Asking Questions to Clarify Project Expectations

Elbert Hubbard, an American writer and philosopher, said, "It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do." Clarifying expectations, whether on a task I've adopted or a project I've committed to delivering, helps me decide what to do.

It is difficult to know how to clarify expectations effectively, even though it is critical. Fortunately, asking investigative questions, listening with genuine intent, and recording answers outside your head make the task manageable and lead to identifying actions required for getting work done.

What questions help clarify expectations? That's a good question itself.

When taking on new work that requires more than one step, I ask, "What does 'done' mean for this project?" This is another way of asking, "What are the specific goals and objectives I need to achieve?" Beginning any work with a clearly defined target is critical. It allows you to map the course to a fixed destination.

With a definition of 'done' created, the next most important question I address is, "What is the timeline for this project?" Clarifying the amount of time I have to complete all work empowers me to reverse engineer the project's specific goals and objectives and pace their achievement properly. If a timeline isn't provided, I create one. Parkinson's Law conceptualizes the tendency of work to expand to fill the time allowed for its completion. Without a due date, even an arbitrary one, it's tempting to deprioritize and defer taking action toward delivering a solution. If the project is larger in scope, a good clarifying question to ask is, "What are the deadlines for each phase of the project or task?"

The questions above generate momentum in clarifying expectations, but it's unwise to stop after answering them. With a destination and timeline established, I clarify what I'm working against to deliver a solution by asking, "What are the constraints or limitations I need to be aware of?" The answer can include things from budget to personnel to infrastructure and beyond. Identifying what I'm working against can help me creatively problem-solve upstream to respond to potential conflicts and tradeoffs downstream without frustration.

When working with others on a project, asking, "Who will be responsible for each aspect of the project?" is required. Clearly delineating what I am and am not responsible for allows me to focus on my tasks and trust my colleagues to focus and deliver on their tasks. Ensuring that everyone involved in the project shares a clear definition of done for each task allows for a healthy amount of autonomy for the group. An effective strategy is documenting tasks and definitions of 'done' for each in a shared location.

Finally, I clarify expectations further by asking, "How will success be defined and measured?" Project stakeholders, such as the department director, will have their responses. And those directly involved in the project should have their ideas as well. My boss might prioritize the delivery of a working and scalable solution within budget by a deadline as a success. I also choose to augment external definitions of success with personal or group development. In addition to deploying a working and scalable solution within budget by a deadline, group success on this project can include thorough planning and communication among team members resulting in few to no surprises from project inception to delivery.

It's important to ask questions to help you understand what is expected of us. Several other questions can be asked to uncover clear and specific information about project expectations. Such questions result in efficiency, efficacy, and enjoyment of project delivery. What questions have you found effective?