A project manager is in rapid development on a joint application development module. Management wants delivery in two weeks; the module must integrate with others on a similar timeline, but release management has a three-week backlog. What should the project manager do?

The best course of action is to speak with stakeholders to address the bottleneck and explore process improvements. This proactive approach tackles the root cause of the delay (release management backlog) and seeks a collaborative solution, which aligns with the project manager's role in facilitating communication and removing impediments. Pushing the team to deliver more is ineffective if the bottleneck remains, as it won't accelerate the overall release. Having the team aim for the tighter deadline without addressing the release backlog is unrealistic and can lead to burnout or quality issues. Slowing the current pace to align with the release date is a reactive measure that accepts the bottleneck rather than resolving it, potentially wasting valuable development time.