The Project Book

CHAPTER 21 SET AND MANAGE EXPECTATIONS

At the heart of most misunderstandings with my team when I was a project manager was my inability to set expectations in the right way. I was too vague, too trusting. Or worse, I just assumed the person knew what I was thinking! It sounds ridiculous, yet most people in management roles will have found themselves in a similar situation at some stage of their career.

In a 2016 Globis survey, 90 per cent of respondents admitted they hadn’t set expectations clearly enough at the start, which had led to the need for a difficult conversation. In this scenario, the conversation you have should start with an apology, before you set expectations properly.

Setting expectations correctly is another thing we’re generally not taught to do. What’s served me well is a process I devised called ACDC.

• Articulate. Ensure that what you plan to ask someone to do is absolutely clear in your own head. You have to be able to articulate it and understand it yourself before you communicate it.
• Communicate. First think about the person you’re going to be communicating with. If you’ve taken the time to build relationships and get to know the team, you’ll understand their personality and will be able to tailor your message appropriately.

  If they’re a detail person, the message might be delivered as a series of bullet points. If they’re a people person, you might meet informally over coffee, where you’ll take the time to talk to the value of the task in relation to ...