Midway through execution, a new board member unfamiliar with the project joins and starts influencing decisions, affecting progress. What should the project manager do first?

The project manager should first present the project to the new board member. This proactive step ensures the new stakeholder understands the project's objectives, scope, progress, and current status, aligning their perspective with the project's direction. This minimizes uninformed influence and potential disruptions. Informing the client about the change is premature; the immediate issue is managing the new stakeholder's impact. Updating the risk register is a good subsequent step if the influence continues to be negative after the presentation, but understanding is the first priority. Revising the project schedule might become necessary, but it's a reactive measure; the initial action should be to prevent further negative impact through communication.