A project manager is hired as a consultant by the executive sponsor to manage a major change program that has experienced two past failures. The current executive sponsor believes the project is in good shape based on feedback from the last project manager and reports this to senior executive management. The executive sponsor believes there were no major risks threatening the time, budget, or quality of the project. In the first week of risk analysis, the project manager concludes the project timeline is unrealistic and is three months behind schedule. The organization's risk appetite is low.
What is the first step that should be taken?