I don’t need a babysitter.
That’s okay. I’m not a babysitter.
The B-word. Okay, no one likes to be treated like a child, and I hope that’s the crux of you spitting out the B-word with such disdain. But is there really something wrong with looking out for your project? Absolutely not. It’s called Project Governance.
It’s a problem if someone is hovering over you while you are trying to do your work. It’s a problem if someone’s asking you to have something done every five minutes, even after you’ve given them a workable delivery time. That’s called micromanaging. That’s also distrust. But not every inquiry into someone’s work or the timing of a deliverable is micromanaging, and not every question about how things are getting done is distrust. Quite often, it’s governance, and if you’re a project manager, it’s the core of your job.
Here’s a little quiz you can take to find out if you’re good at what you do. I call it…
Governance or governess?
Question 1:
Dan Developer is overseeing a team of coders, who have been working for the past week on a site feature, and have a deadline of 5 PM Thursday to provide a working prototype. It’s Monday afternoon, and you want to be sure that if your team can’t deliver the prototype on time, you reset client expectations as soon as possible. What do you do next?
A
Ask Dan Developer if he’s still tracking to a Thursday deadline, and remind him of the things that the prototype needs to have.
B
Ask each team member on Dan Developer’s team if they think they’re going to hit the deadline.
C
Tell Dan Developer you’d like to see his progress so you can determine if you’ll meet the deadline.
D
Trust Dan’s team to meet the deadline and to tell you if there will be a delay. You’re all professionals—and Dan knows the schedule.
See the answer
Answer:
A Of course. Governance means guiding the process and gathering information from the folks who are doing the work.
B Reeks of mistrust (that’s Dan’s turf, not yours — and it’s definitely passive-aggressive).
C Seems like micromanaging to me.
D Though logically the best answer, it’s not entirely realistic, and can get you into some hot water if you and the team have miscommunicated. By the time you catch it, the deadline may already be looming.
Question 2:
You’re sitting on a client call with Amy Account Manager to discuss the second of two contracted rounds of revisions to a layout. The client asks to see another design idea for the homepage. Obviously, this is out of scope, and both you and Amy know it, but she’s in charge of the client relationship. Amy tells the client that he can see a new design idea by end of day the following day. How do you proceed?
A
Interrupt Amy and tell the client that you will work up an estimate for the requested out-of-scope change so he can decide if they want to move forward with seeing the new design.
B
Wait until after the call, and then tell Amy that she will now need to authorize a change order since she put the team on the hook for extra work.
C
Let the team know that they need to get working on a new design idea—Amy owns the client relationship and it’s her call if she wants to over-deliver, but make sure she knows she’s not making any friends on the team.
D
Let Amy know that you’ll get an hours estimate from the team and work on timing, and that you’ll present the timing and estimate to her so she can decide to pass the cost onto the client and reset expectations, or sign off on a $0 change order so those changes are reflected.
See the answer
Answer:
A Cutting off your account manager doesn’t show a lot of professionalism in front of the client and certainly doesn’t give your teammate any respect.
B Telling Amy she’s on the hook after the fact is passive-aggressive, and is likely going to make your working relationship a lot more tense.
C Many folks swear by C, especially in bigger agencies, but that’s not doing right by your project and its budget. Putting Amy out in the cold is harsh and forcing your team to cover the slack is even worse.
D The best option for true governance is D. You’re setting Amy up to do her job (and either resetting expectations or taking responsibility for the increased workload) while still doing right by your team, and more importantly, your project.
Question 3:
Gary the Graphics Guy has stopped by your desk to let you know that he’s been asking Clara Copywriter to give him some missing copy for a deliverable, but she hasn’t done it yet. Gary can’t move forward without it. You let Gary know that you’ll look into it and give Clara a call. Clara says that she told Gary that she’s working on it and that the constant interruptions are making it harder for her to get the work done. How do you react? Pick the best answer:
A
Tell Clara that she has to get the copy over to Gary by end of day, no exceptions.
B
Tell Gary that he has to give Clara some space.
C
Refer to the project schedule—all copy is due to Gary by end of day tomorrow. Let both of them know this and that you’ll check in again tomorrow to see if things are progressing.
D
Tell both Clara and Gary to start acting like adults and think logically about the situation and not to involve you for things they should be able to figure out on their own.
See the answer
Answer:
A Requires you to take sides, and that’s not a good place for a PM. If you can, try to avoid it.
B Also requires you to take sides. Avoid it.
C Project governance is about setting expectations. The project schedule guides your team’s actions, especially if you have been working from the schedule since kickoff, and both Gary and Clara had input on the creation of that schedule.
D Oh, D is so tempting, isn’t it? That’s where the “I’m not your babysitter!!!” sentiment really stems from. I mean, it’s true — they really ought to be able to look at the schedule and realize that the copy isn’t due yet, and the two of them should be able to have that conversation without you. However, we know that’s often not a reality, and it puts people problems over the project itself.
Question 4:
You’re creating an estimate for a project. You’ve asked Dan Developer for input about how many hours it would take to include a specific feature. You’ve given him your best guess, but it’s a highly technical feature and you need him to ensure that it’s correct. Your email to Dan with all the specifics stated that you need to hear from him by the end of the day, and it’s 4:45 PM. What’s your next move?
A
Follow up with an email that says if you don’t hear from him by 6 PM, you’ll assume your number is correct, and that’s what you’ll include in your estimate for client signoff. It’s on him—if he doesn’t take the time to review, he’ll have to live with the numbers you created.
B
Go talk to him. Tell him you really need him to look at it now, before he’s done for the day.
C
Take your number, pad it, and use that—you’re more than likely covered that way.
D
Ask one of Dan’s staff to give you the number instead.
See the answer
Answer:
In many cases, I’m a big user of a variation of A and B…
A Here’s the info I’d like you to review, and if you choose not to, you’ll have to operate within the confines I set. But that’s only when I have a really good idea of what’s being done.
B Project governance for a highly technical feature really requires that you talk to him directly. Is Dan going to like B? Very likely, no. And that’s something you both have to live with because it’s not about making things easy for Dan or for you. It’s about the project.
C It’s tempting to just take a number and pad it, and I know it’s a last resort for many folks, but we all know that’s like feeding a dollar to a slot machine in Vegas — your odds are against you seven to one.
D It can’t be D. Your answer has to come from a senior person who can be accountable for any overages.
The bottom line
This is the bottom line: the client commissioned a project, that’s why the team is together and working. The project is not human, and it can’t look around and see where things are and feel good about its own position. It needs a voice, and its voice comes from the project manager. You have to ask the right questions and gather the right information to protect the project and make sure it advances.
Your first priority is the project. It’s not the team, it’s not the client, and it’s not the process. It’s the project. So if you’re not asking questions and making sure things are getting done—governance—you’re not making the project your priority. This isn’t to say that you should protect the project at all costs. Sometimes that’s a dangerous and fruitless priority. It means that if you have a choice to make between knowing what’s going on with your project and making sure your team doesn’t feel like you’re babysitting them, you need to choose the project.
Remember: governance. Not governess.
