A team lead tells the project manager about a potential issue. Two project teams are working on parts of a project that are highly dependent on each other. The team lead is concerned that this might create integration issues when the two teams' outputs are combined. What should the project manager do?

According to PMI principles, project managers must proactively manage integration and dependencies to prevent issues rather than reacting to them later. When multiple teams work on highly dependent components, establishing regular cross-team communication (such as periodic synchronization meetings or a Scrum of Scrums) is essential. This proactive approach ensures alignment, facilitates early identification of potential integration risks, and allows teams to coordinate their efforts effectively. Waiting for conflicts to occur or delaying integration checks until the testing phase exponentially increases the cost and impact of rework. Therefore, setting up periodic meetings is the most effective strategy to monitor dependencies, maintain alignment, and mitigate integration risks before they materialize into critical defects.

B: This approach is reactive. Waiting for conflicts to occur before addressing them increases project risk and rework costs, whereas proactive communication prevents conflicts from happening in the first place. C: Addressing conflicts during the testing phase violates the principle of early risk mitigation. Late integration testing significantly increases the cost, effort, and time required for rework. D: Arbitrarily sequencing work to avoid conflict may unnecessarily extend the project schedule. Teams can often work concurrently if dependencies are actively managed through effective communication and synchronization.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Section 2.2 (Team Performance Domain) and Section 2.4 (Planning Performance Domain), specifically addressing alignment, cross-team collaboration, and dependency management.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide. Section 6.2.1.2 (Scrum of Scrums), p. 111. This section explicitly details how periodic synchronization meetings are used to coordinate dependencies and integrate work across multiple teams working on the same product.

3. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Section 4.3 (Direct and Manage Project Work) and Section 11.5 (Plan Risk Responses), emphasizing proactive risk mitigation and integration management over reactive defect repair.