A project manager is assigned to a technical research project. The project team has been assigned and the SME provides a list of technical skills required for project execution. What should the project manager do next?

The project manager's next step should be to meet with the project team to understand their skills and identify potential gaps and training requirements. This proactive approach allows the project manager to assess the current capabilities of the assigned team members against the technical skills identified by the SME. By understanding the team's existing strengths and weaknesses, the project manager can develop a targeted plan for training, mentoring, or acquiring additional resources if necessary. Discussing the list with the project sponsor is premature; the project manager first needs to understand the team's current state. Asking the functional manager to review the resource pool is also not the immediate next step, as the team has already been assigned. Sending the list to the team and asking them to get training without first assessing their current skills is inefficient and could lead to unnecessary training or missed opportunities to leverage existing expertise.