Articles To help Project Leaders
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Project managers deal in specifics, not generalisms. For example "Task #47 - Develop the module to interface with system ABC by next Wednesday" is clear and measurable.
My gut tells me that a project is probably in trouble when I hear generalisms. (From experience, I have learned that the general and vague a communication is, the more likely it is that things are going to go wrong.)
These words and phrases are triggers for me, when listening to any project communication, such as status updates:
- Stuff
- "We are generally in good shape"
- "We are more or less on track"
- "The code"
- "It is a mess"
- "The out-of-sync thing"
- Overuse of acronyms such as "GUI changes to the Downside Onlines for PADI will EAPS the Link".
When you hear these terms on your projects, stop. Ask for specifics. Get clarification. Does "It is a mess" mean that the $300,000 project will fail or does it mean that you messed coffee on your keyboard? "What is a PADI, and which flavor of rice grows there?"
Clear communication contributes to successful projects. Vague communications and generalizations will come back to bite you, in the you-know-what.
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