Accountability: the value of communication

By Eugenio, on June 19th, 2009

“It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.” Moliere

Thanks to a Craig’s post for asking a key question. How much does it worth spending energy on communication?
The answer comes, quite straightforward, from the end of the post itself.
Communication, in a project environment, makes its sense only if it can keep stakeholders aligned on the agreed project goals.

From Hemiunu (the Cheops’ pyramid‘ architect ), then citing Genghis Khan to USA president Obama, the power has been exerted through an effective communication.

The incoming results can confirm and feed the power itself. Without a system based on accountability, is it possible to attract bright people to work together?

“Counting” (efforts vs. results) needs a basis of shared values

The lasting success is based on construction of a common ground, where the estimation and evaluation are two faces of the same coin, is based on the concept of responsibility.

In our company’s balance sheet, the values adopted to measure assets, equities and liabilities are commonly accepted both within and outside the company itself.

Sharing common values

The moral and cultural values forming our attitude and forging our behaviors are not automatically recognized by everyone. However, those forces push us to strive for success (or just survival).

In a project, there are two key moments (in a successful project, they are repeated many times).

Estimating efforts required to complete the tasks needed for accomplishing the target.
Evaluating the results of the aforementioned efforts

The same metrics used for estimating the allocation of the resources shall be used for measuring results. This implies that people, who proposed the input figures, shared the same values (at least about the metrics) as the people judge the outcome.

Conclusion

Whatever is the role within an IT project, each job includes a certain grade of autonomy.

Therefore, any decision taken by any stakeholder needs to be communicated to someone who can use it for assessing the progress (i.e. evaluating the risks).

Accountability and communication are inseparable values. Both are indispensable ingredients for trust.