How to Set Boundaries for Unrealistic Project Expectations
The Pros, Cons, and Limitations of Unreasonable Requests
*Disclaimer: for the purposes of this article, “stakeholder” refers to any customer, client, or end recipient of your project.
Every manager who has ever overseen a project knows the pains and struggles that come with timelines, scope, and budget. In every department and every industry, we feel it.
Often times, the request that comes at the worst time and at the expense of the development team is the last minute, “must have” additional requests.
Sometimes, you’ll have stakeholders that are understanding of your need to keep the release focused on the current requests. Other times, you’ll have the stakeholder that insists on adding more for one reason or another.
And one of the hardest things about being a project/product manager is pushing back on these last minute, additional requests that have little-to-nothing to do with what you’re requesting approval to deploy.
Common Scenarios You’re Facing
Some of the most common last-minute “urgent” things I’ve heard over my career as a product manager are:
Pre-existing issues that aren’t related to nor caused by recent changes
“Small” requests that no one mentioned before that would actually take much longer than stakeholders believe
Sudden new “must-have” items that could wait
It becomes more difficult when a stakeholder refuses to let you deploy the project unless you do XYZ first.
The Downfall of Accepting “Urgent” Requests
Truthfully, there’s rarely any benefit to them, and generally no reason that the additional items can’t be completed and released in 2-3 weeks. The “mandatory” items cause:
Unnecessary stress on the team and burnout/overtime/death of work-life balance
Risk of more issues because the new items are rushed to meet stakeholder deadlines
An unhealthy environment and team/stakeholder dynamic of “if they yell loud enough, they get what they want”
None of these results are beneficial long term to the business nor the team.
Break the Cycle with Boundaries
If your team finds themselves in this boat, here’s what you can do:
Document everything - every change, every bug, every approval
Remind stakeholders of the current scope and what’s on the list for deployment
Make tickets for additional items to work on them at a later time
Request approval for existing completed items or propose a delay in deployment date to accommodate new items
Say “no” and bring your leadership on board to support your decisions
Don’t let your role as manager be reduced to a ticket/task pusher and people pleaser. You are the gatekeeper. You not only have a responsibility to your stakeholders and the product/project, but also to the team.
Psst! Hey, leaders and managers!
If you have a lack of true priorities, too much to do and too little done, a budget thrown out the window, and your people are burnt out, then this guide is for you.
In it, we'll dig into:
5 common myths and mistakes and what you should do instead
Quick steps to get you implemented in 90 days
Discussion points for every area of your business, inside and out
Get started today!
You can also set up a 30-minute call for a quick discussion on your situation and how to start getting unstuck.