Just Say "No", Empowering The PM
"Sure We Can Do It", "It'll Be Ready First Thing In The Morning", "That's No Problem", "Stats? Of Course We Can Get Those For You", "Go Ahead, Take An Extra Day", "More Options? Not A Problem", "Sure, That's Just a Small Change", "We'll Have It Out By End of Day"... Sound familiar? Have you heard this before? Have you said it yourself? This week's entry is about Just Saying No and how sometimes it's not only okay to say "no", but it's actually the right thing to do.
As a Project Manager, your primary goal, as indicated by your title, is to manage the project, meaning that at the end of the day, you've not only brought your project in on time, but on budget as well. One of the keys to accomplishing this task, is knowing how and when to say "NO".
Good Reasons To Say No ~ While there is often a lot of negative connotation around the word "no", the truth is that saying no can often be the right thing to say. Often the questions that you'll face as a Project Manager, are related to time or scope. Can we complete this project a week earlier than originally anticipated? Can we add functionality x, y, z, for the the same cost and within the same time frame? The number one reason to say "no", is when you start to jeopardize the quality of your project, whether it is by cutting process due to tight timelines, or overworking your teammates due to lack of resource availability, saying "no" is the only correct response. And while we are often trained that saying "no" is bad, when done properly, it can be admired by your client in that it creates a sense of authority, and admired by your internal team in that it connects you and your team by displaying a united front.
The Possible Bad Affects Of Saying No ~ While I stand firmly behind the idea of saying "no", there are two very real risks that you should keep in mind before coming to this decision, your relationship with your client and the eagerness of your competitors. If not done correctly, or if done too often, saying "no" can damage your relationship with your client, in that it can make you come across as self serving opposed to being there for your client. Instead of displaying a tone of authority with your client, what you can end up displaying is an inability to meet your client's needs or work together with your client. As for the eagerness of your competitors, for every time you say "no", there are three people out there who are willing to say "yes", which is why saying "no" is something that should be said few and far between, and only when you are secure enough in your relationship, that you know that losing the business is not a possibility.
The Possible Bad Affects of Saying Yes ~ So if saying "no" could have such strong risks, why bother, why not always say "yes"? Besides for the reason mentioned above with regard to jeopardizing the quality of a project, my number one fear when saying "yes", is the possibility of setting a bad precedent. In my experience, I have learnt that people tend to stop listening after you say the word "yes", specifically when you list the conditions of the "yes". For example, your client will hear "...we can add functionality a,b,c for the same cost as previously quoted" and then completely miss "since we were able to save money by repurposing x,y,z", meaning that next time they want to add "a,b,c" they will expect the same deal. What I've found to be the best method to preventing this occurrence, is to document everything! Any time there is a discussion about time, scope, or budget, remember to document it for later reference, and if possible it is good practice to ensure that there is at least one additional person, besides for you and your client, to witness these types of agreements.
The Internal Struggle ~ Often it is more difficult to say "NO" to your internal team, then it is to your client. This is due to the fact that as a functional member of a team, your instinct is to run to the aide of your fellow teammates, regardless of the consequences. Now by no means am I saying that this is a bad thing, in fact the more supportive you are to your fellow coworkers, the more power to you. The key is to remember that we are all human and therefore we all have our limitations. As beneficial as it is to provide support, it is equally if not more destructive to offer that help and then not be able to follow through on it. So remember, when working with your teammates, be conscious of your timelines and workload, be honest as to whether or not you will be able to deliver on their request, and if you can't or you get stuck, don't forget to ask for help, after all it worked for The Beatles!
How To Say No ~ "No, Your Joking Right?", "Nope, Not Going To Happen", "When Hell Freezes Over"... these are all BAD ways of saying "no". Having seen why and when we need to say "no", the trick is to now learn how to say it. The number one trick to saying "no", is to remember that nobody likes a problem, but everyone likes a solution. So, when you come across a situation where you need to tell someone "no", be prepared with one or two alternative solutions, this way instead of focusing on not being able to do something your attention is now focused on choosing the best path to move forward with. Another important tip to remember, is that "it takes two to tango" as the Project Manager, it isn't your job to throw in the towel, but rather to negotiate with your client to see how compromises can be made on both sides, so that you arrive at a solution that meets everyone's needs.
Having read this post, I am hoping that you are now feeling empowered and ready to face the world, knowing your self worth and no longer fearing the dreaded "NO". As a Project Manager, your primary role is to act as a bridge between your client and your internal team and therefore must always be cognoscente of both sides when making decisions. The trick, is to remember that at the end of the day we all have the same goal, and that is to deliver a final product as quickly and as painlessly as possible that meets or exceeds all of our wildest expectations!
