Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

Have you ever had one of those weeks when every day offered a new obstacle, an uncovered gap in your project, something that you did not see coming? One of those weeks when the amount of work left on the project seems to grow without warning? One of those weeks when, despite everyone’s efforts, the level of effort remaining grows along with the number of defects? One of those weeks when you think to yourself what else could possibly go “wrong”? One of those weeks when you get caught off guard, thinking things were going to be turning the corner, to find that the corner moved further way? The surprises that happen on projects occur again and again and no matter how many projects you have managed, no matter how many risks you have captured, what is a given is that it is impossible to predict the future and impossible to identify and guard against the “what if” scenarios that are possible. What that leaves us with is the reality that surprises will occur, and the surprise does not derail a project. It is how the surprise, the unexpected, the impossible become possible is handled that matters most.

What is an appropriate response to a gap in requirements, design, construction, testing or the myriad list of other components of project delivery? My early experience on projects was the project manager and leadership in general looking to blame, shame, finger point, and ridicule the project team members. This emotional response along with the anger or frustration that drives it is not healthy and may not work to resolve the issue and rarely works to avoid additional issues. This response frequently divides a team, causes team members to work cautiously and to fend for themselves. Isolation and self-preservation can occur which does not create additional team communication. Since team communication is frequently the cause of gaps, this response works to generate less communication which generates more gaps.

There is a better way to respond, one anchored in emotional intelligence and leadership. There are some basic leadership qualities that will make a difference when your project world is rocked by gaps, surprises, and team misses. In my experience, the qualities that has made the biggest difference are a calm mind, confidence, and perseverance. While the other qualities I have listed are significant, they will not matter if there is anger, frustration, or judgement entangled in them. Moving forward toward what is possible, continuing to ask questions out of curiosity rather than judgement, and being kind and empathetic towards the team will make resolving the issue possible. It will also build communication, which is where most gaps, issues, and breakdowns occur.

The remaining qualities are responsibility, seeing obstacles as opportunities, and communication. Leaders are responsible for every aspect of a project, whether it is going smoothly or not. Taking full responsibility for the current circumstances allows the team to focus on the resolution. In his book, Mastering Leadership, Michael Strasner suggests that obstacles are “a challenging invitation, an opportunity to rise up and achieve in the face of doubt and uncertainty” and that obstacles are “an inherent part of any significant achievement”. Embracing the obstacle rather than shying away from it and taking full responsibility for the circumstances and the solution is what a leader does. Communication is the last quality. It is not the speaking that is important in this instance, it is the listening. Hearing the team, allowing the team to come to resolution, and driving the team toward the solution by listening to each team member is critical. Hearing what is not being said as much as what is being said is equally important. This is what Michael Strasner terms “listening to the listening”.

Once you are rooted in these qualities, the action steps below will support you in moving toward a solution.

1. Who must be involved: Gather everyone involved, to the best of your ability, into a meeting.
2. What is the gap: Get everyone to align on the definition of the issue, gap or obstacle (what specifically is going wrong, what was missed).
3. How did we get here: Allow everyone the opportunity to speak their truth regarding the facts that led to up to this moment and the circumstances that exist (until everyone is heard you may continue hearing the same thing over and over until it is acknowledged).
4. Plan: Define clearly and specifically what the next set of steps is, who owns each step, and when the step will be completed
5. Timing: An assessment should be done to determine how long the solution will take and how much effort it will require
1. Quantify potential impacts to the project schedule and cost.
6. Resources: There may be multiple teams that can works at the same time, ensure everyone is clear on outcomes of each step
7. Communicate:
1. Identify the communication that will be occurring and the associated timing of that communication.
2. Agree on when the group will come together and ensure we are on the right path to resolve the gap.
3. If the client is not aware of the issue, determine the appropriate communication and the associated timeline of that communication.
4. Determine if there is an improvement needed to increase team communication to avoid additional gaps.

The last step, communicate, has four parts to it, do not skimp on the communication. Surprises usually occur when a team is not communicating fully. Increased meetings may not be the answer, although they may. Practicing your own communication with the team in multiple forms may allow your team to understand their own communication breakdowns. What are you practicing today?

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