IUSED TO BELIEVE that project management was about plans, schedules, budgets, contracts, and the like. Freshly equipped with project management training and a working knowledge of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), I was ready to tackle the world. Over my next several years of managing numerous software projects, I learned about the other side of project management.
True project management comes from the heart. It is a passion to do the right things and to do things right. It's a deep-seated inspiration to lead teams to deliver superior products while exceeding customer expectations. Don't get me wrong, the technical skills of project management are essential. Your clients deserve a project manager who has mastered both the technical skills and soft skills of project management, much like you deserve a physician who not only is passionate about medicine but also did pretty well in medical school.
David E. VanEpps, PMP, is a software project manager in the information management organization of Xerox. He has held a variety of software project management assignments and has delivered dozens of software solutions to the Xerox community. He is currently responsible for the development and deployment of a suite of application integration products. He is a member of PMI's Rochester NY Chapter.
Proper expectation setting involves establishing a relationship with the client, creating a project culture with the stakeholders, and maintaining open communication channels. It helps establish and maintain a positive relationship, improves team morale, and prevents countless hours of future rework. It is often the difference between a highly successful project and one laden with misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and destructive communication.
The Problem. Although project managers are often exceptional when it comes to executing the technical skills of requirements management, schedule planning, and tracking, we often fall short when it comes to setting proper expectations. By changing a few simple behaviors, we can greatly improve the odds of completing projects successfully.
“One survey found that 10 percent of all projects are canceled because of unrealistic expectations” [The Standish Group, Charting the Seas of Information Technology, 1994]. Clients will mold their own perceptions or misconceptions prior to the kickoff meeting. These can originate from a lack of software development knowledge, past experience with other similar projects, pre-established deadlines, and pre-established budgets set by senior management.
Pre-Kickoff. Prior to a project kickoff meeting, the project manager should make it a point to have a separate, pre-kickoff meeting with the client to mutually establish expectations. While the project kickoff meeting typically includes sharing information about the project with the entire team, the pre-kickoff meeting has a different focus.
The pre-kickoff meeting must be well thought, well planned, and well executed. The goal is to establish a solid relationship between the project manager and client. The intention of the meeting is not to solidify specific project deliverables (e.g., don't gather requirements or estimate schedules), but to establish the human relations aspect of the project. “This is the place to state how you want to work with the client. … Make it a statement of intent and spirit” [Peter Block, Flawless Consulting, Pfeifer & Company, 1981].
To accomplish this objective, the project manager and client must establish their roles and responsibilities for the project, and share past experiences and lessons learned. It is an opportunity for the project manager to stress the importance of the client's roles. Too often the client assumes that his role ends once the project manager enters the picture. The client must realize that his input into the requirements analysis, estimating, and planning stages of the project is fundamental to the success of the project. During the pre-kickoff meeting, the project manager and client must also discuss any risks and assumptions that are critical to the project, and determine how these factors will be managed throughout the project.
Communications. A key ingredient to expectation setting is properly preparing for and planning communication. “Most project managers spend approximately 90 percent of their working hours engaged in some form of communication: conferences, meetings, writing memos, reading reports, and talking with team members, top management, customers, clients, subcontractors, suppliers, etc.” [Linn C. Stuckenbruck and David Marshall, “Team Building for Project Managers” Principles of Project Management, Project Management Institute, 1997]. Given this premise, shouldn't communication be planned as thoroughly as a budget or schedule?
In the pre-kickoff meeting, set the stage for how communication will be planned. Open your door to bad news from the client, and encourage the client to openly communicate without fear of reprisal. In turn, assure your client that you can and will communicate openly, even when the news is bad.
Channels for open and honest communication should be primed early across the entire project team and stakeholders. Much of this is cultural, which is why the project manager and client must lay the foundation prior to the kickoff meeting. Establishing a culture of openness and honesty takes time and leadership. It takes a true leader who is empathetic to her team and passionate about her projects.
Risk Management. I challenge you to find a successful, large project that doesn't practice open and honest risk management. Risk identification is one of the most challenging tasks on any project and essential when setting project expectations. It too requires a cultural and behavioral change from the team members. The project manager must prime the client before the kickoff meeting as to the risk management approach.
Like communication, this is another culture change that requires inspired leadership. During the pre-kickoff meeting, the project manager and client should plan a strategy by which they reward and praise those who are honest about identifying risks. The project manager and client should also agree not to “shoot the messenger” when these risks are openly presented.
Perceptions and Assumptions. With every project come some preconceived perceptions and corresponding assumptions. In fact, these perceptions often speak louder than facts. Perceptions are often very different from reality, usually due to diverse expectations, false assumptions, and ineffective communications.
Perceptions are established by the expectations that begin as soon as the project is conceptualized. The key is to understand the various perceptions and communicate through them. Prior to the kickoff meeting, the project manager and client should spend some time talking about any known perceptions within either the client's team or the project team.
Assumptions are what often make or break the project. The project manager and client should have a clear plan by which they collectively identify and document assumptions from the pre-kickoff meeting throughout the life cycle. Since assumptions deal with the very heart of our thought processes, this is critical to establishing and maintaining realistic expectations. Assumptions help the client understand how and why delivery schedules and budgetary estimates were derived, which is often a source of conflict. Sharing assumptions helps minimize the perception of unfairly padding schedule or cost estimates.
As a side effect of a well-executed pre-kickoff meeting, the client will likely walk away with a positive impression of the project manager.
EXPECTATION SETTING IS MORE than project planning and tracking. It is more than scoping and communication. Successful project management requires a passion for excellence. It requires a burning desire to exceed all expectations. This type of passion demonstrates your commitment to your client, and helps instill a sense of confidence that you are an advocate for the client's best interest. ■
September 2000 PM Network