how to use " DEPENDS " while answering Project/Program management concepts?

Denathayalan Ramasamy Chief Technology Officer| Atal Incubation Centre -CIIC Chennai, Tamilnadu, India

Sometimes I feel that people lost interest or are distracted when i use the "depends" word in coaching. Either they think i didnt understand their question or they judge i am not an expert... so have started practicing to give a minimum 4 primary metrics & 4 secondary metrics. Feeling better and control over the audience.

do you have any other best practices?

Posted: Apr 25, 2022 2:45 AM

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Kiron Bondale Retired | Mentor| Retired Welland, Ontario, Canada

Denathayalan -

Not sure I would agree about having "control" over the audience - we want the folks you are coaching to get value from what you are offering, not to control them.

Unless you have a deep understanding of the context faced by the person you are coaching, it depends is the only responsible answer to most questions. Rather than using metrics, I'd suggest using specific examples showcasing different approaches related to similar contexts from your past experience. If you do so, you also need to provide an idea of how the context was similar and how it was different from what the coachee is facing.

Kiron

Posted: Apr 25, 2022 7:58 AM

Denathayalan Ramasamy Chief Technology Officer| Atal Incubation Centre -CIIC Chennai, Tamilnadu, India

Thanks for highlighting it Kiron.

Let me explain in detail, for one of projects in the program/portfolio, i try to control the product/process rather than people. hence i take the mode of caoching the people. Sometime i feel exhausted when people finds problem from iterative solutions. Hence it is my peronsal learning - to act as product owner till POC get delivered then act as agile coach during alpha & beta version of product release

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1 reply by Stéphane Parent

Apr 26, 2022 11:30 AM

Stéphane Parent

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"I try to control the product/process rather than people."

While we all want to have a measure of control over the projects we manage, an agile approach can often remove a lot of control from our hands. You have to trust and guide your team to control the product, the process and the people.

A final piece of advice. If you must control something, pick product or process, not both.

Posted: Apr 25, 2022 9:02 AM

Aaron Porter

Community Champion

IT Director| Blade HQ Payson, UT, United States

Are there other ways that you can say "it depends" AND add context regarding the variables, without saying "it depends"? Or, are there questions you can ask that result in the people you are speaking with recognizing the dependencies/variables, instead?

Posted: Apr 25, 2022 10:42 AM

Stéphane Parent Self Employed / Semi-retired| Leader Maker Prince Edward Island, Canada

Apr 25, 2022 9:02 AM

Replying to Denathayalan Ramasamy

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Posted: Apr 26, 2022 11:30 AM

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how to use " DEPENDS " while answering Project/Program management concepts?

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