According to the PMBOK® Guide, when a project manager faces requests for information or reports that fall outside the typical workflow, they must look to the established project governance documents.
Consulting the Plan: The Communications Management Plan is the primary document that defines who needs what information, when they need it, and how they will receive it. In this scenario, the project manager is being bypassed by an influential stakeholder. Before taking any action (like sending reports or updating plans), the PM must first verify what was originally agreed upon.
Establishing Authority: By consulting the plan, the project manager can determine if the stakeholder is already on the distribution list or if these are " ad hoc " requests. This provides the PM with the necessary framework to address the team member and the stakeholder professionally.
Preventing Scope/Communication Creep: If the project manager simply starts forwarding reports (Option A) without checking the plan, they risk violating confidentiality or overloading the team with unplanned work.
Analysis of other options:
Forward the status reports (Option A): This is a reactive approach. It sets a dangerous precedent that stakeholders can bypass the project manager to get information, which can lead to confusion and " noise " in communication.
Manage stakeholder engagement (Option B): This is a broad process, not a specific " first " step. While the PM will eventually need to manage this stakeholder ' s engagement, the specific tool used to handle information requests is the Communications Management Plan.
Update the communications management plan (Option D): You should never update a plan before consulting the current version and understanding the need for the change. Updates happen after a gap is identified and, if necessary, processed through change control.
Per PMI standards, the project manager must ensure that communication is efficient (providing only the information needed) and effective (providing information in the right format at the right time). Consulting the plan first ensures that the PM maintains control over the project ' s communication channels.
