Project Management Professional (PMP) — Question 931

An IT company's office is closed abruptly due to a new government restriction. All employees are now working remotely. Project team A has a critical project delivery due in 2 weeks. The project manager, apprehensive about this sudden change, instantly emails the customer explaining that the project delivery will be delayed. The customer is unhappy with this and has escalated the issue to senior management.

What should the project manager have done differently?

Answer options

• A. Disclosed to senior management in confidence, then communicated the delay to the customer
• B. Communicated a new delivery date to the customer along with the news about the delay
• C. Assessed the situation with the project stakeholders first and communicated the impact to the customer
• D. Spoken to the customer on the phone and explained the reason for the delay instead of writing an email

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct approach would have been to assess the situation with project stakeholders first and communicate the impact to the customer (option C). This would allow for a more informed discussion about the delay. The other options either involve premature communication to senior management or fail to provide the customer with a comprehensive understanding of the situation.