Forward Momentum: Delivering Results

By Vicki Wrona, PMP

We all have pet peeves — those things that others (or possibly you) do that drive you crazy. I’ll start with some of mine with regard to emails. I am not disclosing this to rant, but instead in an attempt for all of us to be more aware and effective in our communications.

The first is not including contact information at the bottom of a business email. When I need to respond to that message, email is not always the most appropriate response. When that is the case, if contact info is not supplied at the bottom of an email, it takes time to gather the necessary information to respond or to facilitate introductions. It doesn’t take long, but is an unnecessary inconvenience, especially when they are asking for my help.

I am assuming that they want me to follow up on what they sent in the email, so why not put their contact info in there? Could it be that they are more concerned with getting an email out quickly rather than completely? Could it be that they did not notice anything was amiss? I have requested that those who work with me include contact information at the bottom of each email, and have coached other employees to do the same. This is so easily done by setting up an automatic signature that I am amazed that more people do not do this.

Another pet peeve is when someone responds to your email and does not include the original attachment. This is especially annoying when their answer is not descriptive, such as “I agree, we’ll move forward with that approach” or “I’m not sure, what do you mean?” We are all juggling many things, and the information in that prior email may or may not be fresh in our minds. Again, it may not be intentional, but it can come across as inconsiderate. I will admit that sometimes emails can get too long with many messages attached and it may be appropriate to shorten the note due to size, but when you do that, be sure to include the last message or two.

The last item I will bring up here is the one word replies. I had a boss who, in the interest of being efficient and saving herself time, would respond to many messages with one word, such as ‘yes’, or ‘ok’, or if she was in a generous mood, two words such as ‘I agree’. She wouldn’t attach the original note, and often the original note had multiple requests. In that case, what was she agreeing to? What did the yes or no refer to? Nobody knew. But she was efficient….or so she thought until the group interpreted her answer incorrectly and we had to perform rework.

What are your email pet peeves? Maybe if we share our frustrations, we can provide food for thought and, more importantly, for more appropriate behavior by others….and ourselves.

By Vicki Wrona, PMP

It’s that time of year. The sun is coming out, we are now entering spring and many parts of the world which have experienced heavy snow storms this winter are starting to unthaw. Have you ever noticed how in the spring, snow piles can withstand warm sunny days and still be there? They last much longer than it seems they should. I notice this mostly in store parking lots, especially grocery stores.

These piles can be found in our teams. If we have issues or concerns or negative feelings that we allow to pile up rather than address, even when we pass that dark time and begin to see the sun and summer skies, those negative emotions can still be harbored by some. The effect can linger and show itself in other ways much later.

That is why we’re sometimes surprised by people’s actions or reactions to something minor. They may not be reacting to that minor issue or statement at all, but the lingering effects of things since passed – their personal snow pile. For every reaction, it is a good idea to try to question what is REALLY driving that reaction and get to the root of the problem. Don’t compound the problem or negative emotion by reacting yourself and escalating the emotion, but instead calmly question whether that person is really reacting to the minor issue at hand or to something deeper. This moment of reflection and hesitation in emotional reaction can, in itself, save an issue from escalating unnecessarily.

By Kathy Martucci, PMP

In this world of complex information technology projects, is a non-technical project manager as effective or as successful as a technical project manager? Is the project manager required to have a technical background to ensure success? 

Point: The technical project manager who is also well versed in the traditional skill set of project management brings an edge that a non-technical manager cannot. That is, she can establish, develop and lead a technical team.  A technical manager understands the infrastructure, the architecture and the system well enough to ensure that the new system meets business needs while being technically sound.

The advantages of a technical project manager include: 

• Better estimating skills/experience for technical tasks
• Ability to fully understand and incorporate the Systems Development Life Cycle into the Project Management Life Cycle
• Greater understanding of the technical culture and how it can support the business needs

Counterpoint: As long as the non-technical project manager possesses the key skill set we have come to expect from every project manager, she can lead the entire team effectively while leaving the technical details to the technical lead and her team.  As a matter of fact, she has an advantage over the technical project manager in that organizations that are PMI process oriented may not be the best environment for a technical person.

The advantages of a non-technical project manager include: 

• Less reliance on environmental knowledge (ability to cross industries)
• Less distraction due to diverting attention to “interesting” technical problems
• Greater focus on managerial and process sides of the project

What is your definition of the ideal Project Manager?  Do business skills or technical skills offer the organization the maximum advantage?

By Vicki Wrona, PMP

Have you ever had someone who just wouldn’t respond to your messages, no matter how much you tried to reach them? There are a myriad of reasons why this occurs. Regardless of that, how do interpret the silence? What do you do about it?

I just read a thought-provoking article with many comments and very good suggestions on this very subject. It’s a common problem that we all experience. What I struggle with is achieving the balance of showing the client or customer that I am diligent and follow-up on commitments and promises vs. appearing desperate or annoying and hounding the person.

Some people are quick to say that the commitment to provide a response or not is generational. When I think back to specific examples, I would have to disagree with that assessment. I have experienced both good and bad follow-up from all age groups. I agree that we are all busy and sometimes overwhelmed with our responsibilities and commitments, but does that mean it’s OK to leave people hanging? People will interpret silence in many ways, most often in a very negative or insecure way, making up reasons for the silence. Rarely is the real reason the scenario they choose to fixate on in their minds.

Not only will people make up the message behind the silence, but, to many people, it also sends a strong signal about the silent person’s professionalism or work mode. That is why I try very hard to keep up with emails and provide a response, even if the response is, ‘I got your message and will address it by Friday’. This gives them an idea of what I am like to work with. Plus I treat people the way I would like them to treat me, hoping that what goes around does come around.

One way to avoid this problem is to set groundrules early in working with a person or team. As soon as possible, determine the best way to communicate from that point forward. Common groundrules include deciding if email or phone call is preferred, how often we will meet, or the definition of a high priority or urgent request and how will that be differentiated from other messages. In addition, determining rules for email subject, to and cc lines can be outlined.

So what do you do when someone stops responding, or ‘goes dark’ as we have sometimes called it? Share your ideas here on what we can do to avoid this in our futures.

Here is the article: http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2010/01/when-your-voicemails-and-email.html