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Lessons in Project Management
Negotiate a reduction in scope: The two preceding options al-
low you to deliver all the work requested for less effort and cost
than was originally proposed. This third option looks for activities
or parts of the project that can be eliminated. Removing work
should result in reduced effort and cost. Although all of the work
on the project may have originally been seen as important, it usually
turns out some components of the project are more important than
others. In some instances, work can be deferred until a later date,
perhaps when a new budget is available. This may result in a less-
than-perfect solution, but one still acceptable to your sponsor.
Jerry needs to go back and revisit the estimate with these points in mind.
He may find there are ways to pare down the estimate while delivering
much of what the company needs. This exercise is not meant to force him
into committing to a project budget he does not believe in. It is simply
meant as an honest effort to reduce the estimated cost and effort.
Jerry owes his manager a complete explanation of how the estimate was
prepared. If, at the end of this process, Jerry s estimate is still too high, he
must ask for the assistance of his manager and other stakeholders to de-
termine whether or how to proceed.
One option is to not do the project at all. If the cost of doing the project is
more than the perceived benefit, it simply should not be done. Management
stakeholders may have other options, including requesting the required in-
cremental budget dollars if they are convinced additional money is justified.
After seeing Jerry s second estimate, including reasonable alternatives and
options, his manager can determine how to proceed. If Jerry s estimate is
still too high, his manager will need to take the new number forward for ap-
proval or come up with some alternatives. If Jerry s estimate is closer to the
original budget (even if the project scope has been reduced), his manager
may be able to approve the work and let the project proceed. Either of
these alternatives is better for Jerry and for the company than purposely
underestimating the work and then having to face the consequences later
when the project goes over budget.
C H A P T E R
27
Don t Forget
Face-to-Face
Communication
on Your Project
Jean Combs was a tall woman with long, blonde hair. Her husband, Rick,
was the head football coach at Northeast Illinois State and a friend of
my wife Pam. Their son Dan was the same age as Tim, and the two boys
were friends. Jean was a quick learner when given new assignments, so
when she called me to schedule an afternoon appointment, I knew
something must have really stumped her on her project for the Finance
department.
Come in, Jean! Good to see you. How are Rick and Dan?
They are both well, thanks for asking. Rick is busy interviewing candi-
dates for defensive line coach at the university now that Jordan McKenzie
T. Mochal et al., Lessons in Project Management
© Tom Mochal and Jeff Mochal 2011
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Don t Forget Face-to-Face Communication on Your Project
has left for Purdue. He s a little worried since it is already July 1 and
summer workouts are in progress. Of course, little Dan is still a bundle of
energy and has recently taken an interest in golf.
That s funny! Tim has also shown some interest in golf. We ll have to
get the two of them together sometime and play miniature golf. We can
form our own mini PGA Tour!
I am sure Dan would love that!
Tell you what, I ll give you a call over the weekend and we ll try to set
something up. Now, what brings you to see me today?
Well, I could use some help on this project, she began. It isn t in bad
shape, but we missed a couple of milestone dates by less than a week. I
think we are back on target now.
That s good news, I said.
Well, I wouldn t get too optimistic yet, she replied, trying to force a
smile. The overall schedule is very aggressive. What makes it frustrat-
ing is I received feedback from my sponsor and client manager recently
saying we need to do a better job communicating what s going on. I ve
tried to communicate as much as possible, including sending out status
reports. Not that anyone reads them.
This project sounds very important to the Finance department, I said.
Why wouldn t they read the status reports?
It s just the way this project has gone, she replied, clearly frustrated. I
don t think anyone reads the status reports. When we sent out e-mails
to solicit requirements, we received very few replies. I send out e-mails
whenever we have problems, but I don t get any help from the senior
managers. We also publish risk plans, project news, and current status
on a shared web server, but very few clients read it. I think it s unfair of
them to say now we are not communicating effectively.
I see a pattern here. It certainly sounds like you have provided the cli-
ents with a lot of information, I noted. However, when is the last time
you met with them face to face?
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Lessons in Project Management
LESSON
One of the key responsibilities of a project manager is to communicate
proactively to clients, team members, and stakeholders. Some of this com-
munication is routine and obvious, including status meetings and status re-
ports. However, status meetings and status reports are the minimum ex-
pectation for communicating on a project. These communication updates
help to manage expectations, but they do not satisfy the total communica-
tion needs for most projects. If your project is large and impacts a substan-
tial number of people, a Communication Plan should be created to meet
the needs of all stakeholders.
Since proactive communication is probably not her strong suit, Jean has
found herself communicating in a manner that best suits her needs and
not the needs of her clients and stakeholders. The approach is based
purely on an electronic medium. Sure, it s easier to fire off e-mail mes-
sages. Yes, it might be quicker to place documentation on a shared web
server for stakeholders to read. But the truth is these forms of communi-
cation are only easier and quicker for Jean and they do not address the
needs of her clients at all.
To be fair, there is nothing wrong with Jean s communication. There is a
place for e-mail messages, status reports, and collaborative web sites.
They are vital pieces in an overall Communication Plan. However, they
should not be used as a way to avoid meeting with your sponsor and cli-
ent managers. There is no substitute for face-to-face meetings and per-
sonal communication.
Jean is facing a common IT problem. She is providing information, but it is
not always delivered effectively. She is comfortable working with her team
members and the lower-level client users, but she is not as comfortable
talking with the more senior client stakeholders.
Jean needs to understand that senior managers can receive hundreds of
messages per day. They also have many initiatives going on simultaneously.
Jean s project is important to them, but they have many other competing
priorities. It is not reasonable to assume they will always be able to sift
through hundreds of e-mails to find the key bits of information relevant to
the project.
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