Expectation Management

00:01 So, we've covered the obvious parts of the project, the time, scope, and cost.

00:09 Now, we're going to look at the non-obvious parts of the project.

00:12 Claude Debussy and Mozart are quoted as saying that "Music is the silence between the notes." And in many ways, a project is as much the things that aren't seen as the things that are.

00:26 While a truly great musician will be aware of the gaps between the notes, a fantastic project manager will have an ear for the expectations, assumptions, and risks surrounding a project.

00:39 So, let's start this lesson by explaining how to deal with multiple stakeholders expectations of a project.

00:45 Following that, we will do the same for assumptions.

00:49 After the project manager has cleared up these areas, risks become more apparent.

00:54 So, that is when we will go through the process of risk assessment and of course, risk prevention and response.

01:01 Okay, do you remember when we discussed talking with stakeholders about their expectations from the project? Sure, you do. Well, as a project manager, it's important to be able to understand human nature in psychology.

01:16 A project involves a lot of people and if expectations are not the same across the board, some of the people involved will be disappointed that the project didn't meet their expectations.

01:26 An expectation is the psychological picture we create in our heads for a future event and depending on the situation, it can be easy to set expectations and predict outcomes.

01:37 For example, you order a taxi and expect it to arrive in five to 10 minutes.

01:43 You can only really be disappointed if the taxi driver fails their task and is late.

01:48 However, if you give a person more room for imagination, then, the chances of disappointment may be higher.

01:56 Now, imagine that the taxi you ordered is supposed to take you to a school reunion which you are excited for because you expect to rekindle an old flame, Sam.

02:06 They will be just as funny and beautiful as they were 15 years ago.

02:11 You expect they will fall head over heels for you and it will be just like it was when you were kids.

02:17 Sam however expects everyone to be super thrilled about their recent marriage proposal.

02:23 The reunion may be a success for Sam but certainly not for you.

02:29 When given more room for interpretation, we are likely to fill our imagination with our own subjective views and desires and the more people there are imagining how something could end up, the more chance there is that their expectations will vary.

02:44 If a project reaches its end after all the time, money, and effort has been invested and the stakeholders, especially the client of the project, reveal their expectations to be something completely different, the project has automatically failed.

03:00 This is why the project manager must have a clear idea of the project from the beginning and it's essential they have all the stakeholders on the same page.

03:09 Now, the process of getting everyone on the same page is done mostly when defining the scope during workshops and when meeting the stakeholders.

03:18 The project manager must be able to clearly communicate their expectations and hold sessions in a way that encourage stakeholders to share their expectations in order to identify any gaps.

03:30 Some example questions the project manager could ask are, "How do you think the final product of the project will be useful to the organization?" Or, "Do you believe something can be added to significantly improve the result?" Or even, "Do you agree with the way the scope is described in the project documents?" Plus, many others because the more thorough, the better.

03:53 Now, the project manager's job of levelling everyone's expectorations does not stop there.

04:00 Not only must the project manager keep all stakeholders up to date during the various meetings carried out through the scope phase, but they must also keep in constant communication for the whole project as any changes occur.

04:13 The whole idea behind keeping everyone in the loop constantly is to eliminate any opportunities for the stakeholder's imagination to run wild.

04:22 Awesome, now, that covers expectations.

04:25 Next lesson, we'll discuss how to make assumptions in the safest way. See you there.