Last Updated on April 7, 2025 by andrewshih
Have you ever stared at a PMP exam question and felt torn between two good-sounding answers? You’re not alone. Many PMP candidates face this challenge, especially with situational questions where you’re expected to choose the best course of action.
Here’s a powerful strategy to gain clarity: Pay attention to the action verb at the beginning of each answer choice. These words offer clues into how PMI wants project managers to act. Understanding which action keywords reflect the PMI mindset can help you consistently choose the best answer.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What PMI values in project leaders
- The action keywords that align with PMI’s mindset
- Common verbs that may reflect poor choices
- Action verbs that depend on context
What Is the PMI Mindset?
The PMI mindset reflects a modern, people-centered, and value-driven approach to project management. PMI wants project managers to act with:
- Proactivity – seeing problems before they grow
- Collaboration – involving stakeholders and teams
- Adaptability – tailoring tools and approaches to fit project needs
- Empowerment – enabling teams instead of controlling them
- Strategic focus – aligning project work with business value
This mindset is woven into all areas of the PMP exam – especially the People, Process, and Business Environment domains.
PMI-Favored Action Keywords
Let’s explore verbs that PMI generally favors. These signal the type of leadership, thinking, and communication PMI expects from certified project professionals.
1. Collaborate, Facilitate, Engage, Involve, Participate, Consult
These words reflect teamwork, inclusion, and open communication – all of which PMI values highly.
When to choose these on the exam:
- Stakeholder has concerns? Engage them.
- A team is divided? Facilitate a conversation, don’t make unilateral decisions.
- A decision needs input? Consult subject matter experts.
2. Assess, Analyze, Evaluate, Review, Examine
PMI wants thoughtful professionals who don’t react blindly. These keywords reflect decision-making grounded in analysis.
When to choose these on the exam:
- Risk or change? Evaluate impact before acting.
- Quality issue? Review metrics or feedback before deciding.
3. Tailor, Adapt, Customize, Align
These signal flexibility and adjustment – key in both Agile and traditional projects.
When to choose these on the exam:
- New stakeholder group? Adapt your communication strategy.
- Small project? Tailor governance to avoid overhead.
4. Empower, Enable, Support, Motivate, Guide
These reflect servant leadership and emotional intelligence – both critical PMI values.
When to choose these on the exam:
- Struggling team member? Support or coach them.
- Decision stuck? Enable and guide the team, don’t take over.
5. Plan, Define, Recommend, Establish, Identify
These keywords reflect strategic planning and foresight – crucial traits of successful project managers.
When to choose these on the exam:
- Upcoming risk? Identify and plan responses.
- Unclear roles? Define responsibilities and establish clarity.
Common Keywords That Conflict with the PMI Mindset
1. Wait, Defer, Postpone, Delay
These suggest indecision or passivity – often not appropriate unless more information is truly needed.
Why these are red flags:
- PMI expects proactive behavior – not “wait and see.”
- Unless you need more data, deferring action is often the wrong choice.
2. Command, Direct, Demand, Fire, Replace
These imply authoritarian behavior, which goes against PMI’s emphasis on collaboration, coaching, and team empowerment.
Why PMI frowns on them:
- PMI values influence over authority.
- Servant leaders coach – they don’t replace without support or guidance first.
3. Escalate Immediately, Take Over, Punish
These reflect reactive and forceful behaviors that don’t align with PMI’s principles of shared responsibility and respect.
Why they’re problematic:
- Project managers should try to solve the problem or engage the team first.
- PMI promotes trust and respect – not fear-based leadership.
Other Helpful Action Keyword Categories
In addition to the more obvious PMI-aligned terms, there are several types of action words that you should understand in context. Let’s walk through them:
Administrative Actions
These are generally neutral and may be correct depending on the phase of the project.
Examples:Document, Track, Record, Monitor, Assign, Notify
When they’re appropriate:
- In the Control phase, it’s often correct to monitor and track performance.
- After a decision, you may need to notify stakeholders or record the update.
When they’re weak choices:
- When immediate action is needed, “monitor” may signal inaction.
- “Assign” may fall short if the question asks for team engagement or empowerment.
Technical Terms
These show familiarity with tools, outputs, or deliverables.
Examples:Baseline, Update, Report, Deliver, Execute
How to use them wisely:
- “Baseline the scope” is valid during planning.
- “Update the project schedule” fits after changes are approved.
- “Deliver” and “execute” are good when referring to implementation tasks.
Just be sure they’re applied in the right context – PMI still expects strategic thinking behind technical actions.
