There is uncertainty about who is accountable for delivering a key project benefit. What should the project manager do next?

The correct answer is to meet with the stakeholders involved to clearly define their roles and responsibilities. Uncertainty about accountability for a key benefit indicates a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities, which is best resolved through direct stakeholder engagement to establish clear ownership. Understanding the context and escalating to the steering committee is premature; the project manager should first attempt to resolve the issue at their level. Documenting the risk in the risk register is a reactive measure; the project manager should proactively address the ambiguity rather than just documenting it as a risk. Meeting with the customer is important, but the core issue is internal accountability among project stakeholders, not necessarily consensus with the benefit recipient.