PMP · Question #597
A key stakeholder who is highly involved in the project claims that the reports sent by the project team are inadequate. What should the project manager do first?
The correct answer is C. Ensure that the reports comply with the communications management plan.. The project manager's initial step should be to verify if the current reports align with the established communications management plan before taking further action.
Question
A key stakeholder who is highly involved in the project claims that the reports sent by the project team are inadequate. What should the project manager do first?
Options
- AExplain to the stakeholder that these are the approved templates for the reports.
- BAsk the project team to review and modify all of these reports.
- CEnsure that the reports comply with the communications management plan.
- DAsk the sponsor to meet with the stakeholder to diffuse the situation with the reports.
How the community answered
(38 responses)- A5% (2)
- B3% (1)
- C79% (30)
- D13% (5)
Why each option
The project manager's initial step should be to verify if the current reports align with the established communications management plan before taking further action.
Simply stating that templates are approved without understanding the stakeholder's specific concerns is dismissive and does not address the issue.
Asking the team to modify reports without understanding the specific inadequacies or checking against the plan could lead to unnecessary work or incorrect changes.
The communications management plan defines the reporting requirements, including format, content, frequency, and recipients. Before addressing stakeholder concerns or making changes, the project manager must first verify if the current reports are compliant with this agreed-upon plan, as non-compliance could be the root cause of inadequacy.
Escalating to the sponsor immediately is premature; the project manager should first investigate the issue and understand its root cause.
Concept tested: Stakeholder communication, communications management plan
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/project-communications-management
Topics
Community Discussion
6
Brenda K.May 21, 2026C is the correct answer and it is a quick win if you know to look for the plan. The communications management plan is the governing document for what gets sent, to whom, and in what format. Before you change anything or escalate, verify the reports actually match what was agreed upon. If they comply, you have grounds to push back. If they do not, you fix the gap.
Samuel O.May 29, 2026C is right, always check the comms plan first, but does it get updated if the stakeholder still wants more?
Anjali D.May 31, 2026Good catch on C, Samuel, but remember that if the stakeholder keeps asking for more after the comms plan is followed, that is usually a signal to revisit stakeholder engagement requirements, not just tweak the plan.
Anjali D.Jun 11, 2026Group consensus is C, check the plan first. Does the comms plan define report format?
Imani T.Jun 14, 2026C is right but also check the stakeholder engagement plan, because that is where you will find the detail level each stakeholder actually wants, not just the format.
Imani T.Jun 16, 2026I first leaned toward B because if the stakeholder says the reports are inadequate, fixing them seems like the obvious move. But C is right because the communications management plan is the agreed-upon standard for what gets reported and how, so you verify against that before changing anything.