PMP · Question #1314
During the first project meeting with a new project manager, a stakeholder complains about not receiving periodic reports. What should the project manager do first?
The correct answer is B. Meet with the stakeholder to better understand their expectations and update the stakeholder. Upon a stakeholder's complaint about not receiving periodic reports, the project manager should first meet with the stakeholder to understand their specific expectations and then update the stakeholder engagement plan.
Question
Options
- AUpdate the project management plan with the new information and inform all of the relevant
- BMeet with the stakeholder to better understand their expectations and update the stakeholder
- CInvite the stakeholder to all future project review meetings and update the project management
- DAdd the stakeholder details into the periodic reports and update the project management plan.
How the community answered
(30 responses)- A3% (1)
- B83% (25)
- C10% (3)
- D3% (1)
Why each option
Upon a stakeholder's complaint about not receiving periodic reports, the project manager should first meet with the stakeholder to understand their specific expectations and then update the stakeholder engagement plan.
Updating the project management plan and informing others without fully understanding the stakeholder's specific needs might lead to providing incorrect or irrelevant information, exacerbating the problem.
The most effective first step is to directly engage the complaining stakeholder to understand the specifics of their communication requirements, preferred report types, frequency, and delivery methods. This information is crucial for accurately updating the stakeholder engagement plan and ensuring future communications meet their expectations, fostering positive relations.
Inviting the stakeholder to all future meetings might be an overreaction and may not address their specific need for periodic reports, potentially overwhelming them or the meeting agenda.
Simply adding stakeholder details to periodic reports assumes what kind of reports are needed and might not align with their expectations, making it a premature action before understanding the full scope of the complaint.
Concept tested: Stakeholder communication management
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/stakeholder-engagement
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Samuel O.Jul 5, 2026B is correct here. In my experience managing projects, you never just start firing reports at someone without understanding what they actually need, so the first move is always to sit down with that stakeholder, figure out their real expectations, and then update the stakeholder engagement plan accordingly.
Mei-Ling H.Jul 8, 2026Agree with B but watch the word always in the stem, because if it says most or best instead, some answer choices jump straight to updating the engagement plan and skip the meeting, which trips people up.
Mei-Ling H.Jul 4, 2026I first leaned toward D because updating the reports directly sounds like a quick fix, but the question says this is a new project manager in the first meeting, so you do not yet know what the stakeholder actually expects. Option B is correct because before changing anything in the plan you must meet with the stakeholder to understand their needs, then update the stakeholder engagement plan accordingly.
Fatima Z.Jul 5, 2026First leaned D, but B is the stakeholder engagement move.
Olusegun A.Jun 26, 2026B. You fix engagement gaps by talking to the stakeholder first, not updating plans. Why do people jump straight to plan updates before understanding the actual expectation?