There comes a time in every project that something goes awry. It might be major, it could be minor and our job as project manager is to note, report and get it fixed. When these things happen, there is sometimes pressure to “remain silent”, “sweep it under the carpet”, or “don’t report this to management”.
Now, granted there are times when it’s possible to get someone to solve a problem by working an extra evening or weekend to bring it back on schedule or a quick fix that doesn’t affect a weekly reporting schedule. I will let you be the judge.
However if you manage all your projects by concealing the “real deal” from those around you and management, it will eventually catch up with you. I would recommend the following guidelines as good ones to follow. They have served us well over hundreds of projects:
- Report and note the details as well as the high level progress and issues
- Dependencies should be watched most carefully, as these can often impact your schedule the most
- Always report the status honestly, even when it hurts you and your team. Unless a problem is realized, it’s harder to motivate the team to make the needed change.
- Remain transparent, even when you feel you might be sharing “too much information” at the time.
- Don’t wait to report a problem. Take it head on.
- Call team members in trouble frequently and provide them help and guidance.
