CPSM CSPM Communication, Stakeholder & Team Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project manager notices that a key stakeholder consistently misses status meetings. What is the BEST first step?
- Escalate to the stakeholder's manager immediately
- Analyze the stakeholder's preferred communication style and adjust accordingly (Correct answer)
- Remove them from the distribution list to save effort
- Send daily email reminders to pressure attendance
Correct answer: Analyze the stakeholder's preferred communication style and adjust accordingly
Understanding and adapting to a stakeholder's communication preferences improves engagement before escalating.
Question 2: Which conflict resolution technique is MOST appropriate when the issue is minor and preserving the relationship is the priority?
- Confronting/problem-solving
- Forcing
- Smoothing/accommodating (Correct answer)
- Withdrawing
Correct answer: Smoothing/accommodating
Smoothing minimizes tension and preserves relationships when the conflict issue has low long-term impact.
Question 3: A software project team is distributed across three time zones. Which communication strategy BEST supports team cohesion?
- Require all team members to work the same core hours regardless of location
- Establish overlapping core hours and use asynchronous tools for non-urgent items (Correct answer)
- Limit communication to weekly written status reports
- Assign a liaison in each time zone who filters all communication
Correct answer: Establish overlapping core hours and use asynchronous tools for non-urgent items
Overlapping core hours plus asynchronous tools balance real-time collaboration with flexibility across time zones.
Question 4: What does a RACI matrix primarily help a project manager communicate?
- Project schedule milestones and dependencies
- Roles and responsibilities for project tasks and decisions (Correct answer)
- Risk probability and impact ratings
- Resource cost and allocation per sprint
Correct answer: Roles and responsibilities for project tasks and decisions
A RACI matrix clarifies who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each deliverable or decision.
Question 5: During sprint retrospectives, a team member repeatedly blames others for failures. The PM should FIRST:
- Exclude the team member from future retrospectives
- Address the behavior privately and coach toward constructive feedback (Correct answer)
- Ignore it to avoid conflict in the team
- Reassign the team member to a different project
Correct answer: Address the behavior privately and coach toward constructive feedback
Private coaching addresses disruptive behavior while preserving team psychological safety and retrospective effectiveness.
Question 6: Which stakeholder analysis technique maps stakeholders by their level of interest and level of power?
- SWOT analysis
- Risk register
- Power/Interest grid (Correct answer)
- Stakeholder engagement matrix
Correct answer: Power/Interest grid
The Power/Interest grid categorizes stakeholders into four quadrants to prioritize engagement strategies.
Question 7: A project manager is drafting a communications plan. Which element is MOST critical to include?
- A list of all project risks and mitigations
- The frequency, format, and audience for each type of communication (Correct answer)
- The project budget breakdown by phase
- Names of all team members and their salaries
Correct answer: The frequency, format, and audience for each type of communication
A communications plan must specify what information is shared, with whom, how often, and in what format.
CPSM CSPM Communication, Stakeholder & Team Management 2
A project manager notices that a key stakeholder consistently misses status meetings.
What is the BEST first step?