Project Perception is Reality; Don't Let 'em See You Sweat

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!


When it comes to project success, perception is more important than reality. That's not to say you should lie or cover up anything, merely that your stakeholders don't need to know (nor do they care about knowing) all the little difficulties and issues you're experiencing in the project.

Keep project status reports brief, listing a short status, the key milestones, the top 3 issues, and what's being done to address them. Paint a positive picture of events, even regarding the issues being addressed. Project team members and stakeholders must feel that the project is well under control.

Of course, if huge barriers exist, or major issues arise, address these immediately with whatever team members and/or managers you need to resolve the issue. Management needs to know these things. But if you reach a point where you must communicate bad news more broadly, try to focus on the positive side of things (everything has a positive side if you look hard enough). Public relations experts have taken this approach for years with great success.

Even a project where it makes sense to cancel it, maybe because it no longer will bring the expected benefits, should be seen as a good thing, as it means the system is working. Remember, keep it positive!