Hard Conversations Are Essential for Success
Hard conversations surfaced the information we needed to help our frustrated client get back on track.
Our client was a frustrated project manager responsible for a complex web ecosystem rebuild for a large and growing organization. Integration of multiple systems and siloed data sources made disciplined project management essential for everyone involved.
The decision-makers - the organization's leadership - didn’t understand technical documentation and questioned verbal reports, leaving the project manager ill-equipped and unsupported in making them comply with the process. The project manager needed better tools and support to manage them effectively and stay on track for success.
The organization’s leadership had repeatedly delayed production by stopping to re-examine project details and backtrack on decisions, resisting compliance with the project plan. This resulted in production delays and increased scope and cost. The increased cost finally got their attention.
Open, honest conversations with our client revealed deep frustration with leadership’s specific issues, and the refusal to follow standard processes. Something unique was needed - a very ‘official’ but non-technical method of reporting that leadership would accept. We created a non-traditional project scorecard using those specific leadership issues as metrics. We also made sure our client felt confident about how to present it to leadership.
The scorecard equipped our client with the right tool for the job, and leadership accepted the documentation. The project manager was not left standing alone, as the Solspace team was invested in their success too. From the leadership’s point of view, the project manager became the hero by giving them what they needed to trust in the process and the outcome.
