Strategic Project Management

Peter Taylor, The Lazy Project Manager said, "Reporting is not communicating." I couldn't agree more. Some time ago I was reading the PMI's Voices on Project Management blog and Lynda Bourne suggested, "Executives don't have time to read fantastically accurate and detailed reports—people are simply to busy to take that kind of deep dive."

In light of our conversation yesterday, I thought I would share some of her thoughts here today. Accurate and detailed reports are important, but Bourne is right, most executives want the 20,000-foot view—that's all they normally have time for. Here are a few of her suggestions, which I think make good sense:

1. "Separate push and pull communications." Make the detail available someplace where people who need it can easily retrieve it (pull). Anything you send out (push) should focus on the highlights and the information that requires action.
2. "Separate history from future." Reporting on what happened last week is of no value unless it contains information that could influence future decisions. Bourne suggests that historical data is important to accountants, but business leaders, project leaders, and team members need information that is forward-looking and focused on action items.
3. "Focus on the needs of the receivers." She asserts that it's important to give the audience the information they need to make the project successful. Everyone on the project team doesn't need the same information, "Team members need to know what work to do in the next week or two. Managers need to know what they have to decide."

This kind of communication doesn't just happen. Successful communication requires effort. And remember, to ensure the successful completion of any project, you need to focus your communication efforts on the important stakeholders that influence project success.

Regardless of the type of project or project team, at some point in time project managers need to report on project status. Depending on whether or not you have good news or bad news, you may or may not look forward to that meeting with stakeholders and sponsors. That being said, frequent and relevant status reviews are a critical component to help you avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Here are five keys to help your project status reviews run smoother (even if the news isn't all good):

1. When you do your reporting is often as important as what you report: Try to pick times that will be convenient for stakeholders. Of course, it's tough to find the perfect time for everyone, but try to schedule a time that is convenient for as many stakeholders as possible.
2. Make sure the information you are reporting is accurate and trustworthy before the meeting: There's nothing worse than showing up to a meeting and finding out that one of the key pieces of information is inaccurate or out of date. Make sure your ducks are all in a row before the meeting starts, which might mean a double-check a few minutes before meeting time. We all know how quickly project status can change.
3. Make sure the information you are presenting is relevant to your audience: Know who you are reporting to and make sure that what you report is relevant to them. Some stakeholders want to get into the weeds and dig through the details, while others don't. Make sure you have the right presentation prepared for the right audience.
4. Present your information in the right medium: Some stakeholders are OK with spreadsheets and a list of data points, but others might want to see a PowerPoint presentation—if you use the wrong medium for your presentation, you could loose your audience before you've even begun. It's like taking a knife to a gunfight.
5. "I don't know" isn't a good answer in a status meeting: If you don't have the full details of what your presenting, it isn't the end of the world—simply make sure you have someone there who does to help with the presentation. The only thing worse than admitting that you don't know the answer is making one up. Most people can see right through it.

Taking the time to consider the above five keys to better status reporting will not only make your next project status meeting more effective, it will also make it less stressful and maybe even something to look forward to.

Is there anything you would like to add to the list?

 

Going through my daily routine of reading the news, I stumbled upon an interesting article written by Anthony Balderman for CareerBuilder.com. It's not the typical place I look for news, but the headline caught my eye, What Does the Boss Need to Hear?

Balderman's premise is that you just won the lottery, what would you tell the boss? Telling off the boss is a fantasy shared by many employees, however most of your team members will never say anything for fear of repercussions. On the sly, CareerBuilder.com asked, and here are a few of the responses:

Be Professional:

"He needs a crash course in saying 'no' or 'not right now' when it comes to promises to clients or myself (employees). He continuously bites off way more than he can chew and needs to make requests fall within a more realistic time-line. Stop promising what's difficult to deliver in the time frame given, state it can be done but will take longer than client believes.

"Also, his consistent tardiness to meetings and discussions, especially those I've planned for him (since it affects me), is not only unprofessional, but reflects poorly on myself and the company. It's inconsiderate to other parties involved to be tardy even in personal settings, but that insult is magnified in the professional realm. If time equals money, you have cost them by your tardiness.

