Managing Expectations

I've been a little frustrated with an ongoing project. Why don't project managers tell the truth when it comes to timing? As the expert, they should know how long it takes to do x or search for y or edit z. There's no excuse to agreeing to delivering by a certain date, when you know jolly well the reality is that another 24 hours is needed to achieve the goal.

It creates so much unnecessary aggravation when you commit to a specific timing, then can't meet it. Or worse still, allow the aforementioned time to come and go without a peep of explanation.

I guess we've all been there - God knows I've shied away from telling a client the truth but a couple of times of doing that and watching my credibility deteriorate cured me of that bad habit!

It is important. People rely on you. There is a chain of events that are set according to that date that involve people, time & cost. Now, having experienced both sides of being a client and a provider (I like that word so much better than "supplier") - I appreciate the value of setting expectations even more.

I believe that most of the time, people are reasonable. Especially when you know what you're doing, and can explain why you can't build that space shuttle in 24 hours.

The Intranet Journal sums up the Six Keys to Successfully Managing Expectations perfectly - I'll be bookmarking that page for the NewBiz!