{"id":630,"date":"2007-10-23T06:12:47","date_gmt":"2007-10-23T06:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/2007\/10\/23\/avoiding-communication-pitfalls\/"},"modified":"2019-08-07T14:37:20","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T21:37:20","slug":"avoiding-communication-pitfalls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=630","title":{"rendered":"Avoiding Communication Pitfalls"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AvoidingUgh, the communication pitfall.\u00a0 We’ve all fallen into them.\u00a0 The question is, can you get out?\u00a0 Or better still, can you avoid them next time?\u00a0 Here are a few common ones:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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  1. Our product spec change discussions happened over email, and now I can’t tell what we decided on, much less find the supporting material!<\/li>\n
  2. I seem to get cc-ed on everything: I’m so buried in email, I can’t keep up!<\/li>\n
  3. It feels like all my time is spent updating the schedule.\u00a0 And, the estimates are practically out of date by the time I get them entered!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    OK, we could come up with a much longer list, but this seems like a good start.\u00a0 Let’s start at the top:<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    1. Our product spec change discussions happened over email, and now I can’t tell what we decided on, much less find the supporting material!<\/p>\n

    Sound familiar?\u00a0 Email is so convenient, we often use it for everything, but there are many better alternatives in this case.\u00a0 Whether you use a Wiki, change control documentation, decision log, online document repository, or other collaboration tool, \u00a0team members should all go to the same place to get information, and the current version should be in a can’t miss location.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    The next issue is related, but even more straightforward to address:<\/p>\n

    2. I seem to get cc-ed on everything: I’m so buried in email, I can’t keep up!<\/p>\n

    People mean well when they cc-us.\u00a0 (Or, maybe they’re just trying to CYA.)\u00a0 Unfortunately, just because an email has been sent doesn’t mean it has been read, especially not at the level of detail most emails are written.<\/p>\n

    Adopt this rule and lighten everyone’s load: limit the initial email to direct contributors (e.g., if you are sending a thread with questions, only include people who can answer the questions on the thread).\u00a0 If someone just needs to be in the know, forward the final thread to them as an FYI with a summary at the top after the topic has been resolved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Better still, rely less on a broadcast\/push system like email and move more toward a pull system like a Wiki or other online bulletin board.<\/p>\n

    3. It feels like all my time is spent updating the schedule.\u00a0 And, the estimates are practically out of date by the time I get them entered!<\/p>\n

    Oh, the frustration!\u00a0 I feel your pain.\u00a0 Does your team have an online project management system?\u00a0 It doesn’t need to be complicated, but I highly recommend workflow systems where task owners update the status of their own tasks online.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    To pick a tool, first determine your requirements.\u00a0 If low cost is important, you might want to evaluate an\u00a0open source<\/a>\u00a0tool.\u00a0 If you want to\u00a0limit your administrative burden, use a tool your IT group already supports, or consider a hosted solution.\u00a0 Before you go with a hosted solution, though, ask the question: What will happen to my data if the company stops supporting this tool?<\/p>\n

    I recently worked with a client who needed flexibility\u00a0and the benefits of IT support.\u00a0 We settled on Microsoft Sharepoint, which was supported by their IT group, and then customized it to meet their needs.<\/p>\n

    Once you’ve set up your tool, decide\u00a0with your task owners how frequently status needs to be updated, and get their commitment to do so.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    This has several key benefits:<\/p>\n