How to Tell Your Boss You Are Going to be Late & Survive!

You know your project is going to be late, but your boss does not and worse yet, the customer does not know.  You laid your best plans and gave your best effort in telling everyone when you would be done.  You would have had enough time if you weren’t answering questions, putting out fires or attending meetings you didn’t know why you were attending.  Hello – you have work to do!  So in the end, you finally sat down and realized, this is going to need more time.  And the worst part is – the due date is right around the corner.

What to do:

1. Determine what YOU CAN do on-time.  Can you do 50%? 80%?  Can you do all of the major work but not the nice and pretty stuff?  How much more time would you require to finish the entire thing?
2. Determine whose help you require to get it done on time.  Is there someone else who can focus on other details while you hunker down?
3. Next, schedule a meeting for today with the person responsible for the delivery of this project.  That could be the Project Manager, your boss, the Project Coordinator; a variety of people.  Don’t delay and spend days working on this knowing that you won’t be able to deliver. And if there is no free time on their calendar, walk to their office.  If they are out of the office – email, call, or tell them you require 5 five minutes of their time. (If you can’t get in the door, then that is another issue which you can ask me about also!)
4. In your meeting, in a calm, conversational manner, this is what you say:

• I need to give you an update on the project.  As I am looking at the work, I realize it is going to take me X number of hours to complete the task as it stands now and I will have a hard time delivering by the due date.
• I have determined that with X person’s help, we could work together and deliver on time.  Or without (name part of the project) I can deliver that to you on time.
• Where do you want me to focus my efforts: On completing the task with the new deadline?  Gaining assistance from X person and working together to complete the project on time? Or completing the task without certain bells and whistles?

5. Proceed as determined between you and the project coordinator.

I have seen many people panic, work unbelievable hours and run around like their head has been cut off because they are fearful of telling “bad” news to their boss.   But how many of us have started a project or task and once in it, realized that it is going to take longer than expected. Doesn’t it seem that everything you do takes longer than expected??  By working with your project manager, boss, and customer on delivery dates and what can reasonably be delivered, you are not only managing expectations but also forming a deeper working relationship with this group of vitally important people in your career and keeping a good peace of mind.

Now, I have given you the steps, the words even, to have the conversation.   Practice if you need to and good luck.