Your project is facing delays due to operational risks. How will you manage client expectations effectively?

While all the mentioned steps are essential, clear communication from day one stands out as the most crucial. Effective communication sets the foundation for managing client expectations throughout the project lifecycle. When clients understand the project's progress, challenges, and potential risks, they can adjust their expectations realistically and appreciate the transparency. It’s necessary to know that open dialogue fosters trust and strengthens the client-manager relationship.

Early communication: Notify clients as soon as possible about the delays and the reasons behind them. Be transparent about the operational risks that have impacted the project timeline.

Anticipation: The more sensitive and business-critical the core processes and essential services are, the more planning must be undertaken upfront. While not every unidentified risk or process deviation can be predicted, a good PM will utilize tools that can objectively help them understand where the greatest risks lie. Ultimately, no client wants to introduce any risks to a project and will likely understand delays associated with mitigating them. A client may have to make some decisions regarding a launch or transition based on the variables of an identified operational risk and the PM must arm them with predicted outcomes. The more this can be done prior to project launch, the more time will be saved if and when they occur.

It is crucial to identify and assess operational risks from the outset of a project; failing to do so can lead to unpleasant surprises. Utilize tools such as SWOT analysis, impact and probability matrices, and risk checklists to understand potential issues. Understanding risks enables the planning of mitigation and response strategies.

As soon as operational risks are identified, communicate with clients (or stakeholders) in a clear and concise manner. Inform them of the possible impacts and what is being done to mitigate these risks. Transparency builds trust.

Considering the risk involved has been identified accurately due to expertise and vast experience, it is incumbent on the risk management authority and key personnel involved to communicate effectively to the team, if any changes in the objectives and desired level of outcome is envisioned . It is also imperative to spell out any levy or cushion that the team might be allowed to avail, in order to achieve the intended results, if the risk has been identified and mitigated but still proves to be playing a major factor in safe and timely completion of the mission.

Build in Buffer: A rule of thumb that I follow for any project is to build in a buffer to the deliverable timelines. The buffer should not be considered a cushion, or available for any runover that occurs due to a resource or planning issue. The buffer should rather be deployed only when necessary if the PM has determined that all other proposed changes/mitigation steps are not feasible within the original timeline. Remember that, in the planning phase, the PM will utilize data to inform the project of risks to components of a process impacted by a change thereby providing an ability to easily pivot to the contingency plan.

Adjust timelines and goals to reflect the current situation. Be honest about what is feasible and what is not. Realistic goals help to avoid frustrations and maintain a focus on delivering quality.

Instead of just communicating problems, present solutions. Discuss alternatives, trade-offs, and options that can help achieve project objectives in a still satisfactory manner. This demonstrates proactivity and commitment to problem-solving.

Keep the team, clients, and all involved parties engaged, even in times of trouble. Hold regular meetings, status updates, and continuous involvement so they feel part of the process and understand the challenges faced.

Contingency Plan: In addition to anticipating risks and building in buffers, a PM should also identify the likelihood and severity of a potential risk to the output of the operation. For the top risks identified, there should also be “mitigators” defined in the contingency plan that take into account room for variables. This should be shared with the client upfront along with probability factors. Then, informed by new variable data, replan the impacted aspects of the project maintaining alignment to the original plan as closely as possible. Planning for the most impactful potential disruptions to a project will also inform other factors including the least disruptive time for deployment and how many resources are needed.