17

Communicating with Operations Using the Sponsor

IT IS MY observation that very often in projects, project managers lose sight of the fact that the final product or deliverables from their projects will ultimately be transferred into the everyday operations group within the company. In other words, it moves from being a project to being the operating procedure or tool or equipment that people will use every day to help them do their jobs. While many tasks must be completed before handing the project deliverables over to the operations group, one of the most important involves the communications that occur to get the operations group ready to receive those deliverables.

In this chapter, I want to cover why it is important to focus on these communications and when using the sponsor is key to this aspect of communication.

Never assume that anyone knows anything.

The bigger the group, the more attention must be given to communication.

When left in the dark, people tend to dream up information that become rumors.¹

The first thing to remember in communicating with operations is risk. As project managers, we maintain a risk log, but these risks are usually related to our project. The greatest fear most operations managers have related to projects is that the project team and the project manager will create problems in their ability to run the business. The concern operations managers have from a project really centers on the risk to interrupting or degrading their operating performance measures. It is important to keep in mind that operations managers often receive their bonuses by hitting their operational targets: If they miss them, they usually put a portion of their bonus at risk. All projects create risks, and operations managers know that. Many operations managers have also had bad experiences in the past with projects that have hurt them in a variety of ways, so they are not anxious to embrace any project.

When you begin to execute the communications plan (see Chapter 10), there are some simple guidelines to follow when delivering good news or bad news.

Good News–Bad News

Good News: When there is good news to communicate, deliver the information early in the message and usually with a tone of congratulations. From there you can explain the consequences of the good news and then follow with any additional details that might make sense for the group you are communicating with. For example, when my systems project had conducted user testing with the system and the system passed, I would start the communication congratulating both the users who had volunteered for the testing and the project team members. They had performed a valuable service to the project, and their contribution needed to be recognized in the communication. The communication should also detail the consequences of the passed test as it relates to the readiness of the system to get the other users excited about using the system. Another consideration is the sensitivity of the communication (see Chapter 10 if you have forgotten what the sensitivity means). Based on the sensitivity of the stakeholder group or the message, it might be appropriate for the sponsor to send the message to the operations group. Please remember that the uncertainty of the project is what concerns operations people.

Bad News: My advice for delivering bad news is that it must generally be handled differently than sending good news. When you are sending bad news, it is important to the respect the feelings and previous contributions of those who are receiving the communication and acknowledge them first. Then the writer attempts to “frame” the bad news giving reasons and facts.

Framing is defined as describing a situation through communicating in such a way as to encourage a certain perception and to discourage others.

Yes, it is bad news, but the purpose of framing the situation is that you want the people receiving the information to have the perception that the project is under control and the issue will be fixed.

For example, in a customer relationship management (CRM) system I managed, I had to deliver some bad news to the sales representatives about setting up the CRM. When the systems were reviewed and the current one chosen, one of the features the vendor promised for setting up the CRM system was the ability of sales representatives to upload their contact list into the system automatically. However, after several tests, the project team became convinced that an automatic transfer created too many errors to be useful. They figured out a work-around using spreadsheets, but it was more time-consuming for the sales reps. I knew the sales reps would not be happy about this development, so I needed the project team to prepare all the details regarding why the automatic transfer did not work. I was not trying to sugarcoat the problem, but I needed the sales reps to keep this issue in perspective. I was worried that the sales reps would lose confidence in the system and that my team would lose support from this critical stakeholder group. Also, I wanted to communicate that all the other features promised by the vendor seem to be working fine and that the sales reps would receive all the other benefits when the system is operational.

In this situation, I decided to work with the vice president of sales and one of his key direct reports, not the sponsor. I felt that they were the right people to communicate the news. It was not that I was reluctant to share the news and take the hits that might follow. The purpose in using these key senior managers was to assure the sales reps that their bosses had not lost confidence in the system and so they should not lose confidence either.

