Simple, Sticky Deadlines

What percentage of the time do you hit your deadlines?

How about your coworkers, or direct reports?

A survey once concluded 75% of the reason I.T. projects fail is missed deadlines. How about your work?

SIMPLE SOLUTION

Step #1

Define the outcome / deliverable / task / goal... in a clear and measurable way. (My TARGET method can be downloaded here.)

Step #2

Ask each person responsible for an outcome to define the day and time of day they will deliver.

Why include time of day? To avoid assumptions. i.e. Ruth may say Friday is her deadline. Frank thinks "Friday" means 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning. Ruth means midnight on Friday... avoid the drama!

Step #3

After the conversation, confirm details and deadlines via email. (Require a response confirming receipt and agreement.)

Use attachments for lengthy copy. No long emails...

Step #4

1-2 Days before the deadline, other team members or a leader may email (paper trail) or verbally ask (soft touch) the person under the deadline:

"Is there anything you need from me to complete (the outcome) by your deadline on _________?"

You are NOT contacting them with threats, negativity, or to play "whack-a-mole."

Use a polite, respectful tone of voice, audibly or written.

Be sincere. Be brief. Be gone.

If they ask for help, then follow-through with excellence and no complaining.

Make it safe for people to ask for help.

If people need help twice in a row or more, then something is wrong with your process, expectations, and/or their skills.

Do something to help them.

Teach them how to better estimate deadlines and manage their time. Adjust their workload. If at this time they should have the knowledge, skills, and experience, then hold them to higher performance standards.

If they should be able to match the consistency of your timeliness, but cannot, then it may be time to encourage them to find work elsewhere.

Or, if there is a problem with your example - you are the role model - then come alongside them and improve your time management skills together.

LEADERSHIP Lesson: Do not tolerate late work as being typical. It negatively affects others, and results. Use Systematic Power to follow-up with Sincere Gratitude for the individual to improve timely performance and WIN.

I hope your 4Q is strong and 2018 bright!