In 2005 Amazon Prime was born. Originally, Amazon Prime allowed consumers the ability to receive items for free two-day shipping in the US for eligible products in exchange for an annual fee. Dozens of factors have influenced the success of Amazon including their knowledge of consumer behavioral psychology which makes them one of the most innovative companies that deliver great results and customer service.
Amazon understands that waiting is not only an issue for consumers and their purchasing habits, it’s also a challenge for any team project, especially when delays arise that are outside of the team’s control. When a delay happens, it’s natural to want to hit the pause button until more information is available. No one wants to risk making important decisions without it.
And yet, your team’s work can’t grind to a halt. Resist the temptation to put off scheduled meetings until all task results are available. As logical as that might seem, waiting for complete results can put your team in a difficult position with stakeholders. Timelines will get affected, tasks will go unfinished, and the team might run out of time if any last-minute fixes are needed.
A better alternative to waiting is to keep on target despite delays in receiving necessary information. Take action on what is needed to complete the current task and don’t forget to keep communication lines open with everyone. At times of delay it is critically important to be open and transparent with all parties about the situation.
Key Takeaways
- Remember that deadlines are most part predictable, but task performance might be affected by factors beyond one’s control
- Meet as a team even if a task misses its objectives to stay informed
- Use delays as an opportunity for the team to have a retrospective to understand the delays
- Communicate changes and the impact delays will have on the project