In preparing the communications with these senior managers, I had to work with them and share all the information I had. No one likes to deliver bad news, and they were no different. I had to explain the concept of the power base in communications to justify the rationale for having them deliver the message.

Although this example did not involve the sponsor, the basic concept remains the same, and it did involve working with a senior executive. You will find yourself in situations where the sponsor is the right person to deliver the message.

Informing the Rest of the Management Team

At regular intervals, your sponsor will have to inform the rest of the management team about the status of your project. This can be a time that is fraught with potential risks for both you and your sponsor. Here are some ideas that will help you navigate those situations. In this case, you need to write the first draft and then collaborate with your sponsor to refine the presentation.

The first step is to remember that the management team is not interested in a weather report. While schedule and budget are important, they will seek to understand other items, and one of them is how you are going to fix the problems that have occurred. So ask yourself what questions might they have about the project and the issues? If they have heard about problems from operations, what information might they need about that situation? If you have forgotten, remember the politics involved in these meetings. This is a group of highly competitive, type-A personalities who are striving to look like stars to the CEO and to impress one another. However, here are some key points you definitely want to convey:

We know there is a problem, and we have a plan to fix it.

The project team has a backup plan to keep the project on schedule if possible.

We will keep you informed on progress.

We need your support while we fix this problem.

Establishing the right perception is paramount in this situation. And remember to keep the narrative balanced between the problem and the solution the project is working on.

Your sponsor works with these people all the time, so rely on her judgment about the type of information they will require in order for them to believe what you are telling them. Give yourself and your sponsor enough time to do a few iterations before the actual presentation.

If you will be delivering the presentation, practice several times to ensure your delivery is smooth and polished. Have a lot of backup data and information at hand should you need it. That will demonstrate control and confidence to the management team.

In presentations to operations and senior management, it is never a good idea to use the words “I don’t know.” If you are asked a question and you do not have the answer, your response needs to be something like, “That is a really good question, but I didn’t anticipate it coming up in the meeting. I will gather the correct information and have it for you as soon as possible.” Be very certain you find the data and get it to all those who are interested as quickly as you are able. Your professional reputation is at risk in this situation. You also need to ask yourself. “Could I have known in advance that this question would come up?”

Time-Sensitive Decisions

Another situation we often find ourselves in relates to decisions we need from operations. Many times, the sponsor can make the call but wants to socialize the situation first to achieve consensus. That is a fine way to manage and will provide better support for your project, except that it may put you and the project schedule at risk if your sponsor takes too long to build that consensus.

It is very important to make your sponsor aware of the time sensitivity of decisions and the associated consensus. Give your sponsor clear and concise guidelines about what will happen if the decision/ consensus is delayed. Please keep in mind that your project is only one of many priorities your sponsor has—not the least of which is to run the business to reach various targets. Just as you would in developing a realistic estimate for a Work Breakdown Structure, be realistic about the estimated time it will take your sponsor to reach a decision.

Also keep in mind the style of decision making your sponsor uses. In my experience, I have identified three groups in the way sponsors make decisions. They have these orientations:

1.People: These sponsors are very concerned about others, want to appear nonjudgmental, and are interested in building relationships. However, this approach can get them overly involved in the strong feelings of others about a decision, and they can lose sight of the facts.

2.Action: These sponsors tend to be impatient and want to jump to the answer immediately. That may be good for you as far as your schedule is concerned, but it may cause hard feelings in a stakeholder group because they have not been consulted.

3.Content: These sponsors value technical information and test everything for clarity and understanding. They welcome complex and challenging problems, but because they also try to look at all sides of an issue, they can take a long time to make a decision.

Points to Remember

Use your sponsor effectively in communicating with the operations group, and you will reap real results.

Work with your sponsor to give good news and bad news in order to keep the issue honest, not sugarcoated, but also balanced.

Work closely with your sponsor on informing the rest of the management team about your project to keep alignment and support.

Be clear when decisions are time sensitive, but recognize that politics and complexity often mean that decisions will take longer than you would prefer.