A highly engaged key stakeholder complains that the project reports are inadequate. What should the project manager do first?

The project manager's first step should be to ensure compliance with the communications management plan. This plan defines the reporting requirements, including content, format, frequency, and audience. If the reports are not adhering to the plan, correcting this is a foundational step. If they are compliant but still inadequate for the stakeholder, then the plan itself may need to be reviewed and updated. Explaining that these are approved templates is dismissive and doesn't address the stakeholder's concern. Asking the team to revise all reports without understanding the root cause is premature and could lead to wasted effort. Escalating to the sponsor immediately is inappropriate; the project manager should first attempt to resolve the issue directly by verifying adherence to established processes.