As she absorbed the news that Joanne had just shared about the latest change to the project budget, Stephanie also began thinking through all the possible contingencies she and her team needed to be prepared for over the upcoming months. It was becoming clear to Stephanie that the maintenance tracking system project was being executed in an environment of budget uncertainty. She knew that leaders rarely had perfect knowledge of everything in the operating environment, but she wished that there would be a little more certainty around available resources for the new system. How else could she effectively guide her team?

Building and maintaining a shared understanding of the environment in which the project changes are occurring as well as any potential problems is an important for Stephanie because it:

a. Enables her to enforce the project deadlines.

b. Establishes her as a credible and open leader.

c. Establishes trust and forms the basis for unity of effort.

d. Provides a basis for her to objectively evaluate her team members.