{"id":591,"date":"2007-10-08T15:20:18","date_gmt":"2007-10-08T15:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/2007\/10\/08\/herman-the-pms-woe-has-email-become-radio\/"},"modified":"2019-08-07T14:37:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T21:37:21","slug":"herman-the-pms-woe-has-email-become-radio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=591","title":{"rendered":"HERMAN THE PM’S WOE: Has Email become RADIO?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"timer.gif\"Read this week’s blogs and SAVE at least 3 project days a year of time wasted:
\n<\/strong>This week’s blogs <\/strong>help you change the way people use and waste your time. Let’s share the truth about WHAT and WHO is really killing you. \u00a0\u00a0Good news:<\/strong> \u00a0it is ALL small stuff.\u00a0 This week’s focus is project housekeeping: \u00a0\u00a0Email, teleconferencing, and poorly conceived or run meetings.\u00a0 (Share your horrors, short-cuts, and strategies as well).For over 25 years, I have been the midwife to projects. Last week, working on a very complex and political project, I tried to help HERMAN the cool PM who was going over the edge.<\/p>\n

“My big question to you Michele is, WHERE does the time REALLY go?????? \u00a0What is slipping my “inner schedule” and killing my “inner enthusiasm”? \u00a0Why do I feel like I am losing weeks, not just days? ” \u00a0
\n\u00a0It was email.<\/strong> \u00a0It cost Herman two to three hours a day that was NOT in the schedule. \u00a0People around Herman at the water cooler were sharing numbers like it was confession: \u00a0\u00a0“I have 500 to read, I have 100 I misplaced I ‘m tracking: I lied about 10 to buy time: ” \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Herman even had done a humorous new resume– Experienced PM, certified, dignified, mummified by communication, looking for a challenging project with no email contact. Success guaranteed!\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>Emails are becoming radio shows! <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Email started out as a tool for In\/Out box messages, and now it is a radio show boomed to all. Even with all the talk about being brief, and not sending one at all, people still think they have to send missiles that distract, and many emails do not inform, but incite riots.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0They do create a level of anxiety about “why am I getting this”,<\/em> “who else saw this poorly written email that makes<\/em> us look like idiots”? <\/em>Herman tells me after our analysis, “<\/em>Virtually 40% of emails I get are just nice but not necessary”. \u00a0For some people, this is their life journal<\/em> they wish to share with everyone. \u00a0
\nYes, it is an important, time saving contact tool, but I know of at least 6 cases where people QUIT just because of email. And their skills were hard to replace.
\nThe REALLY ANNOYING ONES are sent just as a MEMORY JOGGER for someone else. Herman shares one<\/strong>:\u00a0 Hey, just wondering. I am about to test: and thought you might have something you want to add to what we discussed last week.”<\/em> \u00a0They use my brain to remind themselves of something THEY have to do. \u00a0If I wanted to add something, I would have. Whoops, better get my How to Say It Book<\/u> off the shelf.<\/p>\n

AND, the worst are those that ask are that “okay with you: ” <\/em><\/strong>when we already agreed .\u00a0 I find myself wondering if they are really trying to get out of what they agreed to do. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What if I don’t respond in time. Do they wait????”<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Then, there’s Managers above. If you brand and launch your project well from the start, they know NOT to bother you with micromanaging trivia. \u00a0A favorite:<\/em>” let’s meet and see how you are doing: ”\u00a0 <\/strong>Hello!\u00a0 You have a schedule with updates. What you really want to know is what do I do with any time I have left, that you then waste! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Steps to get at least six minutes back so you CAN work on that project.
\n<\/strong>\u00a0
\n1) Get rid of “Hams” and spam. Hams are people who use email like radio shows, telling you more than want or need to know, and generating workload NOT on the schedule. Use more face to face reassurances. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n2) If a remote person, and I mean offsite, not introverted, talk about this for a few minutes \u00a0in a conference call, and DO NOT write an email to confirm it.
\n3) Set down some NEW email rules. Use more bullets and ask everything in one email not in one per hour. We know what we need from each other.\u00a0 “Herman, these are my questions this week”:\u00a0 Wanna go to lunch, Did we get good test results<\/em>, Will we be handing this off<\/em>. Another PM gave me feedback that as CRAZY as this seemed,<\/p>\n

the five worst offenders went wonderfully silent all week, and \u00a0that PM got some work done. \u00a0
\n<\/strong>\u00a0
\n<\/strong>Next stops: \u00a0Tuesday: Branding the project can save you time!
\n<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Wednesday: Conference calls and phone meetings
\n<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Thurdays: Meetings with your boss
\n<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Friday:\u00a0 Meetings with yourself!
\n<\/strong>\u00a0
\n\u00a0Note:\u00a0 Herman is a mythical representation of a real PM with nervous tick
\nPosted on behalf of Michele Jackman, PM Coach, helping lots of ticked off people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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