At a small company, the COO asked the team to skip some process steps to move faster. The project manager wants to ensure those steps aren't skipped again. What should the project manager do?

The project manager should schedule a review of the process steps with the team and the COO. This approach directly addresses the issue by involving the key stakeholders (the team who executes the process and the COO who requested the deviation). It allows for a collaborative discussion to understand the reasons for skipping steps, identify potential improvements, and gain commitment from all parties on future adherence or necessary process adjustments. Redesigning the process without understanding the COO's perspective might not solve the underlying problem and could lead to further issues. Notifying the team to complete all steps without addressing the COO's directive is ineffective and could create conflict. Escalating to other executive leadership members bypasses the COO and could be seen as insubordination, damaging relationships without resolving the core issue.