Traffic rules to live by
Dawn as Traffic Management
Oct|28|2008
1. Know your “power.” As Traffic Manager, you have the power to move deadlines. If you know there’s padding in a job’s timeline, move the deadline and let everyone involved know you did so.
2. Find Tasks that can be completed simultaneously. Don’t get caught in a linear rut. The more Tasks executed simultaneously, the shorter the job’s lifecycle.
3. Find out what employees need. It’s your job to ensure employees have the information they need to complete Tasks, not to simply hold them accountable when they aren’t finished on time.
4. Understand employees don’t “want” to miss deadlines. No one wakes up and thinks, “I’m going to miss three deadlines today and feel good about it.” Missed deadlines happen for a reason. It’s your job to ensure they don’t.
5. Be proactive, not reactive. When you become reactive to missed deadlines, rather than proactive in avoiding them, you become part of the problem… not the solution. Plot the workflow course.
6. Don’t play “gotcha.” It makes employees feel bad and, ultimately, can lead to decreased productivity. You’ll get a lot more done by being a partner, and sharing responsibility, than you will by being a hall monitor.
7. Let employees know you see them as people, not machines. Happy employees are productive. Establish connections with employees rather than constantly asking if they’ve gotten their work done.
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