Contextual Action Words (Use Judgment)
Some keywords can be right or wrong depending on the situation. Use your judgment!
| Action Word | Good In This Context | Problematic In This Context |
|---|---|---|
| Monitor | Tracking risks or performance | Delaying action when risk is escalating |
| Inform | Communicating status or approvals | Used alone instead of engaging |
| Escalate | After team discussion fails | Used prematurely as first step |
| Reassign | After coaching fails | Used as first action without support |
Summary Table
| Category | Action Type | Common Keywords | Likelihood |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ PMI-Aligned | Proactive, Collaborative | Assess, Facilitate, Collaborate, Tailor, Empower | Usually Correct |
| ⚠️ Passive | Reactive, Avoidant | Postpone, Defer, Assume, Wait, Continue as-is | Usually Incorrect |
| 🔥 Aggressive | Command-Control | Escalate, Mandate, Remove, Direct, Instruct | Usually Incorrect |
| ⚪ Neutral | Administrative or Technical | Track, Record, Update, Assign | Depends on context |
How to Use Action Verbs During the PMP Exam
If you’re stuck between two choices:
- Look for PMI-aligned verbs like facilitate, analyze, collaborate, or tailor — these usually signal thoughtful, engaged action.
- Eliminate aggressive or passive verbs that suggest either a top-down command or a wait-and-see approach.
- Think about mindset first, then logic. PMI values:
- Stakeholder-centric solutions
- Team empowerment
- Continuous improvement
- Proactive leadership
- Tailored planning
Example PMP Exam Scenario Question
Here are two practice questions. The first question consist of choices with action keywords that are aligned and misaligned with PMI mindset, which makes it easy picking the correct answer.
The second practice question is administrative and consists of answer choices with administrative action keyword, in this case, you will need to understand the context to pick the best answer.
Question 1:
You are leading a hybrid project involving multiple functional teams. Midway through development, several team members express concerns that some stakeholders are bypassing the change control process and directly requesting deliverable modifications. This is starting to create confusion and misalignment across the teams. What should you do first?
A. Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to ensure stakeholders comply with the process.
B. Facilitate a collaborative session with stakeholders and team members to reinforce change control protocols.
C. Instruct team members to reject any stakeholder requests that are not formally approved.
D. Wait to see if the stakeholders’ requests cause actual rework before taking further action.
Correct Answer: B. Facilitate a collaborative session with stakeholders and team members to reinforce change control protocols.
A. Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to ensure stakeholders comply with the process.
❌ Incorrect – While escalation may be necessary if the behavior continues, PMI prefers resolving issues at the project level first. Escalating without trying to engage or clarify expectations with stakeholders can harm relationships and may be seen as avoiding responsibility.
B. Facilitate a collaborative session with stakeholders and team members to reinforce change control protocols.
✅ Correct – This action is aligned with the PMI mindset of collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and proactive leadership. Facilitating a discussion allows all parties to re-align on expectations and process without conflict or blame, supporting long-term cooperation and clarity.
C. Instruct team members to reject any stakeholder requests that are not formally approved.
❌ Incorrect – This represents a controlling, top-down approach that may lead to stakeholder dissatisfaction or team discomfort. It doesn’t address the root cause of the confusion and misses an opportunity to educate and involve stakeholders in the right process.
D. Wait to see if the stakeholders’ requests cause actual rework before taking further action.
❌ Incorrect – This is a passive strategy, contrary to PMI’s value of proactive leadership. Waiting allows confusion and scope creep to continue and can cause greater problems down the line.
Question 2:
You are managing a large infrastructure project with multiple subcontractors. During a routine review, you notice several quality issues in a vendor’s deliverables, although they technically meet the specifications. The issues have not yet affected the critical path but could impact user satisfaction if left unaddressed. What should you do next?
A. Update the issue log and continue monitoring vendor performance for trends.
B. Notify the vendor that future deliverables must exceed specifications to avoid penalties.
C. Assign a team member to conduct additional inspections for every vendor output.
D. Record the observation in the lessons learned register for future reference.
Correct Answer: A. Update the issue log and continue monitoring vendor performance for trends.
A. Update the issue log and continue monitoring vendor performance for trends.
✅ Correct – This response reflects a measured, data-driven approach. Even though the deliverables meet specifications, the project manager is taking proactive steps by logging the issue and monitoring for potential escalation. This avoids overreacting while still staying aware of quality trends that could impact stakeholder satisfaction.
B. Notify the vendor that future deliverables must exceed specifications to avoid penalties.
❌ Incorrect – This is unjustified escalation. The deliverables meet the specs, so demanding that the vendor exceed requirements (without a contract change) is inappropriate. It could also harm vendor relationships and overstep boundaries without proper assessment.
C. Assign a team member to conduct additional inspections for every vendor output.
❌ Incorrect – While this might seem cautious, it introduces additional workload and potential inefficiency without confirming that there’s a recurring quality problem. Extra inspections should follow after identifying a clear risk pattern, not as a first response.
D. Record the observation in the lessons learned register for future reference.
❌ Incorrect – Lessons learned are typically documented after a phase or the project ends, not in the middle of ongoing work to manage active issues. This action is premature and doesn’t help address or control the current concern.
Final Thoughts
The PMP exam is not just about knowing processes – it’s about demonstrating good leadership judgment.
By understanding the action keywords that align with PMI’s mindset, you can:
- Answer situational questions more accurately
- Eliminate wrong answers faster
- Develop habits that apply to real-world project management
Start building your intuition: Highlight verbs in practice questions and learn to think like a PMI-certified leader.
What Action Keywords Help You?
Have you seen tricky keywords in practice exams? Share your experience in the comments. Your feedback might help someone else succeed!
