A project team is engaging a development team in another country to develop software. During progress reviews, the project manager identified completion date delays due to rework because there were different interpretations of the client's needs. What should the project manager do?

The root cause of the rework and delays is a communication failure, specifically "different interpretations of the client's needs." The most direct and appropriate initial action for the project manager is to facilitate communication among all relevant parties to resolve this ambiguity. Setting up a meeting with key stakeholders, which includes the client and development team representatives, directly addresses the problem by creating a forum to clarify requirements, ask questions, and establish a shared understanding, thereby preventing future rework.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.2

Stakeholder Performance Domain: This domain emphasizes the importance of "working with stakeholders to maintain their alignment and to engage them in project decisions." A meeting to clarify needs is a primary activity for stakeholder engagement and alignment. (p. 41)

Section 4.3

Models

Methods

and Artifacts: "Meetings and Events" are listed as a common method used to "communicate

make decisions

and address issues." This situation requires a meeting to address the issue of misinterpretation. (p. 168)

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 5.2.5

Communication and Knowledge Sharing: This section highlights that "Agile approaches favor high-bandwidth communication

" such as face-to-face conversation or video conferencing

to build trust and facilitate quick feedback cycles

which is essential for clarifying requirements with a distributed team. (p. 49)

3. Kerzner

H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning

Scheduling

and Controlling (12th ed.).

Chapter 11

Planning: This chapter discusses the criticality of defining requirements accurately. It states that "The leading cause of project failure has been poor or inaccurate requirements gathering." The text emphasizes that resolving requirement ambiguity through direct stakeholder communication is a fundamental responsibility of the project manager. (Section 11.5)