Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Informal communication matters
Figure 13.1
Water cooler conversations.
munication between team members cannot always go through these chan-
nels and needs to be more direct. The team members must be made aware
of policies toward such communications, their retention policies, and how
they should exercise judgment when it comes to sensitive issues related to
technical problems, schedules, finances, and scope of deliverables.
Escalation
A good escalation process is needed in any project. Proper and timely
escalation of problems is essential. Timely escalation allows others in the
hierarchy to remain informed and gives them an opportunity to intervene
as necessary.
Although the advantages of timely escalation are well recognized, it is
often the case that developers and managers do not escalate issues when
they should. These could be issues related to one's own deliverables or
someone else's for which one is waiting. This happens for a number of
reasons, including:
They are hoping that the problem will go away or get resolved
“very soon” and, therefore, do not think they should escalate “at
this time.”
An escalation is often seen as a form of complaint. If one has put
in a request to get something done and it is getting delayed, one
might hesitate to escalate as it would seem like a complaint against
the other person. This is a common cause for delays in projects.
One should always escalate in a timely although professional
manner.
