How would you handle an unresponsive teammate?
AppleSoftware Engineer · Technical Screen
Last updated
This question evaluates interpersonal leadership and project-management competencies—including communication, accountability, escalation judgment, stakeholder risk communication, and empathy—in a software engineering, behavioral and leadership context.
Scenario
You are working on a project with a hard deadline. A teammate who owns a critical task has become unresponsive (misses standups, does not reply to messages, and no visible progress). The rest of the team is blocked.
Questions
- What steps would you take in the first 24–48 hours to unblock the project?
- How would you balance empathy (they may have personal issues) with accountability and delivery?
- When, how, and to whom would you escalate if the situation doesn’t improve?
- How would you communicate status and risks to your manager and stakeholders?
- After the deadline, what would you do to prevent recurrence (process or team changes)?
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