PMP · Question #996
A project has come to a halt. What should the project manager do to get the project back on track?
The correct answer is D. Engage with the project team to understand the blockers.. A project has come to a complete halt, and the project manager needs to initiate recovery.
Question
A project has come to a halt. What should the project manager do to get the project back on track?
Options
- AReview the status of each blocker at the daily standup meeting.
- BCreate a Kanban board that describes each blocker.
- CCreate a radiator that places the blockers in a tabular format.
- DEngage with the project team to understand the blockers.
How the community answered
(62 responses)- A10% (6)
- B6% (4)
- C2% (1)
- D82% (51)
Why each option
A project has come to a complete halt, and the project manager needs to initiate recovery.
Reviewing status at a daily standup is part of ongoing agile management, but if the project has *halted*, a more immediate and focused engagement beyond a regular meeting is required to diagnose the root cause.
Creating a Kanban board is a tool for visualizing and managing workflow, but it does not, by itself, solve the underlying issues that caused the project to halt or provide the initial understanding needed.
Creating a radiator in a tabular format is a reporting or visualization tool, not an action that directly addresses or solves the blockers that caused the project to stop.
When a project has halted, the most crucial first step is to directly engage with the project team members, as they are closest to the work and possess the most accurate, immediate understanding of the specific blockers and root causes. This direct engagement enables the project manager to gather essential information needed to formulate an effective recovery plan.
Concept tested: Issue identification and resolution
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok
Topics
Community Discussion
6
Fatima Z.Mar 1, 2026D is the pick here, and my memory hook is TEAM for Talk, Engage, Assess, Move. Options A, B, and C are all about tracking blockers in some pretty way, but D is the only one that actually fixes them, because you cannot unblock a stalled project without engaging the team first.
Carlos M.Mar 5, 2026D. Project halted means talk to the team first. Anyone know if PMP always prefers direct engagement over tooling?
Fatima Z.Mar 7, 2026D is correct but remember the PMP golden rule: talk to the team first, then escalate to the sponsor, never the other way around.
Lena V.Feb 24, 2026Leaned toward A first since standups are the default reflex for blockers. But the exam wants you to engage the team to actually understand root cause before tracking or reporting, so D is the move.
Wei W.Mar 18, 2026D is correct. Empiricism first: talk to the team, then fix the process.
Nina C.Feb 18, 2026I first leaned toward A because reviewing blockers at the daily standup sounds like standard agile practice, but the question says the project has come to a halt, which means you need to go beyond just reporting and actually engage the team to understand and resolve the blockers. D is correct because it gets you directly to root cause analysis instead of just tracking the problem.