Getting to the Why: Leading Digital Projects with Empathy and Understanding
Why Empathy Matters
I once built a marketing website for a client that signed our scope, approved our strategy, was thrilled with the design and approved launch… and then they were surprised that we didn’t include customer service chat in a side bar. And they were upset about it. As it turned out, one of the reasons the CEO approved the project was the idea that the new website would cut down on customer service calls by at least 50%. That would have been cool to know sooner!
Clients know what they need, but sometimes they only have a part of the story. Or maybe the CEO didn’t tell my main point of contact about the chat until launch day. Who knows? The real takeaway is that I could have uncovered that need sooner.
The Difference Between a Requirement and Motivation
Goals written down in an RFP are important and should obviously be included in your project plan. That said, they are rarely tell the whole story. A good PM learns to be a translator and detective, sussing out the real reasons why a requirement exists. Clients will often come to you asking for a solution (i.e. “We need an app”) without explaining the problem that lead to this idea.
In order to be a great PM detective remember to ask “why” when clients are describing the project to you. Don’t fill silences, stay quiet and let them talk. This will give you some space to read between the lines. In your notes start to delineate real pain points vs nice to haves. Are we solving an existing problem or getting ahead of something that doesn’t exist yet. Both can be important, but if you focus on actions that solve existing problems first you’ll end up with a stronger V1 and can add in bells and whistles later.
You’ll also need to translate emotion from the client team into actions for your internal team. Strong project managers will bridge the gap between client inputs and clear requirements, filling in any holes along the way. This way you can explain the business cases to the internal team and explain technical constraints to the client. Asking the right questions can help you here. Here are some good questions to keep on hand:
“What does success look like to your boss?”
“If nothing changed, what would happen?”
“What is driving this project now? Why not last year or next year?”
“Who is most excited about this project and why?”
“What problems are we solving?”
“What is the catalyst for this project? Growth? Internal pressure? Competitors? Something else?”
“How will we measure our success?”
Finally, facilitate clarity as often as possible. Allow your client to use you as a sounding board, sometimes saying something out loud can help them figure out what they actually mean. Document what you can (the more complex the project the more documentation you will need) and make sure you have buy in from all stakeholders. Documentation that helps to explain the why of a project can include customer profiles, user goals, and business goals. Not only will this help you have a stronger project, it will make decisions easier along the way. If two stakeholders have conflicting feedback, you can point back to the user/business goals and go with the option that best supports those.
How Your Project Benefits
When you approach a project with the mindset of finding the hidden Whys you’ll be in better alignment with your clients, build trust with them and your internal team, and save everyone a lot of back and forth during the build.
If you don’t know the Whys scopes can drift, your team churns, and clients become unhappy. One common warning sign that you may have missed the why is when you get feedback that contradicts earlier decisions.
Empathy as an Advantage
Being a PM involves a lot of logistics but you’ll need emotional intelligence too. When you empathize with your client and uncover their Why everything else gets easier. Sometimes understanding emotional drivers is the only way to get to a better solution.
