You are managing a critical infrastructure project for a utility company with a 36-month timeline and a highly structured governance framework. Six months into execution, your most senior electrical engineer, who serves as a technical authority and mentors three junior engineers, begins showing signs of stress and reduced engagement. Their deliverable quality remains acceptable, but they are increasingly absent from team meetings, less responsive to questions, and have stopped participating in design reviews. Two junior engineers have privately expressed concern. When you meet with the engineer, they acknowledge feeling overwhelmed but are reluctant to discuss specifics, saying 'it's personal' and they'll work it out. Your next major design milestone requiring their expertise is in five weeks. The project has no schedule buffer. What is the MOST appropriate course of action?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A. This question tests the delicate balance between supporting team member wellbeing and maintaining project accountability (ECO People Task 1.9: Support team member performance). Option A is correct because it respects the individual's personal boundaries while addressing the legitimate project need for their expertise and creating a structured support system with accountability measures. By establishing specific deliverables and checkpoints, you provide clarity and support without being intrusive, while backup resources protect the project. This approach maintains the professional relationship and the person's dignity while ensuring project needs are met. Option C is a strong distractor because involving HR and functional management seems responsible and properly escalates a personnel concern, but it's wrong as the FIRST action because the engineer hasn't indicated they want this level of organizational involvement in their personal situation, and immediately redistributing their responsibilities could damage trust and make them feel their role is being diminished when they most need stability. In predictive projects, maintaining team stability and morale is crucial. Option C might be necessary later if Option A doesn't yield results, but premature escalation can harm the relationship and potentially worsen the situation.

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