Getting to Know “No”

By Bob McGannon, PMP

Certainly, project managers don’t want to make it a habit to say “no”. However, it is often the exact thing we need to say as a means of protecting the project’s integrity, the sponsor’s reputation, and the finances of the sponsoring business. So, how can we say “no” in an effective fashion? Often, it is not by saying “no” ourselves, but helping our customers down the “no” path. For those cases where we need to “defend the project”, here are some effective ways we can “get to no”.

• Ask questions of the project’s customers or sponsor

At times the ramifications of an idea are not fully understood by the proposer. What may seem like a great idea often is a pathway to greater costs and major scope changes. Often, the best approach the project manager can take is to pose questions that cause our project stakeholders to review the considerations behind their “proposals’ or expectations. An example: We can add that function to the product, however it will cost an additional $200,000. Do you have a means to increase the project budget to accommodate the incremental funding? This can yield the “no’ a project manager is seeking, without having to be the contrarian. It protects the project, as well as protecting how the project manager is perceived. In instances where the budget might be available, and the function would support a positive business case, asking the question to verify this, is a good path for the project manager to take.

Other powerful questions that can be used in this manner include: Can you support the additional time it will take to change plans and redesign the solution to accommodate that newly identified need? Does this fit within your strategic business plan? If you are unable to attend our requirements verification meetings, will you sign a document that delegates your approval of those business requirements to me? (I’ve asked this last question often, and have yet to get a “yes” answer; invariably people suddenly find the time to attend requirements verification sessions!)

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