A major public-transportation construction project aimed at cutting emissions was severely delayed due to noncompliance with environmental codes and bylaws. What should the project manager have done to prevent this?

The project manager should have proactively mapped environmental compliance requirements, identified potential risks to meeting them, and prepared mitigation strategies. This systematic approach, part of comprehensive risk management, would have uncovered potential non-compliance issues before they caused delays. Simply appointing a compliance officer (option A) is insufficient without a clear plan and risk assessment. Approaching the regulator for a waiver (option B) is reactive and doesn't address the root cause of non-compliance. Incorporating schedule reserves (option C) is a reactive contingency for known risks, but proper risk management aims to prevent or reduce the impact of such issues in the first place, rather than just buffering for them.