PMI SH - Mentor and Collaborate With Stakeholders

A project manager has been assigned to a new project with multiple high-level stakeholders. Each stakeholder has provided their expectations for the project, and the project manager realizes some expectations conflict.

What should the project manager do?

• Facilitate a meeting to address and resolve conflicting expectations. 

• Prioritize the expectations of stakeholders with the highest authority.

• Update the stakeholder register with the stakeholders' expectations.

• Create a project hierarchy to manage the stakeholders' expectations.

Answer explanation

Solution: A. Facilitate a meeting to address and resolve conflicting expectations. 

How conflict is handled can either lead to more conflict or to better decision making and stronger solutions. When there is conflict over priorities, neutral facilitation helps more than detailed recommendations. The project manager should work collaboratively with stakeholders to discuss their requirements, manage expectations, resolve issues, problem solve, and make decisions.

The other options are incorrect.

Prioritizing the expectations of stakeholders with the highest level of authority is not the best option at this stage. The project manager should seek to understand and resolve the conflict first. Prioritizing based on relative authority may ultimately be the solution, but ignoring the conflicting expectations can lead to future confusion, dissension, conflict, or misunderstandings. Further, prioritization may not solve the issue because the conflict may be between stakeholders with the same level of authority. 

Updating the stakeholder register or creating a project hierarchy does not resolve the conflicting expectations and conflict over priorities. 

A complex project has multiple participants. The project manager agrees with the team that they need to better understand the perspective of all project participants for the optimal success of the project.

What should the project manager do?

• Review the stakeholder analysis.

• Create a communication plan.

• Conduct a SWOT analysis.

• Perform a risk analysis.

Answer explanation

Solution: A. Review the stakeholder analysis.

By reviewing the stakeholder analysis, the project manager can identify any stakeholders who may have been overlooked or whose needs have changed. The project manager can then develop strategies for engaging with these stakeholders and ensuring that their perspectives are understood and considered.

The other answer choices are not as relevant or effective. A communication plan is important for keeping stakeholders informed about the project, but it is not sufficient for understanding their perspectives. A SWOT analysis is a tool for assessing the project's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is not specifically designed for understanding the perspectives of project participants. A risk analysis is a process of identifying and assessing the project's risks. It is not specifically designed for understanding the perspectives of project participants.

A project manager recognizes the need to improve team dynamics and knowledge sharing during a megaproject.

What should the project manager do?

• Conduct knowledge-sharing sessions where experienced team members present their expertise.

• Assign junior team members tasks that push their skill level and offer minimal support.

• Implement a formal mentoring program with structured goals and regular meetings.

• Facilitate open team discussions to identify and address individual challenges and concerns.

Answer explanation

Solution: D. Facilitate open team discussions to identify and address individual challenges and concerns.

By facilitating open team discussions, the project manager encourages dialogue and creates a safe space for team members to share their challenges and concerns. This can provide guidance and support for skill development and growth, and foster teamwork and problem-solving.

The other answer choices are incorrect. Knowledge-sharing sessions are valuable, but the mentioned approach emphasizes one-way knowledge transfer, primarily benefiting junior members. It lacks the interactive element and addressing individual needs crucial for mentoring. While pushing skills is important, limited support can be isolating and demotivating, contradicting the supportive and nurturing aspects of mentoring. Formal mentoring programs have merit, this option focuses solely on mentoring and lacks the collaborative element of facilitating open discussions for the entire team.

An organization recently updated its strategic plan and some of the changes were substantial. During a meeting for an ongoing project, an important stakeholder questioned how the project aligned with the new strategic plan. 

What should the project manager do first to address this concern effectively?

• Review and revise the project charter to ensure alignment with organizational strategy.

• Schedule a follow-up meeting with the stakeholder to discuss their concerns.

• Remind the stakeholders that the project was initiated prior to the strategy change.

• Assure the stakeholder that the project is aligned with the new organizational strategy.

Answer explanation

Solution: A. Review and revise the project charter to ensure alignment with organizational strategy.

The alignment of project and organizational goals is essential. The project manager should review and revise the project charter to ensure that the project is operating in alignment with the new organizational strategy. If the organization’s goals shift, the project manager may need to pivot the direction of the project to meet current values. The project manager can address the stakeholder's concerns effectively by confirming alignment and making necessary revisions.

The other options are incorrect.

Reminding the stakeholders that the project was initiated prior to the strategy change does not address the stakeholder's concerns or ensure project alignment.

A meeting with the stakeholder should occur after the project manager has reviewed the project charter to identify and revise any areas where the project may no longer be aligned with the new strategic plan.

Proceeding as planned and assuring the stakeholder that the project aligns with the new strategy without confirmation lacks transparency, ignores the stakeholder's concerns, and is not ethical. 

A project stakeholder has been missing scheduled facilitation workshops and has delegated assigned tasks to another member of the stakeholder community. What should the project manager do to engage this stakeholder?

