If we’re really lucky on projects nothing will ever go wrong.  Many of us, however, never get that lucky… Instead, we find ourselves looking at an issue or a challenge that blocks our project.  Many times when this happens we shrug to ourselves and start trying to figure out a solution.  This approach may result in us solving the challenge, however, it has a lot of problems.

Ideally when we find a problem we take a few steps before we start trying to solve it.  These steps help ensure that we can solve the problem while minimize risk.

Let other folks know

As soon as we’re aware of a problem we should let other people know.  While the exact folks we alert may differ based on the project we’re working on, our company culture and some other factors, we still need to reach out.  I default to telling my immediate manager and anyone else working on the project, but other stakeholders may be included as well.  This helps prevent them from being caught unawares, either by finding it on their own, or by having someone else tell them about it.

This also sets us up to get help in case we need it.  While the problem may seem to be something we can handle at first blush, it’s always possible it will be something we can’t.  While we can certainly ask for help after something has blown up, it’s easier to ask for help before things get too crazy.

Share information

Letting others know that something broke is the first step, but we also need to be proactively sharing what we’ve discovered.  Initially this may be a short message along the lines of “I found XYZ error code in the system”, but as we go we need to keep sharing information.  Providing regular updates has many of the same advantages as just letting others know; they won’t be surprised when someone else talks to them and they’ll be able to help.

This approach also lets us divvy up work, for example you can have other team members handle communicating with stakeholders while you handle the fix.  Sharing information, especially with stakeholders, is also important to keep them calm.  It’s highly likely that stakeholders don’t understand the technical ins and outs and just know “it doesn’t work”.  Sending out regular updates helps maintain your relationship and makes them feel connected.

Keep Sharing Info

As you go through the process of fixing the challenge, keep sharing information.  It’s really hard to provide TOO much info when something breaks.  Continually updating throughout the life of the problem means no one is unaware of your progress, or if you need other resources for help.