PM·PREP

PMP® practice question: Address and remove impediments

People domain · agile approach · easy

PeopleAddress and remove impedimentseasy

During a sprint, an agile development team is blocked because a third-party API they depend on is unavailable, and they cannot complete a committed story. As the team's servant leader, what should you do first?

  • AAsk the team to commit to additional stories to make up for the lost velocity.
  • BReport the team's reduced velocity to senior management as a performance concern.
  • CTake ownership of removing the impediment by engaging the third party while the team works on unblocked items.
  • DInstruct the team to build their own temporary replacement for the third-party API.

Explanation

Correct answer: C

A servant leader's primary role is to remove impediments and shield the team so it can keep delivering value.

A
Piling on more work ignores the impediment and pressures the team rather than helping them.
B
Framing a genuine external blocker as a team performance issue is inaccurate and undermines trust.
C
Correct. Removing the blocker is the servant leader's responsibility; meanwhile the team can pull other ready work from the backlog.
D
Directing a specific technical solution oversteps the team's self-organization, and building a full replacement may not be warranted.

Want to test yourself before seeing the answer? Answer questions interactively in practice mode — one at a time, with the explanation revealed only after you commit to a choice.

More free People questions

Browse all free questions →