Monday, June 09, 2008
We have all been there. Which side of this conversation are you on? Consider that moment when someone’s voice changes over the phone or there is that silence at an unusual time signaling your senses that this person is angry as they describe why they are upset. They say you are 2 days late on delivery and that is UNACCEPTABLE! You barely have a chance to say anything when they tell you it needs to be turned around right away. Fear of an outburst of emotions being around the corner you say you will try without giving any explanation. The last project you were on you could be up to 2 weeks late without any problems since quality was what was measured and emphasized. Why is this project so different? It is the first time I have had to deal with someone across the ocean.
When teams are brought together, there is the typical cultural differences that can hinder communications. But for projects with teams distributed across time zones in various countries across the world, it becomes magnified. One way to lessen the impact is to consider setting up a project climate that provides the team the boundaries to build their own culture. A Project Orientation Package (POP) or Team Orientation Package (TOP) can help provide that. It provides boundaries for the team and set expectations that can be clearly documented in the project management plan or be a standalone document. It should describe how we communicate, escalate, schedule meetings, access information, use collaboration tools, what to save or throw away, what is confidential or what can be shared, information about each team member, information about each location, holidays, etc. But best of all, it tells each team member when they might get into trouble. No one likes the conversation above – especially if they really thought they were doing a good job and didn’t see it coming. Clearly define what is important for this project or team. What are our guiding principles? How can we help each other out? Do we know how late is too late, how much money spent is too much, how much change it too much. How much am I empowered to handle on my own and when do I escalate? Every culture or team member experience may put a different emphasis and threshold on the project factors (time, cost, scope, quality). Remember, you have to manage stakeholder expectations – and your team members are stakeholders too!
Article written by: Gina Schwalm, PMP, CBAP, Business Analysis Curricula Practice Owner, TEKsystems Partner via Lighthouse Consulting Partners
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