A key stakeholder does not attend project meetings and is spreading false claims that the team is not delivering on time. What should the project manager do to address this?

The best approach is to discuss communication needs with the key stakeholder. This directly addresses the root cause of the issue: a breakdown in communication that is leading to misinformation. By engaging in a conversation, the project manager can understand the stakeholder's preferred communication channels, frequency, and content, and then tailor future communications accordingly. Sending the most recent status report might not be effective if the stakeholder isn't reading it or prefers a different format. Developing a new communication artifact without understanding the stakeholder's needs is a guess and may not solve the problem. Providing meeting recordings is a passive approach and doesn't guarantee engagement or address the underlying communication gap. The goal is to proactively engage and understand their needs to prevent future misunderstandings.