Accompanying slides for my presentation/workshop at the DPM Summit, 2015. This workshop was concentrated around something that's hard for all of us to say, especially at key times throughout projects: the word NO. By looking at the word itself, and then examining various project failures in the past, I devised an expectation-setting conversation that helps teams partner with their clients, and educates them on what they can expect throughout the whole process.

1. HOW TO RESPECT YOURSELF IN THE MORNING
Larissa Scordato | @larissascordato
Digital Project Management Summit, 2015
getting comfortable with saying no

2. no

3. 1. Used to give a negative response
2. Expressing disagreement or contradiction
3. A negative answer or decision
4. Used to indicate that something is quite the
opposite of what is being specified
no/no/
/

4. I live in Phoenix…

5. .
. .
..
.
.
..
.
I work with Phuse…

6. over-communication
a.k.a. the art of managing an international, remote team of clients and co-workers

7. Our memory is like the telephone game:
Each time we recall an event, our brains
distort it
http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/09/your-memory-is-like-the-telephone-game.html

8. story time!

9. I got my start at Forty…

10. idea !
Why waste project hours to walk a
client through a plan they’re
perfectly capable of reading?

11. Clients read
all of our
emails,
don’t they?!

12. No

13. OMGWTF?! TL;DR
About 15% of people read everything
you send them (and more!)
The rest are like, “K, thanks, bye!”

14. The biggest communication issue we
have boils down to our assumption
that it has already taken place.
https://hbr.org/2011/02/your-communications-may-not-be.html

15. You never told
me that…

16. Um…that’s not what we asked for.

17. I feel like you’re trying to nickel and dime me…

20. Not setting ground rules, and
clear expectations from the
beginning leads to project failure.

21. This is why Project Managers
should have a “first date”
with every client.

22. 1. kickoff/goals
2. assumptions/tech/
deliverables
3. the initial plan
4. risks and your role
First
Date

23. Our role is not to boss around our teams

24. Nor are we there to give
the client everything
they want

25. PROJECT
our role is to manage the

26. Scope
our role is to manage the

27. deliverables
our role is to manage the

28. budget
our role is to manage the

29. timeline
our role is to manage the

30. “When you are tired of saying it,
they are starting to hear it.”
-Jeff Weiner

31. let’s practice!

32. Thanks!
Larissa Scordato | @larissascordato
lscordato@gmail.com