A global company hired a project manager to implement a solution across all sites. The project team is distributed across multiple locations and regions. What should the project manager do to address this?

The best first step for a project manager with a globally distributed team is to assess communication needs. Virtual meetings are an efficient and practical way to gather input from all team members, regardless of location, to understand their preferred communication channels, time zone challenges, and potential barriers. This assessment forms the basis for developing an effective communication plan. Notifying the sponsor for cultural training is premature; communication needs must be understood first. A mix of virtual and in-person meetings might be part of the solution, but assessing needs comes before implementing solutions. Requesting additional resources without understanding the root cause or specific needs is also premature.