A project manager was recently assigned to a new project that is about to start. The organization has already signed a fixed-cost contract with the customer detailing the scope and final delivery date

Creating an issue log template is a general project setup activity, but it does not proactively address the known, high-probability failure of the initial plan due to identified constraints.

Creating a schedule management plan is part of project planning, but the core issue is that the *existing* schedule plan is deemed unachievable, necessitating a strategy to manage that deviation rather than just documenting scheduling processes.

When a project manager identifies internal constraints that 'certainly prevent' the project from being completed as initially planned, despite a fixed-cost contract and delivery date, a significant risk to project success exists. The most immediate and crucial next step is to create a robust contingency plan. This plan outlines specific actions, resources, and alternative strategies to be implemented if these anticipated deviations occur, aiming to mitigate their impact and ensure the project still meets its contractual scope and final delivery date.

While an assumption log tracks assumptions, the project manager has *identified* constraints that 'certainly prevent' success, moving beyond mere assumptions to known problems that require a direct mitigation strategy like contingency planning.