PMP Practice: Communicate Conflict Management Principles

When a specific team member violates established ground rules, the project manager should first address the issue directly with that individual in a private conversation. This approach respects the person's dignity, seeks to understand underlying causes that may be legitimate obstacles, and attempts to resolve the issue collaboratively before escalating or taking broader action. The scenario indicates Kenji is actively working on other tasks, suggesting there may be workload conflicts, unclear priorities, or other issues that can be resolved through direct dialogue. This one-on-one discussion allows the PM to reaffirm expectations, understand barriers, and jointly develop a solution while maintaining the working relationship. Only after direct engagement fails would broader team reminders or escalation be appropriate.

**Why not A:** Documenting ground rule violations in the project log and proceeding without the QA lead's input bypasses the individual and risks making decisions without critical quality assurance perspective. This approach does not address the underlying reason for the non-responsiveness and may damage the working relationship.

**Why not B:** Escalating to the functional manager before attempting direct conversation is premature. The project manager should first try to resolve the issue through direct dialogue, which preserves dignity and may uncover legitimate workload conflicts or other barriers that can be resolved collaboratively.

**Why not C:** Sending a generic team-wide reminder about ground rules is indirect and avoids addressing the specific individual whose behavior is causing the problem. This passive approach may embarrass the team member publicly while failing to uncover the actual reasons behind the missed responses.