It’s about knowing what lines you can drive the project within. And usually, there might be a twenty-page project definition or nothing at all. And if you’re being interviewed, it’s usually about “We send you some material to look through”. It leaves you little room to contemplate if you want to take on the project or not. So here are 9 questions to have in your pocket that aren’t too in-depth but still give you what you want. You’ll notice that they’re open-ended questions as to give room for the other person to elaborate. And for you to listen.
- What is it about?
- When is the deadline?
- What is the budget?
- Who are in the steering group?
- Whom will I have on my team?
- What are the sensitive subjects/politics?
- What is considered to be a success?
- What is considered to be a failure?
- What are the report routines?
What is it about?
It might be obvious. But it’s rare. Either you’ll get an answer that is super complicated but you quickly figure out that it’s about visualizing the project objective and it was quite easy to explain. Or you’ll get a quick short answer to later realize that this wasn’t at all the case and not what you planned for. Make sure you listen to what they think it’s about and then take time to ask questions and double-check what; the perceived prerequisites are; the start; the end. Get a picture in your head as quickly as possible and draw it so you can discuss it.
When is the deadline?
When are you and your team responsible for delivering the deliverables or the effect? It’s the same amount of time you are signing up for your engagement for + a couple of weeks after work + buffer time for any delays. It’s sort of a given question when talking about projects. Next level: is there a difference between the deadline for the effects and the deliverables? Or are there other nuances to make a difference in when talking about deadlines? I’ve been in many projects where the deadline for the project is one thing but then in the contract, there’s a seemly random date much earlier when you need to have certain parts or documentation ready. Ask the question, listen in and then figure out if there is more than one deadline in step two.
What is the budget?
Not all project has a budget. For real. Other has a very strict one. Either way, it’s good to know early and assess if you need a project controller on this or if you’ll manage yourself.
Who are in the steering group?
You can also ask “is there a steering group in place+”. But that is a closed question and requires follow-up questions if the other person isn’t too talkative. Asking about whom the project will report to and who’s in it will give you a sense of the importance of the project and how quickly you’ll be able to get decisions or if it’s a status group. It’ll also give you a bunch of names to do some research on before the next session.
Whom will I have on my team?
Can also be switched to “Are there secured resources for the project”. You of course need to get a sense of how far in the process this project is. You’ll also notice if certain team members were given while other roles are harder to fill. Maybe you know these people, maybe you don’t. Either way, the question opens up for discussion about dedicated people on the project, certain roles that they might not have thought of, and lastly, it gives you a sense of how big your team will be and if they’re newbies to this subject or experts.
What are the sensitive subjects/politics?
They might initially say “There’s none”. But it will be. There always are. Because we work with humans. I haven’t met one single company or organization that hosts a project where this isn’t present. And you’ll wanna know about it as soon as possible since you’ll be in the middle of it and provide diplomatic authority. Sometimes there’s tension between departments, one being too dominant over the rest of the company. Sometimes it’s about subjects, everything is fine as long as we don’t change x. And your project most certainly will be about just changing x. Sometimes there are old relationship issues, someone didn’t get a promotion or was promoted to high. Get a grip on the subjects and don’t be afraid to call them out in a nice manner. It’ll help in the long run.
What is considered to be a success?
It’s about knowing the expectations of the stakeholders. Your view might be something entirely else than the receivers of the work. Ask the questions to figure out the difference and write it down for when it gets busy. Success might not be what you think it is. It might have nothing to do about being on a budget or delivering on time, but rather to get everyone on board or a certain feature. Or just the other way around.
What is considered to be a failure?
Again, ask the questions to figure out where the expectations are from the stakeholders and yourself. Write it down. In the end, it’s going to matter more about what the stakeholders think. Everything might be correct, but it’s still considered a failure due to lacking a certain feature. Or everything is there but it’s a failure due to going over time or budget. Get down to the real feelings and perceptions of the people involved.
What are the report routines?
Sometimes you’ll have a whole PMO (project management organization) department with a ton of processes, fixed forums, and documentation to follow. Sometimes you have nothing and need to call for every steering group meeting yourself and invent every status report. Since it varies so much it’s good to just ask the question and see on what level they respond. You’ll need to adapt and maybe if you realize that it’s too much administration to do, you want a project administrator by your side, a project communication role, or a project controller. If these are needed but are not up for discussion, then maybe you should turn this project down.
Now – why is it a cat in the picture? It’s said to have nine lives. 🙂
