Process > Managing Expectations

If perception is reality, a project client’s perceived value of what you deliver will be even more important that the actual delivered value. And yet unmet expectations are a common occurrence that frustrates project leaders who feel they have executed according to plan. So how do you close the gap between expectations and perceived value?

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the importance of respecting your clients, listening to what they tell you and asking questions to help you clarify needs. In this second installment, we look at the importance of setting and managing expectations, showing results of your efforts and spending time out of your office.

Thinking about how to use social media? Your project team members are already there. Social media has morphed from something that you play with to something businesses use for marketing, advertising and reputation management--or for encouraging networking, the exchange of ideas and collaboration within their organizations.

Developing and valuing its project management culture has paid dividends for ADP, forming the foundation for an improved customer relationship by establishing expectations, recognizing when things aren’t going right and taking action to remedy problems.

So the new year is upon us. But this year, one writer will try something a little different. Instead of just picking a few resolutions for his personal self (pounds, be gone!), he's adding some for his professional, project management self--the things he will do differently that will have an impact on his project teams. Join him on his journey...

Agile methods are powerful approaches that bring many benefits to how we undertake project work. However, they are not immune to misuse or failure. The following list of five common pitfalls is often seen in organizations switching to agile.

How do we adapt in the face of consistency, or of anarchy or of brutal regimentation? As project managers, the only thing we really have control over is ourselves. Given this, how do we change our approach in a way that enables us to be effective in producing project results, rather than bashing our head repeatedly against an unfeeling and unchanging wall of bureaucracy? Here we take a look at adaptation in the face of organizational consistency.

Just as project managers have some fundamental expectations of team members, they have some fundamental expectations of you. These should be the minimum we strive for on both sides. Here we take a look at some of the important expectations on both sides of the equation.

The key criteria used to determine the successful outcome of a project applied against other engineering disciplines are also applicable to software ones. If we know that, why do software projects have a poor track record of delivery? Read on to find out how we can improve it.

Effective project activation is more than just hard work and good luck. It's an important focus on the work required to bring the project up to speed, and this article explores some ways to get from zero to 60 as quickly as possible.

A project out of control doesn’t just happen overnight. It often takes weeks or months of inadequate knowledge of what the workforce understands about the project. Use these techniques to avoid failure due to naiveté.

Regardless of the terms and your place as a consultant, you are there to help others overcome challenges. Over the years, this writer has compiled a list of the key concepts that have helped him help his clients.

Your project indicators must go beyond past phases and address readiness for upcoming tasks and activities. This is one of six principles for implementing a project assurance methodology that can help minimize surprises, provide objective analysis, and build trust among team members and stakeholders.

Why involve project management before there’s a project? Customer expectations are often out of whack before the services part of the organization ever gets its hands on the project. Here we look at the root of the problem--and provide some solutions.

It’s time that we face up to a fundamental reality: organizations grapple with making project management work successfully on a consistent basis. Yes, there are exceptions--and some notable ones--but on the whole they simply prove the rule. It's time for a different approach.

With the "pink slip of Damocles" hanging over the heads of so many IT workers these days, your project environment might be a little unstable. Here are some ways to keep things rolling though the tough times.

There is no “Holy Grail” for managing a project, but there are certain fundamentals that can influence your results for the better, more often than not. From upfront discovery session to holistic communication throughout the life of the project, here are nine steps that can make you a better project manager.

Discussion on quality management has not evolved much since the mid-1990s. Within executive circles, the discussions are not about the importance of quality, but rather on what quality is, how it is achieved and how it can be measured. The issues surrounding quality seem focused on definition and approach rather than on need. What is quality? What does senior management expect from the quality process, and how do these expectations apply to IT? Read on...

Having an integrated understanding of customer and business needs, a command of technical components, a keen eye for upcoming technology trends, strong communication abilities and a tight grip on the ramifications of change are critical. Here are some steps you can take to help.

It's important to clarify the purpose and status reporting expectations early in the project. Here, we share a sample integration management cadence for a large project or program that effectively balances the time with the administrative overhead.

The key to great expectations? Manage, manage, manage. If someone is setting you up, know when to step up to the plate--and when to step aside. Here's how to ensure than your Project Management Office hits a homerun every time.

While good governance rarely happens naturally, it does and can happen. But rather than waiting for the right bowl of porridge to appear before us (because that really does only happen in fairy tales), we need to make the porridge we want. As with any good meal, it helps if we start with a recipe.

Requirements are nice…it’s the expectations that will kill you. And risk tolerance isn’t the only dimension of organizational expectations that a project manager needs to understand.

Why relate governance to a fairy tale? The more cynical among us might say that’s because the idea of effective governance and the actual practice really aren’t that far removed from fantasy. The astute reader also won’t require much effort or imagination to figure out where we’re going: some project managers suffer from too much, while others not enough; only an elusive few, however, can say that their governance is “just right”.

After more than 20 years in the financial services industry, this writer thought he knew exactly what to anticipate moving into his new role as a software vendor project manager. He was wrong...

With the politics of government projects also comes the demands of stakeholders, and there are often a diverse number of them who have expectations of what projects are to deliver. The process of stakeholder engagement is a crucial one in managing government projects, but it is also one that is fraught with issues and challenges.

Leadership gaps arise as projects trend toward higher complexity. It will take some significant new skills to succeed in complex near-future projects. When you succeed with the workforce, however, much of the complexity evaporates.

It scares this writer how many project managers believe that projects start with the planning phase. It scares him even more that their employers often agree.The project starts during the justification phase of the initiative, and the project manager needs to be a part of that process.

We're all actors on a project stage...and a well-written planning document sets us up for a successful project. Here, we explore the key elements of this all-important effort.

Using the latest project management tools and technology to plan, track and report progress does not ensure that effective communication is taking place. Project leaders also need to regularly talk to their team and seek feedback.

How do you get PM just right? How do we find the balance in making project management work? What constitutes "enough" project management, and how do we make the call? What are we giving up when we compromise the approach we take, and at what cost?

PMOs: A panacea for some, a disaster for others. If like many others you anticipate a bad ending, you've come to the right place. Want some sure-fire approaches for disaster? Here are some tips on killing your PMO. (Optimists can go ahead and do the opposite...)

We all believe that we understand and know what the concept of "doing the right thing" means. When it comes time to do this on our projects, however, is it really as easy as we might initially think? Do we really know what it means to manage our projects responsibly? Are we prepared to do so in the face of pressure, influence or outright direction to the contrary?

Do you want to supercharge your team, but have been told that slapping is not allowed? You could try free energy drinks and subliminal messages in your PowerPoint slides, but finding out what people value is probably a better way to go. This article explores how better to align project objectives with personal objectives to increase team motivation.

Establishing a program management office is a project in Itself. And like all projects, you need a charter that presents a clear and measurable purpose, scope, schedule, quality, budget, risks and critical success factors. Here are guidelines for creating a charter for your PMO project.

Too many projects are driven by an overly optimistic schedule where the probability of meeting the end date with an acceptable deliverable is very low. Then, poorly planned attempts to meet those unrealistic dates result in problems that not only cause dates to slip, they compromise quality.

Establishing productive working relationships with your project team is as critical as building the plan, managing risk or reporting to stakeholders. It requires accessibility, adaptability and authenticity. Here are seven principles that can help you help your team members maximize their individual and collective value.