Project Status Reporting Simple Feedback - Part 2

Submitted by mauzenne on Mon, 11/28/2011 - 03:00.
in

This cast concludes our guidance on how to give feedback on how you want projects reported on.

Projects are generally governed by Horstman's Law of Project Management: Who does What by When. Sometimes it's a five year project, and sometimes it's 3 weeks. But it boils down to a string of tasks and deadlines, done by humans. And often we humans end up straggling after ripe blackberries when we should be meeting deadlines.

One thing all of us Project Managers can do is to ask for what we want, and then give feedback when we get it, and when we don't. Easy!


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naraa's picture
Submitted by naraa on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 14:27.

Excellent podcasts on communication of status vs actual status!

Thanks for these two podcasts which for me go to the hall of fame.  

You had already mentioned focusing on status report on other podcasts but thanks for putting it in specific podcasts.  It is indeed so simple to enhance the behaviour one wants.  We tend to over complicate it (at least I do)!  The problem is in the question, not in the response. So the solution is also in the question and in the way one reacts to the response.

As I was listening to the podcast and as you had mentioned earlier it was not a family cast... I did remember about an advice a friend with older kids than mine told me: "if I can give you one advice about raising kids is not to ever ever over react about something they tell you, even if inside you are incredibly worried about it.  The day you over react they stop telling you."

I believe that advice definitely applies to over reacting about a red status.  Just like feedback is about the future, so is status report.  One cannot turn the status to green in the past, one can only turn it green in the future.  I see far too much energy spend on understanding why it got red in the past rather than focus on what to do to bring it to green in the future.

I still do struggle a bit though about the notion of "holding someone accountable for something".  Could you give some examples on feedback to give when people report the red status?  Or should one rather focusing on them providing a plan to get back to green and "holding them accountable" for fulfilling this plan?  

Are there any spanish speaking listener who has a good translation for "holding people accountable for" they could share?  Thanks!

Nara

 

arynjosh's picture
Submitted by arynjosh on Tue, 09/18/2012 - 00:51.

A project that is well

A project that is well managed and well executed is a perfect project. But there is no such thing as perfection in the real world, hence, feedback is a tool to keep everyone in the project on the same page. - Steven C. Wyer