PMP Practice: Evaluate demonstration of task accountability

Aditya Ranganathan is leading a predictive infrastructure upgrade project for Nikolai Volkov-Sorokin Logistics, a regional freight company. During the execution phase, three senior technical team members—Amara, Diego, and Lila—repeatedly escalate routine technical decisions to Kenji for approval, despite having the expertise to make these decisions independently. The escalations have become so frequent that Kenji is spending six hours daily resolving issues the team should handle themselves. Project velocity has dropped 35% over the past three weeks. When Kenji asks why they keep escalating, Amara responds, 'We were never told what decisions we're allowed to make on our own. Last month on the warehouse automation project, the PM reversed three of my technical calls and sent an email to my functional manager criticizing my judgment. I'm not taking that risk again.' Diego and Lila nod in agreement. What should Kenji have done at the beginning of the project to prevent this situation?