Training and Professional Development Online Courses - Office of Human Resources, Oregon State University

Performance Management Cycle

Topic 3. On-Going Communication and Feedback

Four Focus Areas in Depth

Focus Area 1: Inspire action that is meaningful, purposeful and practical (cont.)

Project Plan

A project plan breaks down large tasks into manageable steps to be completed by multiple people or groups. It states who is responsible for each component, what they are responsible for (action items), and when each step is to be completed. Task items should be prioritized according to date. A good project plan also serves to provide a collective history of a project, especially useful if it is an recurring project.

Project Plan Worksheet: Click here to open worksheet. Worksheet will open in a new browser window.

Drive Conversation to Commitments Using a Request Process, "I Request 'X' by 'Y'"

A Request Versus a Directive

For a request to be truly a "request," the other party must have the freedom to say "no."

The request process is different than giving a directive.
A directive instructs an employee to do a specific action.

Both requests and directives are necessary tools to get work done.

While many work tasks are not negotiable, some are. Being able to access a process that allows for a back-and-forth conversation increases commitments being honored.

Work gets done by moving conversations into action, and promoting commitments is central to ensuring that action will result. A simple way to incorporate this into your office culture is for requests to be made in the form of "I request 'X' (what) by 'Y' (date)." One or more of these responses are necessary to fulfill a request:

1. I accept.: If the "yes" changes at any point, the person needs to contact the requestor as soon as possible to let them know they can no longer fulfill the commitment.
2. I decline.: If you need to say "no," provide an explanation to avoid misinterpretation and misunderstandings.
3. Counter offer.: To negotiate back and forth until an agreement can be met that is a win-win for both parties.
4. Conditional.: To attach a condition for saying "yes."
5. Promise to promise.: At the time of the request, you are not in a position to respond. A promise is made to respond to the request by a specified date.

Once a commitment is made, if for some reason it cannot be honored, the person has an obligation to call and discuss the circumstances until agreement can be reached regarding the commitment. In many situations, this is as simple as renegotiating the date.