Who is doing what by when?

Why is it that deliverables discussed during meetings often fizzle out when it comes to execution? One of the main culprits is the fact that deliverables and action items are not made specific enough.

You've probably heard something like "we will put a presentation together for next month's meeting." The problem is, everyone in the meeting assumes they are not included in the "we" in question.

"Who is doing what by when" is a great way to ensure clarity to deliverables. At the end of a meeting or one-on-one, you simply review any deliverables to ensure that you can answer who is doing it, what it entails, and when it is to be completed.

It's pretty straightforward, but I'll break it down here in an effort to make it as easy and actionable as possible. I'll continue using the example of preparing a presentation to help illustrate how specificity leads to clarity.

Who

Who specifically is responsible for the task? You want to name one individual to be accountable even if others are going to contribute to it. This avoids the problem of people assuming that others are doing it.

Vague: Our team needs to put together a presentation for next month's meeting

Specific: Charles will put together a presentation for next month's meeting.

What

While "what" is usually the first piece that is identified, we don't want to assume that it doesn’t need to be clarified. A big mistake people make with this point is being vague about what the deliverable is.

What should the presentation look like? Do we want Charles to come-up with a few bullet points and wing-it or are we expecting a PowerPoint deck? If it's a deck, is he responsible for just a few slides, a rough draft, or a polished final version? If we say "Charles will work on the presentation", he could just draft a title slide and say that he worked on the presentation, but I think the team would all agree that was not what they intended. You get the idea.

Vague: Charles will put together a presentation for next month's meeting

Specific: Charles will complete a rough draft PowerPoint presentation for next month's meeting.

When

This is another area of opportunity. Putting a deadline on deliverables can feel uncomfortable because it seems direct. Luckily, there is an easy solution to that.

Whenever possible, ask the individual to determine when they will have the work complete. Instead of saying, I need this done by the 20th, you ask "when do you think you could have that done by". Most professionals will be reasonable with their timeline and if their proposed date causes problems you can always negotiate it.

Of course, there will be times where you as the leader have to set a hard deadline, but whenever possible, allow the responsible party to do that instead.

Vague: Charles will complete a rough draft PowerPoint presentation for next month's meeting.

Specific: Charles will complete a rough draft PowerPoint presentation and distribute it on the 15th, one week before next month's meeting.

This Week's Action Items:

1. Observe whether the deliverables from your meetings are specific enough to drive results.

2. Ensure each deliverable has a specific name assigned to it.

3. Ensure the scope of each deliverable is clearly defined.

4. Ensure each deliverable has an actual calendar date for which it is due.