A project manager is working on a large IT project. During a review for one of the deliverables, a stakeholder raised a concern about the final…

The most appropriate initial action for the project manager is to investigate the validity and context of the stakeholder's concern. This involves a two-pronged approach: first, reviewing the official project requirements documentation to determine if the deliverable deviates from the agreed-upon scope and specifications. Second, discussing the concern with the project team provides technical insight into how the requirements were interpreted and implemented. This foundational analysis is crucial to understand if the concern is a valid defect, a misunderstanding of the requirements, or a request for a change (scope creep). This step must precede any formal logging, escalation, or negotiation.

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.).

Section 5.5

Validate Scope: This process is about formalizing the acceptance of deliverables. Its inputs include the Requirements Documentation and the Requirements Traceability Matrix (p. 164). When a stakeholder raises a concern during a review

the first step is to compare the deliverable against these documents to validate the concern.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.).

Section 2.8

Stakeholder Performance Domain: This domain involves "working with stakeholders to maintain alignment and to engage them in project decisions" (p. 113). Addressing a stakeholder's concern begins with understanding it in the context of the project's established plans and requirements to ensure continued alignment.

3. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.).

Section 4.2.5

Models

Methods

and Artifacts - Issue Log: An issue is defined as "A current condition or situation that may have an impact on the project objectives." Before an item can be effectively logged and managed as an issue

it must first be analyzed and understood

which supports the action of reviewing requirements and discussing with the team.