Thursday, March 28, 2024

Communication Breakdown

crackedYesterday afternoon, I was speaking to one of our project managers as he tried fruitlessly to sort through his email messages from the day and week.  He growled at the number of messages to be responded to and conceded that he spends a tremendous amount of personal time trying to stay afloat.  Our project managers travel extensively by car and while even armed with smart phones, tablets and laptops they struggle to keep up with email communication while driving hours at a time.
By the time our managers get to the hotel or office for the day they have hours of emailing to catch up on and information to file and process.  I cannot begin to count the number of evening messages received from project managers and sales reps both within and outside the company.  This becomes tiresome and frustrating for them because their drive time is inefficient and leaves them with hours of work to do after they are tired from driving and conducting business in person.  So how to make better use of time for the commuting project manager?  The list of potential remedies is long.  Some technology can help as can some common sense organization practices.
Voice recognition software is becoming mainstream with the introduction of applications such as Apple Siri and Google Mobile.  Our project managers are beginning to use these products with mixed results and debatable benefit.  The specific technical jargon and product names used in many industries render the process painful unless extra time or expense is spent to custom tailor it.  In time the technology will likely improve and become more usable.  “Do you want to get lunch?” is much more likely to work than, “We need to order 47 panels of Forma-wall Series measuring 76-7/16″ long in 32″ custom modules with 1-1/2″  horizontal reveal joints”.  Trying to dictate people’s names are even more challenging at present.
A few have pondered hiring an assistant to serve as a driver which would allow them to work in a truly mobile office.  With technology such as 4G networking and power inverters this offers real potential.  One senior project manager often has his retired wife drive while he works from the passenger seat.  He doesn’t miss a beat and is far ahead of his peers in performance.  Even when hiring a full-time assistant to perform this task the return can often far exceed the cost.  Our project managers run contracted work ranging in value from $3 million to $8 million at a time, so missing one material delivery date can cost as much as $10,000 in wasted labor and rentals.  If an assistant costs in the neighborhood of $50,000 in total expense per year and truly allows the project manager to spend quality time in communication and purchasing of goods and materials then the argument becomes valid.  Tired project managers often fore go the “extra mile” of crunching numbers which makes all the difference in job performance.  If you saved 5% on all your purchases, what is it worth in final value?
Finally, do not forget simple organization skills and taking advantage of the features built into the email applications you already have.  Do you use rules such as automatic forwarding and filing?  Do you have your junk mail set up properly?  If you are in the IT business this is likely a no-brainer but for those who come from alternative backgrounds this may be overlooked.  Most importantly, be decisive and deal with the messages.  Do not read them as they come in and then let them pile up, which will cause your stress levels to follow.  Delete, delegate or do, but try not to defer.
 

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