Project Management

Daniel Stanton is an expert in Supply Chain Strategy and Project Management - View on LinkedIn Follow on LinkedIn

Ask the right project questions

"As project managers, we spend a \ of time trying to connect with people. Sometimes, it's because we need to them to complete a task. And sometimes, all we need is an update on their status. But everyone is really busy, so it's sometimes hard to get people to respond. Here's the problem, as a project manager, your success depends on people responding to you. So you have to figure out how to get your request taken care of.

If you're running into this problem, stop to think about ways to make it easy for people to do what you're asking. Let's say that you need to collect inputs from your team every week. Rather than sending out a bunch of emails or scheduling meetings, it might be easier to set up an online survey with a form that's easy to complete and that sends out automatic reminders. Also, if you're using email or text messages, keep them short and put the main point at the beginning. Otherwise, they could labeled as TLDRs, too long, didn't read. If people can immediately see what you're asking for and you make it easy for them, they're more likely to respond quickly" (Stanton 2020).