I’ve talked about what Intentional Communication is and how it can help PMO teams and Project Managers achieve their goals. Let’s apply some common horse sense and see how we can use project planning skills to make our communication more intentional.
Cultivating a culture of intentional communication by giving your full attention, forming genuine connections, and listening more than you talk is a good start. It is the fertilizer that allows your overall communication garden to grow. However, sometimes, we need to pull out more detailed tools to keep a particular conversation from getting blocked by the weeds.
Applying Your Root Cause Analysis Toolkit to Communication
There are different ways to describe the steps of a root cause analysis and different approaches we can take. I like to put “I’s” on the problem.
Identify
When you are having, or preparing to have, a conversation where your goal is problem-solving, you must identify the symptoms. If you are conversing about an issue someone is having, it’s important to identify what is just a symptom of a larger problem.
Investigate
Once you know the symptoms of the problem, you can use questions to get to the real root. What is actually causing the symptoms? This is a good point to ask lots of “why” questions, until you get to something that can be fixed to remedy as many symptoms as possible. There are a lot of tools, like the “5 whys,” but common horse sense will tell you to keep digging until you find the root cause.
Impact
Before making decisions, look at your problem and assess the impact. How is it causing the symptoms? What is the cost-benefit of changing this? Will it cause other problems when making adjustments here? Sometimes the best thing to do is do nothing if the impact isn’t significant or high priority and doesn’t impact multiple symptoms, schedule, cost, other projects, etc…
Ideas
Once you have decided that this problem needs to be fixed, use this opportunity to brainstorm ideas. This is a good place to ask for solutions from the other person or people in the conversation before you insert your opinion. Subject matter experts are of high value in getting ideas for problem resolutions. If project managers think they have all the answers without good communication and collaboration with subject matter experts, projects typically are impacted negatively. Project communication is the glue that holds all other PM knowledge areas together. Actually, this is where there is high value in listening more than you talk!
Implement
Once all ideas have been thrown out there, decide together what is the best way forward. Then, make a specific plan so everyone in the conversation understands the next steps. If that means scheduling a follow-up conversation to ensure everyone is on the same page or to include other stakeholders who would be vital to the plan’s execution, that is okay. But don’t leave the conversation without a path forward.
Communicating with Root Cause Analysis: An Example
Let’s imagine an example in the project management workplace. The manager or Team Lead in a PMO has noticed that a Valuable Team Member has not been operating up to their usual high standard, and things are being missed. The Team Lead might be tempted to address this by emphasizing the importance of deadlines or calling out the Valuable Team Member in a conversation and giving them a verbal warning that their work is slipping below standard and stressing that they need to improve or there will be consequences.
Instead of taking this approach, which only addresses symptoms, the Team Lead decides to apply problem-solving to this situation.
- Identify the Symptoms
Team Lead (TL): Hey, I’ve noticed that you have been behind in your work and making mistakes that are unusual for you. You seem more stressed out about this project than I’ve seen you in the past. I would like to understand what is going on so I can help you.
Valuable Team Member (VTM): Yeah, I’m sorry about that, I will try to do better. It’s just I have to leave at 5 to catch the bus, and sometimes I have to rush to get everything done.
- Investigate the Problem
TL: You have been leaving at 5 to take the bus as long as you have worked here, but it hasn’t been a problem until now. Why are you having to rush at the last minute these days?
VTM: I’ve been having to really hound The Other Department for the information I need. They keep making last-minute changes, so I have to redo a lot of work. It is tedious and frustrating, and I’ve been really stressed trying to make sure the necessary steps get done before I have to leave for the day.
TL: It sounds like we have a communication issue with The Other Department.
VTM: I haven’t wanted to throw anyone under the bus, but…yeah.
- Assess the Impact
TL: You can always approach me if there are communication issues on a project that are impacting your work and your well-being. It has been putting a lot of pressure on you and, as a result, compromising the project and morale in the office. You definitely seem more stressed and unhappy at work, so let’s figure out how to fix it. Missing deadlines could impact the project schedule and cost, not to mention the quality.
- Brainstorm Ideas
VTM: I’m not sure what else to do, I always send reminder messages when I don’t have the information I need, but they just ignore it.
TL: We have a few options as I see it. And chime in if you have ideas. I will talk to the Other Department Team Lead to set up regular check-ins with the appropriate team members to ensure we get the information we need on time.
VTM: And maybe we can update our change management process to handle scope changes more efficiently?
TL: That is great. Should we move some of your responsibilities around so you have less on your plate?
VTM: I don’t think so. Improving communication with the Other Department will reduce wasted effort and give me more time.
- Implement the Plan
TL: Okay, I will contact the Other Department Team Lead and set up regular check-ins. We will also schedule a meeting to discuss updating our change management process.
VTM: Thanks, I will be sure to inform you in the future if I’m having trouble getting things done on time.
A More Intentional Communication
As you can see, project planning skills, like root cause analysis, can be applied to interpersonal communications to make them more intentional—that is, we say what we mean, and everyone understands our intention and is able to move forward as a team. Without intentional communication, like in this example, it could negatively impact the schedule, cost, quality, and morale, and lose a valuable resource, just from one simple problem that wasn’t addressed.