Concept · under Leading the team and managing conflict
Tuckman's ladder on the PMP® exam
Tuckman's ladder names five stages a team moves through: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. For exam prep, use it as a diagnostic: read the behavior in a scenario, put the team on a rung, and choose the leadership move that rung calls for.
- Exam
- PMP
- Domain
- People
- Domain weight
- 33%
- Packages
- 6
- Updated
- Oct 13, 2026
01Why the stage matters more than the label
The model comes from the psychologist Bruce Tuckman, and its practical value is diagnostic. The stage tells you how much structure the team needs from you: plenty at the start, far less later, when the same direction gets in the way. It is the practical side of the ECO (Examination Content Outline) task Lead the project team, which expects a leadership style chosen for the situation (PMI®, PMP Examination Content Outline, as of October 2026). The rest of that task is in leading the team and managing conflict.
Watch the verbs in the stem. Deference to the project manager and careful, low-stakes agreement sit low on the ladder. Open disagreement about methods or roles, and challenges to the direction set so far, mean storming. A team that holds its own members to the rules it wrote has reached norming.
02The five rungs
03Reading the stage from the stem
| Stage | What the scenario shows | The project manager's move |
|---|---|---|
| Forming | New faces, decisions handed to the project manager, little real disagreement yet | Set direction: purpose, roles and a first set of working agreements, best written with the team as a team charter (see project charter vs team charter) |
| Storming | Disagreement about methods or roles, challenges to direction, decisions slowing down | Coach: treat the friction as normal, keep it on the work and off the people, and lean on the team's ground rules; the five conflict modes are in conflict resolution techniques |
| Norming | The team settles how it works and starts enforcing its own agreements | Shift from directing to supporting. Let the team own its agreements and help repair the ones that do not hold |
| Performing | The team plans and adjusts its own work and raises problems before you spot them | Delegate, protect the team from interruptions, and work on the obstacles outside it |
| Adjourning | Deliverables handed over, people being released to other work | Recognize contributions, capture lessons learned, release people cleanly |
04A team that slides back down
What you would do
Two squads are merged after a reorganization. The combined team argues about coding standards for a week, you put it down to personalities, and you keep pushing the sprint plan.
A stronger move
A change in who is on the team resets trust. The scenario is describing a team that is storming again, so the move that fits is revisiting roles and working agreements with everyone, newcomers included, before pressing on delivery.
RememberA change in membership can send a team back a rung. Diagnose the stage again before choosing the move.
05Stage calls
Which rung is the team on right now? Each scenario here hangs on that call.
Work packages 6
WP 01A team that had run its own sprint planning smoothly for months learns that the product's goal has changed from a retail app to a wholesale portal. Within two weeks, members contest the revised backlog in every refinement session, two senior developers each lobby for their own architecture, and smaller groups now meet privately before the stand-up. What should the project manager do?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AThat is the performing move. The new goal has sent the team back to storming, where open rivalry needs facilitation rather than distance.
- BCorrect: open contest and rival proposals after a change of mission are storming cues; the move is to surface the disagreement and agree how it will be decided.
- CDirecting everything suits a forming team that is waiting for guidance; imposing a choice on a storming team suppresses the conflict without resolving it.
- DRecognition and release belong to adjourning, when the work is finished; this team still has a product to build.
WP 02A new project team exhibits polite but cautious behavior in their first meeting. Team members ask many questions about roles and expectations but avoid expressing opinions. According to Tuckman's model, which stage is this team in and what leadership approach is most appropriate?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AA team still asking about roles is not ready for reduced oversight.
- BStorming shows open conflict and competition, which this cautious team has not reached.
- CNorming requires established working agreements, which a first meeting cannot have.
- DCorrect: polite, cautious behavior and questions about roles mark forming, when the team needs clear direction and structure.
WP 03A project team has been working together for several months and has developed effective working relationships. Team members collaborate well and handle conflicts constructively, but occasionally miss process steps in their enthusiasm to complete tasks. According to Tuckman's model, what stage is this team in and what should the project manager focus on?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AConflict is being handled constructively, so storming is not the current stage.
- BPerforming teams follow their processes reliably; missed steps show the team is not fully there yet.
- CForming teams lack the established relationships this team already has.
- DCorrect: good relationships with some process lapses point to norming, so the focus is on tightening processes while keeping the dynamics healthy.
WP 04A project team has been working together for several months and has developed strong working relationships. Members collaborate well, resolve conflicts constructively, and consistently meet goals with minimal supervision. According to Tuckman's model, which stage is this team in?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AStorming involves conflict and competition, not consistent goal attainment.
- BCorrect: high collaboration, constructive conflict, and meeting goals with minimal supervision describe a performing team.
- CForming is the early, cautious stage, not one with months of strong relationships.
- DNorming builds working agreements; consistent results with minimal supervision go further, to performing.
WP 05A project team is transitioning from the storming to the norming stage of team development. What should the project manager prioritize during this transition?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- ACorrect: reinforcing shared goals and collaborative problem-solving helps the team move from conflict to shared norms.
- BRedefining roles based on storming behavior can reopen conflict just as it settles.
- CConflicts still need attention, but purely reactive handling does not help the team build norms.
- DFocusing only on tasks neglects the team dynamics that this transition depends on.
WP 06The project manager is wrapping up a successful marketing campaign. The team members have completed the campaign objectives and are preparing for their next assignments. In which stage of the Tuckman ladder is the team?
Debrief answer to open the notes
- AStorming is the conflict stage early in a team's life, not the point where work is wrapping up.
- BCorrect: adjourning is the final stage, when the work is complete and members are released to new assignments.
- CForming is when a new team first comes together and learns its roles.
- DPerforming describes a team doing its best work; once objectives are done and people are leaving, it has moved on.
Open a row to answer. Keys: 1–4 or A–D answer, N opens the next row.