Especially when starting a new project there is a lot of yet undiscovered territory. The first two weeks often feel like a complete chaos with a lot of information and expectations coming from different directions. Just like starting an expedition to a new jungle, you will never be prepared enough in order to anticipate all the creatures, plants and dangers you will meet on the way.
In quite a lot of cases you will not understand all the details in the beginning - that is totally fine (either because you will understand them later or because they are simply not important). But if something in the general project setup (e.g. customer expectations, timeline, scope etc.) does not seem right you should investigate it. Do not assume that your manager planned everything the perfect way. When you feel that there is something generally wrong: Address it right in the beginning (in a constructive way of course). Your manager will either be able to explain everything or you gave her the chance to reconsider and readjust things before it is too late.
I had to learn that the hard way: As a young consultant i was wondering, why the timeline of a project was planned a certain way. I did not address my issues, thinking “Oh well, i am sure my managers have their reasons for doing it this way - i mean they have around 30+ years of more work experience than i do and they have done this at least a thousand time before”. Guess what: This timeline would later be the biggest issue on the project and almost led to its failure. Every time i thought “I do not need to address this question, since I am sure management knows what they are doing” that exact question would have solved a lot of problems the projects faced at a later stage.
Just because someone was announced manager in charge of a project (being your engagement manager, the project lead on the customer side or the project sponsor) does not mean that she knows exactly how to do everything. Why is that the case (especially since their salary is around 5000 times higher than yours)? Here are two reasons besides the fact that they are just imperfect humans like you and me:
Assumptions were incorrect: Projects are often setup based on assumptions since there are a lot of uncertainties about most parameters in early stages. With parameters i mean anything from timeline, methodology to scope. The best guess of your manager might have been wrong even though it was to the best of her knowledge. Constraints change over time and even though your manager is very attentive and accurate she might not spot every single change within the project environment.
Information is no longer available: As key players leave their positions crucial information for the setup and steering of a project phase becomes unavailable. The person(s) who drafted the initial solution to a project might have transferred from one department or company to another. Your manager therefore might not be able to consult with them about specific information and therefore does not have all the relevant know-how.
As the number of hierarchy levels and team size increase the feeling of “somebody will have thought about it” also increases. The problem is that everybody thinks that way. In order for your project to succeed it is important to understand that your manager might not have thought it all through. By understanding this and therefore actively informing them about changes or doubt you will also make your work easier in the long run. See yourself as a sparring partner instead of a subordinate (without hitting below the belt of course). If your manager had all the answers to a projects’ challenges, you probably would not be necessary to support her.
If something does not make sense or smells fishy in your point of view address it politely and precisely. That way you can save you and your manager a lot of headaches and your team a lot of extra work.
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