PMP · Question #919
An organization is using a hybrid delivery approach for a complex project. In the iteration review, a senior manager asks for a complete redesign of the functionality presented. The manager is new…
The correct answer is B. Ask the manager for more details about their expectations for the functionality. When a new senior manager requests a significant redesign during an iteration review, the project lead's first step should be to understand the underlying expectations and reasons behind the request.
Question
An organization is using a hybrid delivery approach for a complex project. In the iteration review, a senior manager asks for a complete redesign of the functionality presented. The manager is new to the organization and has no experience with agile delivery. What should the project lead do first?
Options
- AAsk the development team to explain how the functionality was implemented.
- BAsk the manager for more details about their expectations for the functionality.
- CInform the manager that the agreed upon scope cannot be changed.
- DInform the manager that their request will be escalated to the project sponsor.
How the community answered
(31 responses)- A13% (4)
- B74% (23)
- C6% (2)
- D6% (2)
Why each option
When a new senior manager requests a significant redesign during an iteration review, the project lead's first step should be to understand the underlying expectations and reasons behind the request.
Asking the development team to explain implementation details might be useful later, but first, the project lead needs to understand *what* the manager wants and *why*.
The manager is new to the organization and agile, so their request for a 'complete redesign' might stem from a misunderstanding of the current functionality, a lack of awareness of existing constraints, or different underlying expectations. The project lead's first action should be to actively listen and gather more details about the manager's needs and vision to understand the root cause of the request before reacting or making commitments.
Immediately stating that scope cannot be changed is dismissive, uncollaborative, and might alienate a new, influential stakeholder, especially in a hybrid agile environment where adaptation is possible.
Escalating the request to the project sponsor without first understanding the details or attempting to resolve it directly is premature and avoids the project lead's responsibility to manage stakeholder expectations.
Concept tested: Agile stakeholder management and expectation setting
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/agile/agile-practice-guide
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Yuki V.Jul 5, 2026Confirmed B on exam last week. The manager is new to agile so they might not get how iteration reviews work, and their request could come from a misunderstanding of what was shown. The project lead should ask for more details first to understand the managers expectations before doing anything else. C and D are too rigid and dismissive for a hybrid environment, and A puts the dev team on the spot to defend their work when the real issue is just unclear expectations.
Olusegun A.Jun 21, 2026I first leaned toward A because it seems reasonable to let the team defend their work, but a senior manager new to agile asking for a complete redesign is really just a stakeholder who has not been engaged on expectations yet. B is the move because you need to understand what they actually want before doing anything else, and in a hybrid environment you manage scope changes through conversation, not by shutting people down or escalating.
Zlatan X.Jun 23, 2026Agreed on B, and at the program level that conversation is also where you capture whether this stakeholder's redesign request signals a shift in benefits realization expectations that should ripple across other components, not just this one team's backlog.
Zlatan X.Jun 28, 2026B is the right call here. Saw this on my exam last March and almost picked C because the manager's demand felt disruptive, but the stem flags them as new to agile, so the first move is always to understand their expectations before doing anything else.
Yuki V.Jun 30, 2026Agreed on B, and the other thing to watch is that new-to-agile managers often expect status reports, so part of that conversation is gently reframing them toward reviews and incremental delivery instead of dashboards.