PMP practice question 23 of 35

A project manager needs to unexpectedly leave a critical project for valid reasons. How should the project manager prepare the knowledge transfer with the self- managed team to help ensure the project continues?

Domain People

Answer options

A: Write a detailed project handover document outlining the project status, key tasks, timelines, and responsibilities and share it with the team.

B: Organize project management workshops with the team to collectively review and document project status, tasks, and responsibilities. Correct answer

C: Delegate project responsibilities to the most senior team member and rely on their expertise to help ensure the knowledge transfer.

D: Plan informal knowledge transfer sessions with team members, focusing on key project areas such as vendor management and communication.

Correct Answer:

B. Organize project management workshops with the team to collectively review and document project status, tasks, and responsibilities.

Explanation

In a self-managed team environment, knowledge transfer and project continuity rely on shared ownership and collaboration. Organizing workshops allows the project manager to facilitate a collective review of the project's status, tasks, and responsibilities. This collaborative approach ensures that the entire team understands the current state and can collectively assume the necessary project management duties. It aligns with servant leadership principles and agile methodologies, which emphasize team empowerment, shared accountability, and interactive communication over one-way documentation handoffs. This method effectively mitigates the risk of knowledge silos and ensures a smoother transition for a critical project.

Why Incorrect

A. Writing a document is a one-way communication method that lacks immediate feedback and fails to leverage the collaborative, shared-ownership nature of a self-managed team.
C. Delegating to a single senior member undermines the structure of a self-managed team, creating a single point of failure and imposing an unaligned hierarchy.
D. Informal sessions are insufficient for a critical project; a structured, documented, and collective approach is required to ensure critical details are not lost during an unexpected departure.

References

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Section 2.2 (Team Performance Domain)

pp. 17-19. (Details the principles of shared ownership

collaborative environments

and self-managing teams).

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide. Section 4.3.2 (Servant Leadership Empowers the Team) and Section 5.1 (Agile Teams)

pp. 34

39. (Emphasizes that servant leaders facilitate collaboration and empower teams to self-manage rather than directing individuals).

3. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Section 4.4 (Manage Project Knowledge)

pp. 99-102. (Highlights that effective knowledge transfer requires interactive

face-to-face communication and collective engagement rather than relying solely on written documentation).

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