So What's the Problem?
I remember working on a project recently that was a prime example of, well... how not to do things. The decision was made to implement a major change to how we delivered advertisements on our proprietary CMS. All the stakeholders were at some level of agreement as to what the expected outcome “should” be, but the person implementing the changes was not included (as you may have guessed, me).
The good news is that I met the deadline, but there were a lot of long days and a sacrificed weekend to make it work. While putting in all this extra time, I couldn't help but think of how a lot of the headaches we experienced could have been avoided through better communication.
Make Some Adjustments
To be fair, I get it, and I've experienced this from both sides of the equation. Sometimes you have to move fast because of a short deadline. That's life, especially in business. So what breaks? When you're working with other people, not having the right conversations will have you and your team spinning your wheels. Here are some tips on how to prevent that from happening:
- As the idea forms (brainstorming, task creation, etc.), think about the others that may or need to be involved.
- Consider EVERYONE that might be impacted by the project and determine if they need to be included.
- (Optional, but important if time permits) If the plan has a lot of moving parts, schedule time with everyone involved. This time investment allows for plan/task refinement and the people working with you are going to really appreciate it.
- Set realistic dates that everyone agrees to.
- Tasks
- Delegated tasks should be easily accessible. Place these tasks where they can be easily reviewed and referenced.
- Plans
- Keep the components of the plan (tasks, deliverables, resources, files, etc.) grouped together. A public plan must be recorded in a public place.
- Identify the person responsible for each part.
- If completing your plan involves others agree upon check-in times and how you will communicate progress. Will it be email, a conference call, etc.?
Including these extra steps in your communication will help you move past ambiguity and provide everyone with clear expectations. And remember, it may not be easy the first couple of times you do it, but the more you practice, the easier it gets! And you and your team will see the benefits right away from effective, efficient communication.