During execution the project manager discovered the deliverables do not meet the main stakeholder's quality specifications. The SPI dropped from 0.98 to 0.72 and the CPI from 1.5 to 1.1. What should the project manager do to reduce the risk of deliverables being rejected in the next iteration?

The correct answer is to reinforce the definition of done (DoD) during sprint planning. The problem states that deliverables do not meet quality specifications, indicating a misunderstanding or lack of adherence to quality standards. Reinforcing the DoD ensures the team clearly understands the quality expectations for each deliverable, preventing future quality issues. Submitting a change request to prioritize fixes (incorrect) addresses the current problem but doesn't prevent recurrence. Creating a dedicated sprint for pending specifications (incorrect) focuses on quantity, not quality, and doesn't address the root cause of unmet quality. Ensuring the product backlog is prioritized (incorrect) is good practice but doesn't directly solve the quality specification issue; it's more about managing scope and dependencies.