The Best Skill I’ve Learnt in an Agency – Managing Expectations

Nikki-Agar

By Nikki Agar

October 11, 2021

Every role, business, and industry have stakeholders. Ranging from clients, board members, suppliers, colleagues and yes, even your boss.
The Project Management Institute defines a stakeholders as “individuals and organisations who are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected as a result of project execution.”1

At Rapid Media, my role is to manage the workflow of the creative team. My stakeholders include external clients, internal account managers, suppliers and management. Every day I have new tasks briefed into me whilst keeping other tasks moving, and constantly communicate with my stakeholders making sure jobs are completed to the highest possible standard.

Over the years, I’ve found it really helpful to have some tools up my sleeve to manage stakeholder expectations effectively. Here are a few things I’ve learnt along the way: 

1. Understanding expectations

Before starting any job or project, I try to understand the scope of what I’m expected to deliver and the timeframes for the project. Trust me, it’s much easier to complete a task when you have this information right from the start. 

I’ve learnt to never be afraid to ask for extra information when being briefed on a new task. The stakeholder always appreciates it when timeframes and brief are met.
2. Communicate, communicate, communicate
This is one of my key learnings – it’s better to over-communicate, than under, because people genuinely appreciate being kept up to date and in the loop. “Humans have a deep-seated desire for certainty and control”, writes Raj Raghunathan, author of If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy? “It helps us believe that we can shape the outcomes and events to our liking.”2

Over the years, I have discovered a quick acknowledgment that I have received an email is one of the most powerful (and easy) ways I can make someone feel heard and their request validated. Depending on the stakeholder it could be as simple as “I’m on it.” If I’m being followed up three days later, asking if I’ve received the email, this is a fairly good indication that my communication could be improved.

If I come to the realisation that I won’t be able to deliver a task on time, I let the stakeholder know as soon as I can. My aim is to not make excuses, but to apologise and communicate to set expectations around when they can realistically expect the task back. This helps my stakeholder manage workflow and stakeholders of their own.

Sometimes deadlines creep up on you. If a deadline is upon me before I realise there is just no possible way I can deliver – I won’t email. I’ll pick up the phone, have an honest conversation and work out a plan to rectify getting the job done.

3. Trust your process
I’ve worked with the creative team to implement a process that works for everyone. We are currently working with a great project management tool called Monday.com. It’s a super user-friendly platform that uses ready-made templates to build team workflows.
Part of ensuring consistency with the process was making sure internal stakeholders were educated how to effectively use and communicate using Monday.com. This always takes time to adopt, but I’ve learnt training is key.
I’m also a believer that changing the process and evolving to new software to suit team needs, can be a good thing. Situations, requests and expectations change, so it’s important that our processes change with them.
4. There are no exceptions to the rule
There have been times when a manager or boss has bypassed the process that’s in place. This is so common in workplaces but I’ve learnt it’s important to be clear with stakeholders that a process is in place for a reason. It can be a tough conversation, but in my experience nine out of ten times, my honesty is respected.
5. Add value
Quite often when the creative team is working on a task, they might come up with an even better way to execute the brief. This is great, because we’ve just added even more value to our stakeholders.
However, I’ve learnt to be careful how I present new ideas, so my stakeholder doesn’t feel bulldozed. Generally, I’ve found the best practice of a small task is to present the stakeholder with exactly what they’ve asked for AND the new version with recommendations as to why it might perform better.
6. Be grateful for feedback
As hard as it is sometimes to take on feedback, I try to put aside my personal feelings and actually listen to the problems being presented. Constructive feedback has been a critical part in developing the best processes and outcomes for both my internal and external stakeholders.
All involved need to work together to find a solution and the best way I’ve learnt to do this is by asking lots of questions until I can fully understand the problem, the purpose, and provide a solution.

These are just a few of my tips and resources that help me in managing stakeholders day to day. By no means do I get it perfect every time. Systems and processes can fail, but my dedication to keeping up with best practices mean I am continually learning and evolving.

Sources

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