• Review with the stakeholder the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved as specified in the project charter.

• Explain to the stakeholder the differences among the tasks assigned to each project team member.

• Ask the program manager to brief this stakeholder and to require the stakeholder's attendance at all relevant meetings.

• Pair the stakeholder with a more experienced team member who can act as a mentor.

Answer explanation

Solution: A. Review with the stakeholder the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved as specified in the project charter

The first version of the stakeholder engagement plan is developed after the initial stakeholder community has been identified by the Identify Stakeholder process. The stakeholder engagement plan is updated regularly to reflect changes to the stakeholder community.

Review the stake holder the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved as specified in the project charter will help us to engage the project stake holder

Explaining the stakeholder the differences among the tasks assigned to each project team member will not help us the stake holder to understand the roles and responsibilities

Asking the program manager to brief this stake holder job can be done by project manager also by explaining the roles and responsibilities. There is no need of Program manager involvement required here

Pairing the stake holder with a more experienced team member will not be accepted by the stake holder and it may decrease the engagement level of stake holder

At the completion of a project, customer agreement cannot be achieved through negotiations. What should the project manager do next?

• Inform project team members.

• Initiate litigation since all work was completed.

• Start the closing phase.

• Explore arbitration.

Answer explanation

Solution: D. Explore arbitration.

If agreement cannot be negotiated, arbitration should be used. This involves having a neutral third party resolve the issue. Litigation is taking legal action, this should not be the first choice as this may harm the organizations reputation and result in a lost customer. The project cannot be closed without customer agreement. Informing the project team will not resolve the issue.

In a software development project, a stakeholder wants to add a major requirement, which they feel will be a great benefit to the project. However, this requirement is not aligned to the project objectives that the business owner has documented.

What should the project manager do next?

• Ensure the stakeholder understands the purpose of the project.

• Encourage the stakeholder to follow the written business requirements.

• Include the additional requirement into the project and inform the business owner.

• Fast-track the project and suggest the new requirement to the business owner.

Answer explanation

Solution: A. Ensure the stakeholder understands the purpose of the project.

The project manager needs to ensure the optimal alignment between stakeholder needs, expectations, and project objectives.

The other answer choices are incorrect. They are steps the project manager may take after, but the first thing the project manager should do is ensure that the stakeholder understands the project objectives.

During the project kick-off meeting, the project manager announces that a hybrid approach will be used to deliver the project. Many of the team members raise a concern because they are used to working on predictive projects.

What should the project manager do?

• Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to ensure the team is aligned with the project delivery approach.

• Engage the project management office (PMO) since they identify the approach to delivering projects.

• Educate the team members on agile and the benefits associated with the use of agile principles.

• Change to a predictive approach to be aligned with the skills of the team members.

Answer explanation

Solution: C. Educate the team members on agile and the benefits associated with the use of agile principles.

Before changing the delivery approach the project manager needs to work with the team to ensure an understanding of the benefits of agile

Escalating to the sponsor or PMO or changing to the predictive approach are not the first steps a project manager would take in this situation

A long-term agile project has just reached its midway mark and a new project manager is appointed to take over. Additional to the project manager, a current stakeholder was interchanged with another who has more experience regarding the projects’ technology.

What next step should the project manager take?

• Discuss expectations from the stakeholder and revise the engagement plan accordingly.

• Encourage the new stakeholder to convene with the product owner to review pertinent information.

• Notify all stakeholders after revising the project plan with new contents added.

• Hold all upcoming sprint review meetings with the new stakeholder in attendance and revise the project plan.

Answer explanation

Solution: B. Encourage the new stakeholder to convene with the product owner to review pertinent information.

In agile environment, the product owner must work closely with stakeholders, teams, and customers to define the product direction. The project manager's next steps should be to encourage the new stakeholder to convene and engage with the product owner to review pertinent information.

The other answer choices are incorrect. These options do not address the key stakeholder which is the product owner in this case.

A project manager compiling a list of project stakeholders discovers an interested stakeholder with little to no authority. How should they manage this stakeholder?

• Keep satisfied.

• Manage closely.

• Monitor.

• Keep informed.

Answer explanation

Solution: D. Keep informed

Managing a stakeholder is the issue here. The correct answer is: "Keep Informed". This stakeholder needs to be kept informed at this stage. As the project progresses the situation changes cannot be predicted.

A stakeholder is an individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project. Project stakeholders may be internal or external to the project, they may be actively involved, passively involved, or unaware of the project. Project stakeholders may have a positive or negative impact on the project or be positively or negatively impacted by the project

Stakeholder involvement may range from occasional contributions in surveys and focus groups to full project sponsorship that includes the provision of financial, political, or other types of support. The type and level of project involvement can change over the course of the project's life cycle. Therefore, successfully identifying, analyzing, and engaging stakeholders and effectively managing their project expectations and participation throughout the project life cycle is critical to project success"