Bearing Bad News is a Job Requirement for Project Managers

When reporting to your stakeholders that all is not well and that you need more money, time, and resources, how can / should this status be presented? Because projects are full of unwelcome, unplanned events, bearing bad news is a job requirement for project managers. All projects, even those that are wildly successful, are replete with re-planning, backtracking, and fancy footwork. What makes bearing bad news difficult is a sense of personal responsibility. Which would you rather report: that the project will be two months late because the staff is on strike and your people will not cross the picket line or that the project will be one week late because one of the development activities has slipped? You would probably prefer the first. After all, you have no control over strikes, but the schedule was your responsibility.

Responsibility is frequently confused with blame, leading to the notion that because project managers are responsible, problems are your fault. If you believe this, you will be more concerned with self-protection than with solutions, and your demeanor will destroy your effectiveness in presenting the problem. The remainder of this article can be found on https://www.turlon.com/bearing-bad-news/