Great Expectations…

As project managers, everyday we are faced with many challenges and demands from our customers. At times, our customers assume that we understand their requirements and needs for their projects. On the other hand, as Project Managers, we presume that customers know what they are requesting. Both scenarios could be risky if the expectations are not managed carefully through out the project.

Expectations management is a key factor to the success of the project. To accomplish this effectively, quality initiatives, quality goals and quality metrics must be clearly defined in the initial stages of the project. As project managers, we must ensure that both the client and project team members understand the quality initiatives and levels that are to be achieved.

Think about this: Say these are not well defined at the beginning of the project; we may be bound to discover the realities of the customer’s need as the project execution takes place. As you may recall; a change later on the project can be very costly.

Sure, we may be able to complete the project within the triple constraint, but to what degree do we satisfy the customer? Once a project has been completed; the duration, the final project costs and the objectives that were reached all become histories of the organization. However, the level of customer satisfaction that we achieved will remain a present factor of our own project performance. Below are 5 suggestions that could shape the expectations of your project stakeholders:

1. “Know thyself”: Prior to committing the project team to anything, it is important that the Project Manager knows and understands the skills and capabilities that the project team can offer. This can avoid overextending the project team to commitments that they may not be able to fulfill.

2. Set Crystal Clear Expectations: Do not assume: you know what it takes. It is imperative that we start defining the expectations early on in a project. This may include defining how the project team will provide customer service, how the quality metrics will be monitored, how priorities will be set and what to do when issues come up.

3. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate: This is the key to managing stakeholder’s expectation. It may be necessary to designate an effective communicator to play out the role of interfacing with other stakeholders. This person may be the point of contact for project status, discussions or issues. If this practice is done early in the game, the risk of miscommunications and confusion may be avoided.

4. Monitor like an eagle: Monitoring the progress and quality metrics continuously could result in avoiding big surprises at the end of the project. How well are the project team members performing the quality assurance activities at different phase gates or milestones of the project? Early on detection can result in prevention of complex disasters at the end.

As the demands and economies change, our customer will require more with less. We must care about understanding their needs and take the initiative to manage their expectations effectively. Doing this can ensure the possibilities of reaching project success.

Answer This:

Have you been delivering the step ladder or the tire swing when leading your projects?