Leading High-Performance Teams Flashcards

A project manager observes that team velocity has dropped significantly over the past three sprints despite no change in team composition. What should the project manager investigate FIRST?

Answer: Potential impediments, team morale, or process bottlenecks affecting productivity

A sustained velocity drop signals systemic issues like impediments, morale problems, or process friction that must be diagnosed before prescribing solutions.

Which of the following BEST describes servant leadership as applied in PMBOK?

Answer: The leader focuses on removing obstacles and serving the team's needs to maximize their effectiveness

Servant leadership in PMBOK emphasizes supporting the team by removing impediments, facilitating collaboration, and enabling their success.

During project execution, a high-performing team member begins consistently missing deadlines. According to PMBOK best practices, what is the recommended approach?

Answer: Have a private conversation to understand underlying causes and offer support

PMBOK recommends addressing performance issues promptly through direct, supportive conversation to identify root causes before taking formal action.

What does the concept of 'emotional intelligence' (EI) contribute to project leadership according to PMBOK?

Answer: It enables leaders to recognize and manage their own and others' emotions to improve team dynamics

Emotional intelligence allows project leaders to understand emotional cues, build trust, and navigate interpersonal dynamics to improve team performance.

A project manager is creating a team charter. Which element is MOST important to include?

Answer: Team values, communication agreements, and decision-making processes

A team charter establishes shared values, communication norms, and decision-making approaches to guide how the team will work together.

According to PMBOK, which conflict resolution technique results in the MOST durable long-term resolution?

Answer: Collaborating, by finding a mutually acceptable solution that addresses all parties' concerns

Collaborating (problem-solving) produces the most durable resolution because it addresses the underlying concerns of all parties rather than suppressing them.

A project team is underperforming despite having strong individual skills. Which factor is MOST likely the root cause according to high-performance team principles?

Answer: Lack of shared purpose, clear goals, or effective collaboration norms

High-performance teams require aligned purpose, clear goals, and strong collaboration norms — without these, even highly skilled individuals underperform collectively.