Management and technical resources speak very different languages. We’ve all known this for ages, and I don’t just mean the acronyms and formal formats that each side uses. They genuinely see the world in slightly different ways. What feels like a perfectly clear form of communication to one side can be almost incomprehensible to the other.
This gap shows up most clearly when one side is expecting something specific from the other but only phrase it in their own terms. I see this most often in status updates.
Managers tend to approach status updates in a holistic way, covering the entire project. If you’re unlucky, this might mean multiple slide decks. More commonly, it takes the form of long, structured emails sent out at regular intervals to the technical teams. The problem is that these communications are very much TL;DR 1 to the tech teams. Somewhere inside there may be a specific task for an individual, but the actual responsibility, timing, and relationship to other work isn’t clear to the technical teams that are doing the work.
This is where project managers need to go the extra mile. Yes, it’s important to produce that “state of the nation” overview for the project. Yes, senior stakeholders often want slide decks that show the big picture at a glance. But if you expect deliverables from technical teams, especially when there are multiple teams with separate budgets and priorities, it’s far better to follow up with individuals or team leads.
A simple, targeted email to the responsible contact in each team, spelling out exactly what you need and by when, cuts through the noise. Without this, you risk adding to the confusion. Technical staff are often bombarded with 10, even 15, different project update calls in a single day. These inevitably clash, contradict, or simply blur together.
If you want results, you can’t just carve out a block of “admin time” in people’s calendars and expect it all to be absorbed. Keep your asks small, specific, and clear. The less of people’s time you waste, the more effective the outcome will be.
- or “Too Long Didn’t read”[↩]