The "Waiting" Factor

Today I wanted to talk about one of the key contributors to project delays. This factor exists in every large organization, and even in many smaller ones. It’s a human factor related to communication efficiency. I call it the “waiting” factor.

Too many tasks get unreasonably delayed because of unnecessary lags.

“John, how are we doing on this task?” - “We’re waiting for the vendor to get back to us.”

“Anna, did you schedule the meeting?” - “I did, but the earliest time everyone was available is in three weeks.” There’s so much unnecessary time waste. Let’s see how this type of delay can be avoided.

Say you absolutely need a technical meeting with multiple stakeholders in order to move forward. The people you need are busy or at least, that’s what their calendars show. What would an inexperienced project manager do? They’d check the calendars and find the earliest possible “gap.” Sometimes, indeed, the earliest window when everyone is available could be in a few weeks. Is that a good approach? Of course not. Here’s why.

1. There are too many uncertainties with stakeholders’ availability three weeks out. Their calendars may not be fully updated. Someone might be planning a vacation. Someone else could have an unexpected leave. Another stakeholder might have an urgent meeting booked last minute. Long story short: your chances of getting everyone together in three weeks aren’t necessarily better than getting them together this week or next.

2. You might be looking for a one-hour window when, in reality, half the stakeholders are only needed for the beginning or the end of the conversation. In some cases, it’s smarter to break the agenda into parts that involve different audiences. That way, your chances of getting the right people into two shorter meetings become much higher.

3. In many cases, you could be more proactive. Statistically, a lot of people forget to update their calendars when meetings are canceled or when they have commitments that can be rescheduled. If you spend a few minutes reaching out to the busiest stakeholders, you could save yourself weeks of valuable project time.

4. Just as a side note: in many cases, the productive part of a meeting is much shorter than the time allocated. Have you noticed that you often spend 5 to 10 productive minutes in a meeting that was scheduled for 30 minutes or even an hour? My point is, sometimes squeezing in a quick five-minute call can get the job done.

Now, speaking of the “we’re waiting for…” situations: 99% of the time, you’re not actually waiting for someone to finish a task, you’re waiting for them to start it, or even just to look at your email. If nothing is moving for a few days, what makes you think it will start moving in a few more?

The key is to follow up politely, yet assertively. If there’s a reason why things are stalled, try to find a solution. Is the responsible person on vacation? Who else can take it on? Could you redirect the item, reschedule it, or even cancel it altogether? What if your request was never received, or got buried? You’ll want to check on that.

Always ask for an ETA so you can plan your dependent activities. If the ETA is unacceptable, escalate the issue to someone who can move it forward. Don’t be afraid to speak with a vendor’s senior managers - it’s their job to get things going.

At the end of the day, by saving project time, you’re also reducing unnecessary expenses, incurred while your team members are “waiting.” You’ll be surprised how much time you can save just by trying some of the methods I’ve mentioned here.

Good luck with your endeavor!