Being a doting husband, I wanted to treat my beloved to a special meal at our local restaurant. We had been there before, and although they didn't know us too well , they would realise who we were.
I called up for an twilight booking (since we like to fill our evening elsewhere) and was welcomed by an amiable lady who, by her voice, may have been of Italian origin. I asked for 7:00 p.m. on the following Friday, and she said 'that will be fine', but didn't take my name.
I asked her if she wanted my name and a ‘phone number to reserve the booking, but she assured me that it wasn’t necessary, telling me that at they don't take reservations that early in the evening because it wouldn't be hectic.
In the event, when we turned up, you guessed it, they had a party in and while the evening wasn't spoilt it definitely entered a downward spiral. It was sad to have to be courteously adamant, and after an interval and a libation at the bar we did make that dinner date, although it wasn't what the two of us desired.
What went amiss? Well I was too easy going when I didn't ensure that I had the reservation before I ended the call. I didn't get commitment.
Chatting to a decision maker, the other day, it became clear to me that he was afflicted by the same outcome. He had grown used to asking his developers 'How's it going' in a easy going way, because he felt that it conveyed unity and trust.
In fact he generally got the answer 'fine, its going fine', which he believed to be just that. Of course it wasn't really fine, and it turned out that he bore delays and development problems that he hadn't planned for, giving him sleepless nights and financial problems as the development budget got eaten up.
If developers and their project managers aren't asked directly unambiguously what the position is, then human behaviour dictates an answer that matches the question (read fuzzy).
So instead of pausing at the phrase 'how's it going', why not push on until you get a firm commitment.
‘how are things?'
'When will it be finished?'
'That's the 20th August?'
'And you will have finished the development phase?'
'All the bugs will be fixed?'
'You are committed to that date?'
Even if some of the answers you get are not ideal, you will be in a much better state to deal with the situation than if you just accepted their imprecise responses.
To get commitment ensure you request it. Make sure that you don't agree to an indefinite reply and keep enquiring until you get absolute confirmation.
If you fail to get commitment at every step of your endeavour you leave everything to fortune. By asking courteously but persistently for a clear and unambiguous reply to your request you will avoid the catastrophe that bunches into a concertina at the end of the plan.
For the last 20 years Rob Wendes has been providing stress free business technology solutions to Business owners and professionals. http://www.tactips.com
More Resources for Software Consultant
