Sometimes, due to confounding factors that are not in control of the project manager or the project team, deadlines for project deliverables are missed. This is not uncommon in project management, but it is important for the project manager to inform project leadership and stakeholders of potential delays as soon as possible, along with information on the cause of the delay, and what the project team is doing to mitigate the situation. Through regular communication, project leadership and stakeholders should already be aware of many of the details of the project, but it is still important for the project manager to provide a thorough explanation of the cause of the delay. The interviewer is asking this question to assess the candidate's ability to articulate how they would respond and react in a situation where they may have to deliver difficult news concerning what may be viewed as a failure in their performance. To appropriately answer this question, the candidate must confidently answer and provide details about how they would immediately respond to a situation where there is a project delay.