Know what the biggest problem in any company is, the largest obstacle to success and the primary cause of failed business, failed projects and failed earnings? Communication. You know it yourself – your biggest issues stem from either lack of communication, miscommunication, or misunderstandings surrounding communication. I know in my own career, I’ve watched large, well-paid projects die completely because the companies couldn’t organize a luncheon let alone a successful project outcome.
What’s unnerving is when you work with communications people and they can’t communicate to save their souls. Had one project years ago where I was hired (and paid in advance, amen) for a communications project that never left the ground. The company specialized in communication. Their client wanted a book on communication. Yet this little phone committee of ours, which communicated very well when we did meet, couldn’t muster a complete project for the client. The team leader was very good when he had time to focus, but when he became distracted with seven other projects, this one died. And worse, he stopped answering any emails. Once every six months, I’d get a note telling me they were nearly ready to return to the project. I’m still waiting.
From my own experience, I see this happening in big companies pretty regularly. A current client had my work in hand within two weeks of asking for it. That was three months ago. Both the revisions and the invoice remain untouched. Not to worry – the contract is in place and the money will arrive. I’m resorting to a mailed invoice if this week’s email isn’t answered. Paper’s much tougher to ignore or lose.
So how can you improve the communication? The only way I’ve found is to be the proactive one. If they’re all ignoring the project, become its vocal leader. Communicate with ALL parties involved in both group emails and individual ones. Find someone on that team who’s happy to get it done or eager to align with you in order to check one more item off his/her list. In some cases, you may be able to work with one individual (make sure to let the crowd know you’re doing so) and deliver a product that can then be walked through the committee one-by-one, if need be. It’s not always going to be possible. In this current situation I’m in, I have two contacts out of seven or eight. I don’t know the other players. I’m in the process now of getting one contact to focus on this long enough to approve it and send the invoice to accounting. If a legal team has to review it, fine. But I’m able to at least get it to review stage working with this one person.
How about you? How many projects of yours have died thanks to lack of communication? Which ones worked well for you?
So far (fingers crossed) I haven’t had a project die due to lack of communication, but I am currently working on something that I’d hoped to have completed weeks ago. Due to it taking my contact 2 weeks to answer each email I send him, it’s draaaaagging out.
My only frustration with this is the way in which I’d planned other projects around this one. This guy is head of the company and doesn’t want to hand the responsibility to anyone else, so I guess I’m stuck in slow-mo for the time being.
When dealing with corporate environments like that, where things tend to be decided by committee, I put a section in the contract with specifics on how communication is to be handled, time frame REQUIRED for response, and how much it will cost when they screw it up.
The only way they pay attention is if they have to justify unnecessary cost to their bosses.
I admit I’ve let a few projects die due to lack of communication, relieved because I realized I should have turned them down, and then sent a final note/invoice officially ending the project.
I figure it may be best to stipulate in the contract that there will be a charge for any revisions needed after a two-week period. If I have to meet a deadline, so should they. If they can’t, they can pay for my services now and when they’re ready to resume.
In my freelancing career, only one project has tanked due to lack of communication (and that was between the client and his boss–not anything to do with me!!). In my cubefarm days, though? Too many to even count. And you wouldn’t believe the ridiculous amounts of money they wasted on consultants in doomed attempts learn to communicate better!