PMI-ACP Practice Questions #10
An agile practitioner observes that the team has several subgroups working independently, often leading to conflicts. Each subgroup focuses on a specific area of the product.
What should the agile practitioner do to help the team become high-performing?
A. Assign work to each group based on their expertise and establish clear boundaries to avoid conflict.
B. Promote competition between the groups by making their progress visible to each other.
C. Encourage the team to share knowledge, develop cross-functional skills, and reduce knowledge silos.
D. Create individual and group KPIs, and conduct periodic reviews to track progress.
Analysis
The scenario describes a team divided into subgroups, each working independently on different areas of the product. This has led to conflicts, which suggests a lack of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and collective ownership.
Agile principles emphasize cross-functional teams, collaboration, and shared responsibility. A high-performing Agile team does not function as separate subgroups with clear boundaries but works as a unified unit, shares knowledge, and supports each other to achieve common goals.
The best approach is to encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the development of cross-functional skills to eliminate silos and build a more cohesive and adaptive team.
Analysis of Options
A: Assign work to each group based on their expertise and establish clear boundaries to avoid conflict.
This reinforces silos rather than solving the core problem. While assigning work based on expertise might seem efficient in the short term, it contradicts Agile principles of collaboration, cross-functionality, and shared ownership. Creating rigid boundaries will likely increase dependency, reduce flexibility, and prevent knowledge sharing. This is not an Agile approach.
B: Promote competition between the groups by making their progress visible to each other.
This is even worse than Option A because it introduces competition rather than collaboration. Agile teams work together towards shared success rather than competing against each other. Competition within teams leads to conflicts, hoarding of knowledge, and reduced teamwork, which directly opposes Agile values of collective ownership and continuous collaboration. This option should be eliminated.
C: Encourage the team to share knowledge, develop cross-functional skills, and reduce knowledge silos.
This is the best option as it aligns with Agile principles of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional teamwork. When team members share knowledge and develop broader skill sets, they reduce dependencies, enhance flexibility, and improve adaptability. This leads to higher team efficiency, better problem-solving, and a stronger Agile culture.
D: Create individual and group KPIs, and conduct periodic reviews to track progress.
This approach focuses on measuring performance rather than addressing the root cause. While tracking progress is important, introducing KPIs for individuals and subgroups may reinforce silos instead of breaking them down. Agile teams focus on outcomes over metrics and collaboration over individual performance tracking. This is not the right approach to solve the problem.
Conclusion
The correct answer is Option C: Encourage the team to share knowledge, develop cross-functional skills, and reduce knowledge silos.
This choice aligns with Agile principles by promoting collaboration, team empowerment, and shared ownership. A high-performing Agile team is one where members support each other, continuously learn, and work together to achieve a common goal, rather than being divided into competing or isolated groups.
PMI – ACP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
| Leadership | Facilitate Conflict Management |
Topics Covered:
- Facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing.
- Encouraging cross-functional skill development.
- Reducing silos and fostering team cohesion.
- Promoting shared ownership and teamwork.
- Addressing conflicts through team alignment.
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