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PMP Practice: Use a network to implement solutions to remove impediments

Question 3 of 4 in Address and Remove Impediments, Obstacles, and Blockers for the Team

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Eshe leads a hybrid project at Productive Mayhem Inc developing a sustainability tracking mobile app. The development team follows two-week sprints with continuous stakeholder feedback loops. During sprint planning, the team identifies that they cannot proceed with the carbon offset calculator feature because the finance department has not yet provided the required API access credentials. The team has requested these credentials twice over the past three weeks. The finance director, Marcus, reports to a different VP and has expressed concerns about data security to other stakeholders but has not responded directly to the team's requests. The team's velocity will drop significantly if this blocker is not resolved before the sprint begins in two days.
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Correct answer: Schedule a meeting with Marcus to understand his security concerns, identify what information or assurances he needs, and work collaboratively to establish a path forward that addresses both his concerns and the team's access requirements

Explanation

The project manager's role includes actively removing impediments for the team, especially when blockers involve stakeholder resistance or competing priorities. Marcus has expressed security concerns to others but hasn't engaged directly with the team, indicating he needs his concerns addressed before he'll act. With only two days until sprint start, the PM must proactively facilitate stakeholder engagement by meeting with Marcus to understand his underlying concerns, determine what assurances or safeguards he requires, and collaboratively develop a solution that meets both security requirements and project needs. This servant leadership approach addresses the root cause of the resistance rather than simply documenting the problem or forcing compliance. The closing fact that Marcus expressed concerns to other stakeholders but hasn't responded to the team indicates he's not ignoring the request but rather needs direct engagement to resolve his hesitation.

**Why not A:** Escalating to the sponsor to direct Marcus is a heavy-handed approach that may damage the relationship with the finance department. Marcus has legitimate security concerns that have not been directly addressed, and using authority to force compliance does not resolve the underlying hesitation.

**Why not B:** Creating a mock API interface allows development to continue but does not remove the actual blocker. The team will still need real credentials eventually, and investing in mock infrastructure when the root cause (Marcus's unaddressed security concerns) can be resolved through direct engagement is not the most effective use of time.

**Why not C:** Documenting the blocker and moving to other work is a passive response that abdicates the PM's responsibility to actively remove impediments. With 40% of the sprint commitment at risk, simply logging the issue and waiting is insufficient servant leadership when direct engagement can resolve the problem.

Key Concept

This question covers Use a network to implement solutions to remove impediments under Address and Remove Impediments, Obstacles, and Blockers for the Team (People).

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