The correct answer is C - Facilitate team brainstorming of the risks resulting from complexity for the risk register.
Technical complexity introduces risks that must be identified and managed early. Agile leaders support teams by facilitating collaborative risk identification, not by dictating solutions. Brainstorming sessions help surface concerns and lead to proactive mitigation strategies.
PMI Agile Practice Guide:
"Risks are best identified through team collaboration. Facilitated risk identification sessions encourage broad participation and lead to better awareness and ownership of potential issues." (PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 7.3 - Risk Management) Mike Griffiths:
"In agile projects, technical risks are treated early. Collaborative identification and visibility are key to creating a risk-adjusted delivery plan." (PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 6 - Problem Detection and Resolution) Incorrect options:
* A is valid long-term, but brainstorming comes first for awareness.
* B limits risk planning to a fixed period (Sprint 0), which may not be enough.
* D promotes innovation but not structured risk identification.

The correct answer is C - Use retrospective techniques such as silent writing, clustering, and dot voting to field feedback prior to discussion by the team.
Agile retrospectives should foster psychological safety and equal participation. Techniques such as silent brainstorming or writing on sticky notes (physical or digital), followed by clustering similar themes and dot voting, help balance group dynamics and encourage input from all team members-including those who are less vocal.
PMI Agile Practice Guide explains:
"Effective retrospectives use facilitation techniques such as silent brainstorming, dot voting, and clustering to gather inputs from all participants. These techniques level the playing field, reduce groupthink, and support diverse communication styles." (PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.8 - Retrospectives) Mike Griffiths also emphasizes:
"Using structured techniques allows quieter team members to contribute equally, and minimizes the dominance of more outspoken participants. The Scrum Master plays a key role in facilitating inclusive discussions." (PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 - Team Performance) Incorrect options:
* A and D are passive methods that reduce the collaborative and iterative nature of retrospectives.
* B may help, but does not address dominant voices or structure participation equitably.

The best answer is D because the project lead should foster psychological safety. In agile teams, people need to feel safe to share opinions, challenge ideas, raise concerns, and provide feedback without fear of blame, embarrassment, or punishment. This is especially important in international or cross-cultural teams where communication styles may differ.
Option A may help with meeting structure, but emphasizing rules does not necessarily make people feel safe.
Option B is passive and may allow silence to continue. Option C may help in some cases, but separate meetings do not solve the root issue in team discussions. Option D directly addresses the problem by improving the team environment.
PMI-ACP explicitly includes fostering psychological safety, encouraging dialogue, soliciting constructive feedback, and promoting a collaborative team environment.
=========

According to the PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 7.2.2), one of the key responsibilities of the agile practitioner is to actively engage stakeholders throughout the development cycle-not just during review meetings. Agile frameworks promote continuous collaboration and frequent feedback. Merely attending sprint reviews is passive participation and may lead to missed alignment on expectations.
Mike Griffiths also emphasizes in his PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement) that stakeholder satisfaction requires more than periodic visibility-it requires ongoing interaction and inclusion in decision-making and backlog refinement sessions. This deepens shared understanding and reduces the risk of late-stage surprises.
Hence, answer B is correct because proactive stakeholder engagement with the product owner fosters mutual understanding, timely feedback, and course correction-ensuring the product aligns with expectations.