who actually holds the influence so you can target your engagement strategy instead of guessing.
Yuki V.Apr 29, 2026Had this exact question on my exam last week, picked C because stakeholder influence is step one.
Hiroshi T.May 1, 2026C is correct, but worth noting the official PMBOK language is identify Stakeholders, not stakeholder influence, which trips people up when answer choices use slightly different wording.
Ola B.Apr 19, 2026I first leaned toward D because it sounded like the obvious fix, but you do not just ask senior management for support without understanding the political landscape first. C is the right move because before you can address a lack of backing, you need to figure out who actually holds the influence, and the stakeholder analysis is exactly where that info lives.
Hiroshi T.Apr 17, 2026C is right but the option text reads as cut off. PMBOK stakeholder engagement is the key.
Ola B.Apr 19, 2026C is the right call, and if you want to see stakeholder engagement levels actually shift in practice, spin up a quick sandbox project and track engagement assessment matrices as you apply different strategies.