Skip to content
PMPEasy

PMP Practice: Appraise stakeholder skills

Question 1 of 5 in Build a Team

Pick an answer below — you'll get the explanation instantly, no signup.

Birch Petersen is managing a hybrid project at Cheerful Entropy Labs to develop a new customer analytics platform. The team has been using both iterative sprints for the software components and predictive planning for the infrastructure deployment. Three experienced developers will be rolling off the project in two weeks to join a new strategic initiative, and their replacements have already been identified. The outgoing developers possess critical knowledge about the custom API integrations and the database architecture decisions made early in the project. The team is currently in the middle of a sprint with two weeks remaining. What should Birch do?
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: Schedule overlapping time for knowledge transfer sessions between outgoing and incoming developers

Explanation

In a hybrid environment where team continuity is essential, the most effective approach to maintain team capability is to facilitate direct knowledge transfer between outgoing and incoming team members. Scheduling overlapping sessions ensures that critical tacit knowledge about architectural decisions, integration nuances, and team practices is transferred through conversation, demonstration, and collaborative work. This approach respects the organizational decision about timing while maximizing knowledge retention. Documentation alone cannot capture the contextual understanding and practical insights that come from working together, and this is especially important for custom integrations where undocumented assumptions may exist.

**Why not A:** While documentation is valuable, relying solely on written materials as the primary knowledge transfer mechanism is insufficient for complex technical knowledge. Documentation often lacks the contextual details, rationale behind decisions, and practical troubleshooting insights that developers gain through experience. Creating comprehensive documentation would also consume significant time in the final two weeks without guaranteeing effective knowledge transfer to the incoming team members.

**Why not C:** Attempting to change organizational resource allocation decisions is not within the project manager's authority when replacements have already been identified and scheduled. The developers are moving to a strategic initiative, suggesting this decision was made at a higher level. Rather than trying to modify the constraint, the project manager should work within it to ensure smooth transition.

**Why not D:** Expecting new developers to independently learn complex custom integrations and architectural decisions through code review alone places unnecessary risk on the project and does not set the incoming team members up for success. This passive approach misses the opportunity for direct knowledge sharing and may result in misunderstandings, rework, or延续 of technical debt when context is lost.

Key Concept

This question covers Appraise stakeholder skills under Build a Team (People).

Share:

This is 1 of 100 free PMP questions

Unlock 6,300+ PMP practice questions with detailed explanations, progress tracking, and exam readiness prediction.

Unlock All Questions