It’s difficult to even fathom these days how information was shared and processed prior to email and electronic communication. The speed and ease of the communication methods, in addition to the number of people that can be included, makes it truly transformative.
However,…
…with that speed, ease, and reach comes a much greater potential for confusion and crossed wires. We recently experienced a stress-inducing (for us, hopefully not for you) situation that demonstrated how easily something can go off the rails.
Let’s set the scene… there was a large project with a tight timeline. (I’m sure many of us know this story well) The cast of characters included us, 2 other essential vendors, and the client. Everyone brought specific (and necessary) skills to the table in order to make this happen.
While the timeframe was tight, all parties involved were optimistic that with everyone bringing their A game, we would be able to hit the deadline and there would be much rejoicing. Or at the very least the client would be happy and everyone would get paid.
We had finished our portion of the project and now it was a matter of the other 2 vendor doing their role and then the components would be delivered to the client. Even though there wasn’t anything else that we needed to do, we kept up with status as to where things were at. All t’s appeared to be crossed and all i’s dotted, so Friday ended with a certain sense of settled calm.
Then, Monday morning, the alarms started ringing.
Not only did the components that were to arrive on Friday not show up, but one vendor was saying that the other vendor dropped the ball and components wouldn’t be there until the end of the week, ultimately putting us 2 weeks behind our very tight schedule. Not good. Not good at all.
This job was tight to begin with, so there were no spare days to use up in light of this error; spare hours would be extremely generous.
Anyone who knows me is well aware of my affinity for the java bean. I can honestly say that, even without my first cup, my energy quickly ramped up as if I’d chugged an entire pot.
After doing everything I could to quell my rising panic, I composed a terse, but professional email to the vendor who appeared to have missed their deadline, trying to figure out what possibly could have happened to change the commitment dates so drastically. After waiting for what seemed an eternity (actually one hour and 33 minutes), we received confirmation that the first batch of components were shipped the preceding Friday and due for delivery today, with the remainder on schedule for the end of the week.
At that point I realized I’d been holding my breath for approximately an hour and 33 minutes. Breathe…
Once the updated information was communicated, things began to settle down quickly. So, big problem solved, but what happened?
After reviewing the email chain (which we hadn’t been included in), we determined that the confusion hinged on crossed emails and a good old-fashioned case of “does next Thursday mean two days from now or nine days from now?” It’s easy for things to go off the rails when panic sets in. I think in this case a quick confirmation that restated the understanding of the information would have resolved the concern, but things moved beyond that pretty quickly.
So, what did we learn from this situation?
Taking the time to slow down in a potential crisis situation can do wonders. Confirming and restating information to verify that everyone has the same understanding certainly helps. And, making sure that there are accountability steps along the way to make sure that there are no surprises (in this case, making sure that tracking numbers were provided when components were shipped would have prevented a lot of the panic).
All is good now. Everything is on track and well on the way to a happy conclusion.
But you can bet your bottom dollar that we’re going to keep checking…
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