Feature

Everyone working on software has a baseline competency with communication, yet it’s not unusual to see the time required to communicate effectively viewed as a distraction from the real task at hand. People seeking to deliver valuable software in a more timely and reliable fashion tend to turn to concrete changes – a new ticket system or software tool, more developers, performance bonuses – rather than delve into developing communication skills, despite the many concrete ways improved communication can increase a project’s momentum.

Set and Communicate Goals for Response Time

You’ve probably experienced some form of the information black hole. Maybe you put in a request to have an account created but have no idea if it will be minutes or months until the request is fulfilled. It’s important, but not urgent, and you don’t want to be “that person” who demands immediate attention. If only you knew how long it should take, you could set aside the stress of not knowing. Then, if a response didn’t arrive when it should have, you’d know it was time to double-check.

Both individuals and teams can:

• Set honest response times;
• Communicate them clearly and visibly;
• Monitor how they’re living up to those goals;
• Adjust processes or goals accordingly.

People are free to focus on other things when they know how long they have to wait.

Setting such expectations also frees you from more “Is it ready yet?” e-mails. Sending an auto-reply or a cut-and-paste acknowledgement like this should do the trick:

“If your request hasn’t been answered in three working days, something has gone amiss. Poke us with a stick by e-mailing stick@ourcompany.com.”

It can be as formal or as playful as suits your needs.