Imagine you’re stuck in traffic. Not that difficult, right?
Your behind a giant tractor trailer and you can’t see if the traffic snarl is ten cars or ten miles long. It’s extremely frustrating, in part because you have absolutely no control over the situation. You can’t change the traffic, and you don’t know how long you’re going to be in this situation.
Now imagine someone walks past you car and tells you that there was a breakdown just over the next hill and you should be past it in 15 minutes. Suddenly, you can relax. Sure, you’re going to lose 15 minutes of your day, but that’s manageable and measurable. Five minutes of not knowing is much more excruciating than 15 minutes of NPR or talk radio. (Or shutting off your car and stretching your legs.)
I bring this up because often a traffic jam may occur in our (yours and mine) business. Something happens–a subcontractor’s kid gets the flu or your designer’s muse is on vacation–that causes a delay.
If When these things happen, if it affects your milestones or deliverables, keep your customers in the loop. I’ve discovered that most people are understanding when you’re up front with them. In fact, they’ll find it refreshing; it reminds them they’re doing business with people, not just a company.
