If a team member falls ill one month before a deadline, which approach best maintains progress?

• A. Reallocate tasks and adjust the schedule
• B. Push the deadline by several weeks
• C. Notify stakeholders and re-prioritize deliverables while reassigning tasks
• D. Delay the decision until the member returns

Answer: (C)

When a key team member falls ill near a deadline, the best move is to inform stakeholders, re-prioritize deliverables, and reassign tasks. This approach keeps momentum by aligning expectations, focusing effort on the most important work, and using the remaining team’s capabilities effectively. Notifying stakeholders ensures everyone understands the impact and revised timelines, so dependencies and approvals can be adjusted without surprises. Re-prioritizing delivers the highest value work first, so the project still delivers meaningful results even if the scope or timing shifts. Reassigning tasks makes the workload manageable with the team you have, keeping progress moving rather than letting work stall. Delaying decisions until the person returns or simply pushing the deadline, on the other hand, risks stalled progress and misaligned expectations.