"[And your] follow-up stinks to high heaven. I wouldn't care, except this directly affects my income and it aggravates me severely. My income level is dependent on your follow-up and it's been a big disappointment whenever I think of it."
—Kim

Be Careful:

"I did tell my boss what was on my mind and was fired. No regrets.

"My boss promoted a team peer without considering the other team members' experiences, which were all negative. The peer which was promoted had [a romantic bias] towards another peer. In bringing this information forward, my boss remarked with, 'You are making me feel as though I was bamboozled.' I replied, 'I cannot and did not make you feel anything. I simply want you to know that you may have a potential lawsuit as a result of not checking your facts prior to a haphazard promotion.' Within a week, I was let go and given an eight-month severance package. The action that occurred continued with others over the next six months."
—Tina

Be the Boss People Want to Follow:

"Protect, back up and defend your workers."

"Listen twice as much as you speak."

"Do not always seek to find bad behavior to punish, but also seek good behavior to reward."

"Promote within."

"Encourage a work environment that is conducive to success."

"Allow for failure."
—Michael Coritsidis

Although Balderman wasn't talking to project managers, I have witnessed many of these types of behaviors among project teams. I think this is good information for anyone responsible for leading people. Creating an environment where these types of situations don't occur is important, but in my opinion what's even more important is creating an atmosphere where team members can freely discuss the challenges and successes they face. As project managers responsible for leading people as well as managing process, this is something to think about.

Have you ever experienced anything like this? What do you do to foster dialog within your project teams?
 
 

Keeping an open and effective line of communication with stakeholders is important. A couple of years ago I stumbled on this list of tips for presenting to stakeholders, which is worth rehashing. Sometimes it seems like a thirty-minute meeting can be over in sixty seconds. Stakeholders sometimes have short attention spans, so if you don't capture their attention in the first minute or two, they'll start checking their email and watching the clock or worse—bail on your meeting.

Anyone involved in project-based work has to deal with sponsors and stakeholders. With that in mind, here are ten tips that might help your presentations:

1. Pique their interest: An agenda is always a good idea, but a brief summary of what will be discussed is even better. Plus, it gives stakeholders a take-away and allows them to come prepared with questions.
2. Don't assume they know their job as stakeholder: They might understand the high-level view, but you will probably need to fill in the details.
3. Keep it simple: Give them the situation in straightforward terms. Don't overwhelm them with information. Cut to the chase. (However, be prepared for a deeper dive if they start asking questions.)
4. Use numbers and pictures: PowerPoint is a great tool for presenting graphics and numbers to stakeholders. It's how they present information to each other. You should too.
5. Sometimes you have to use logic: Accept the fact that there might not always be data to support a particular situation. Not having numbers to back up your position could make a successful argument problematic, so you may have to turn to "if ... then ..." logic to shed light on a situation. However, don't expect the same results or response from stakeholders—numbers rule with them.
6. Waiting is never a good option: Don't wait until a problem is obvious—it's often more difficult to solve the issue at that point.
7. Always offer a solution: If you are going to bring up a problem without offering a potential solution, you might as well tell the stakeholders, "Fire me now." Finding solutions is part of your job as project manager.
8. Specify the actions required of them: If stakeholders need to take action, don't assume it will be obvious to them. Restate—in list form—what actions need to be taken and when.
9. Always say "yes," but make sure they understand how much "yes" costs: Sponsors and stakeholders don't like to be told "no," so don't do it. Just make sure they understand the cost of their request, so they can judge for themselves whether or not "yes" is worth it.
10. Don't stop reporting status because stakeholders stop requiring it: Perception is reality. If stakeholders perceive that you aren't doing anything—your not. Don't let your head be the next one on the chopping block.

Regardless of your company's work management methodology, there are a lot of project management tools available to help manage tasks and time-lines—some will help you more effectively communicate with the stakeholders in your organization. Whether or not your chosen project management tool facilitates that kind of communication, ignoring that important part of your role as project manager is dangerous. What do you do in your organization to encourage a positive relationship with stakeholders?