PMP · Question #979
A project team is working together on a computer relocation project, and all of the team members are experienced with relocation. There are many ideas being shared during the team meeting, and too man
The correct answer is D. Help the project team create consensus around the solutions.. When an experienced team generates too many ideas and struggles to reach a decision, the project manager should facilitate consensus-building to finalize the relocation approach.
Question
Options
- AEmploy a consulting company to offer best practice solutions.
- BSeek management's decision for the best relocation approach.
- CEmpower the team members to make decision themselves.
- DHelp the project team create consensus around the solutions.
How the community answered
(24 responses)- A8% (2)
- B4% (1)
- C4% (1)
- D83% (20)
Why each option
When an experienced team generates too many ideas and struggles to reach a decision, the project manager should facilitate consensus-building to finalize the relocation approach.
Employing a consulting company is an expensive and unnecessary step, given that the team members are already experienced and capable of making the decision themselves with proper facilitation.
Seeking management's decision disempowers the experienced team and makes the project manager a bottleneck, which is contrary to effective team leadership.
While empowering the team is generally good, in this specific scenario, the team *is* already generating ideas and *has* the capability; the problem is the inability to conclude, which requires facilitation to reach a decision, not just general empowerment.
Since the team members are experienced but are overwhelmed by options, the project manager's role is to facilitate decision-making, not to make the decision for them. Helping the team create consensus involves guiding discussions, perhaps using decision-making techniques, to evaluate options, identify the most viable approach, and gain agreement among the team members.
Concept tested: Team decision-making; Facilitation skills
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/resource-management/team-management
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Ola B.Nov 4, 2025D is the right call here. When you have a room full of experienced people throwing out ideas and hitting a wall, the PM's job is to facilitate, not dictate. I see this all the time when spinning up a new lab environment, everyone has their own way to configure the infrastructure. You have to step in and guide the group to a consensus so they own the outcome together, rather than escalating to management or outsourcing the thinking to consultants.
Lena V.Oct 27, 2025D is correct, PM facilitates consensus. Does facilitation always mean the PM decides?
Toby R.Oct 30, 2025Confirmed D on my exam last month. When the team has too many ideas and cannot conclude, the PM steps in as facilitator to guide them toward consensus rather than deciding for them or bringing in outsiders.
Ola B.Oct 31, 2025Spot on about the facilitator angle, but worth adding that on the exam watch for answer choices that say "guide toward consensus" versus "drive to decision" since the PM helps the team converge without imposing a solution.
Carlos M.Nov 12, 2025D is the right call here. The team has experience and plenty of ideas, so the PM's job is to facilitate, not escalate to management or bring in outside consultants. Creating consensus moves things forward without shutting down the collaboration that's already happening. Curious though, does anyone know if the exam always treats consensus building as the go-to over delegation when a team is stuck, or are there specific keywords in the stem that should steer you one way or the other?
Wei W.Nov 9, 2025D is the move here. The team has the experience, so bringing in consultants or escalating to management just kills ownership and slows things down. Empowering the team (C) sounds agile but misses the actual problem: they need help converging, not more autonomy to keep spinning. The PM's job is to facilitate consensus, not decide for them. Saw this one on my exam last spring and almost talked myself into C because it sounded collaborative. Re-read the stem: the issue is too many ideas and no conclusion. That's a facilitation gap, not an authority gap. D directly addresses
Ola B.Nov 10, 2025D was on my exam too, and the giveaway is the team already has the expertise, they just cannot converge. If you want to see why C fails in practice, spin up a quick retro sandbox with two devs who disagree on architecture and try giving them more autonomy, watch it turn into a stalemate in about ten minutes.