PMI SH - Define Team Ground Rules

An experienced project manager is managing a multi-million dollar agile project. The project manager communicates the ground rules to the team, but after 12 iterations, the project manager starts noticing that some team members are not following the ground rules.

What should the project manager do first to ensure team adherence to the ground rules?

• Contact human resources to request a written warning letter be sent to team members not following the ground rules.

• Ask the functional manager to replace team members not following the ground rules.

• Schedule a meeting with the project team to reinforce the ground rules.

• Notify the project sponsor about this behavior and ask the sponsor to take disciplinary action.

Answer explanation

Solution: C. Schedule a meeting with the project team to reinforce the ground rules

The PM should rectify the ground rules to the team.

As an Agile PM, the PM should be a servant leader and therefore facilitate the information to the team and on this case, educate the team again on the ground rules before doing any escalation

It is not the job of human resources, functional manager or project sponsor to enforce ground rules to the team

A project manager is managing a hybrid project. After attending an iteration review, a stakeholder tells the project manager that they are very busy and asks why these reviews are held so frequently.

How should the project manager respond?

• Discuss with the stakeholder the benefits of the hybrid project and how frequent reviews lead to greater value and less rework.

• Negotiate a reduced review attendance with the stakeholder and update the stakeholder engagement plan to reflect this reduced attendance.

• Explain to the stakeholder that the stakeholder engagement plan requires their attendance at all reviews.

• Record the issue in the issue log and escalate the conflict to the project sponsor for assistance.

Answer explanation

Solution: A. Discuss with the stakeholder the benefits of the hybrid project and how frequent reviews lead to greater value and less rework.

The project manager should discuss with the stakeholder, the benefits of the hybrid project and how frequent reviews lead to greater value and less rework. This is the best course of action because it allows the project manager to explain the benefits of the hybrid project and the importance of frequent reviews to the stakeholder. It also allows the project manager to learn more about the stakeholder's concerns and to develop a plan to address them.

The other answer choices are not as effective.

Negotiating a reduced review attendance with the stakeholder and updating the stakeholder engagement plan to reflect this reduced attendance may be necessary in some cases, but it is important to try to convince the stakeholder of the benefits of attending all of the reviews before doing so. Explaining to the stakeholder that the stakeholder engagement plan requires their attendance at all reviews is a direct approach, but it may not be the most effective way to resolve the issue. Recording the issue in the issue log and escalating the conflict to the project sponsor for assistance should be a last resort, as it could escalate the conflict and make it more difficult to resolve.

At the first meeting about a road construction project, the project manager reminds the team of the importance of observing all rules when carrying out their duties and interacting with stakeholders. Later in the project, team members start coming to meetings late and do not follow other ground rules.

To ensure the project outcomes and schedule are not affected, what should the project manager do next?

• Address the issue with the specific team members who violated the ground rules.

• Remove the team members who violated the ground rules.

• Promote all team members who do not violate any ground rules.

• Allow the team to investigate any team members who violate the ground rules.

Answer explanation

Solution: A. Address the issue with the specific team members who violated the ground rules.

Conflict should be addressed first and usually in private, using a direct, collaborative approach. It's important for the project manager to be firm but also understanding and to work with the team members to find solutions to any issues that may be causing them to violate the ground rules.

The other answer choices are incorrect. They do not promote a healthy team spirit. If disruptive conflict continues, formal procedures may be used, including disciplinary actions.

Removing team members who violated the ground rules or promoting all team members who do not violate any ground rules are not appropriate or effective solutions. Allowing the team to investigate any team members who violate the ground rules can create a negative and divisive team environment.

A project is underway with team members from two different countries and there are complaints from both sides. The team members from Country A believe that team members from Country B are too slow to respond and often have scheduled days off. The team members from Country B believe in a good work/life balance and think more consideration is needed before making decisions.

What should the project manager do?

• Reevaluate the team charter with team members.

• Revisit the communications management plan.

• Remind team members to consider cultural differences.

• Investigate the root cause of misunderstandings.

Answer explanation

Solution: A. Reevaluate the team charter with team members.

The project team charter records the project team values, agreements, and operating guidelines, and establishes clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members. By revisiting and possibly revising the charter, the project manager can work with the team to clarify expectations and address issues related to work/life balance and decision-making processes. Meeting with the team to reevaluate the team charter is the most comprehensive and effective way to address the issue.
Revisiting the communications management plan may not be necessary as it may not be the cause of the issue.
Investigating the root cause of the misunderstandings and reminding team members to consider cultural differences are both important and can be considered when reevaluating the team charter. On their own, these options might not directly address the underlying issues or provide a clear framework for resolving them. 

Discussions during weekly project team meetings are frequently dominated by a senior team member who has a tendency to talk over other team members and openly criticize their point of view. This is causing demoralization of the other team members and resulting in lack of engagement during the meetings.

What should the project manager do to address this issue?

• A.Remove the senior team member from the weekly meeting.

• Organize a team-building activity that encourages finding solutions together.

• Enforce the existing ground rules for team behavior.

• Escalate the behavior of the senior team member to the functional manager.

Answer explanation

Solution: C. Enforce the existing ground rules for team behavior.

Ground rules, if they exist, are not being followed during the team meetings resulting in the problems described in the stem. The project manager must therefore act to establish them and ensure they are adhered to.