After five sprints, with three sprints remaining, a developer must take four weeks of leave and no temporary replacement is available. This will significantly impact delivery. What should the project manager do?

The correct answer is to conduct an impact analysis, adjust the schedule, and communicate changes. This is the most appropriate action because it follows a structured problem-solving approach. The project manager must first understand the full scope of the impact (impact analysis), then create a realistic plan to address it (adjust the schedule), and finally, ensure all stakeholders are informed (communicate changes to the customer). Requesting extra funding for a replacement might not be feasible or timely, especially if no temporary replacement is available. Informing the customer immediately without a clear plan can cause undue alarm and is premature; escalation should be a last resort after attempting to resolve the issue. Asking the product owner to push the team harder is unsustainable, detrimental to team morale, and unlikely to resolve a significant resource gap without compromising quality.