Definition — 3rd “D” for Leading Project Escalations

To know what must be done…   — Pericles on leadership

In my experience, the informal escalations just discussed (here) are the hardest; nothing’s tougher than confronting the boss with a bombshell:

• Implementation issues may involve resources one’s boss has sourced for the project.
• Functional gaps may have been created by one’s own poor scope management practices.

You want to give the boss the heads up — without getting your head handed to you.  Preparing for conversations like these, however, is not always a strong point for technology professionals. Technology professionals often get a (sometimes deserved) reputation for knee-jerk overreaction to any new plan of action.  Nothing is worse than explaining why you don’t think a project is viable and then discovering you are wrong, so:

• Proceed in a deliberate and measured way to gather the full scoop
• Have all your facts checked before explaining your position