Being a good husband, I sought to treat my spouse to a special meal at our local restaurant. We had been there previously, and although they didn't know us too well , they would realise who we were.

I called up for an twilight booking (because we like to fill our evening elsewhere) and was welcomed by an amiable lady who, by her voice, may have been of Italian extraction. I asked for 7:00 p.m. on the subsequent Friday, and she said 'No problem', but didn't ask who I was.

I asked her if she needed my name and a cell phone number to confirm the table, but she assured me that it wasn’t necessary, telling me that at they don't take bookings that early in the evening after all it wouldn't be hectic.

In the event, when we arrived, you guessed it, they had a party in and while the evening wasn't spoilt it definitely took a downturn. It was sad to have to be firmly insistent, and after a wait and a libation at the bar we did make that dinner date, although it wasn't what either of us expected.

What went awry? Well I went wrong when I didn't ensure that I got the reservation before I ended the call. I didn't get commitment.

Talking to a business owner, the other day, it became evident to me that he was suffering the same fate. He had become used to asking his development team 'How's it going' in a casual way, because he felt that it suggested harmony and trust.

As it happened he generally got the answer 'fine, its going fine', which he believed to be just that. Of course it wasn't really fine, and in fact he suffered from interruptions and technology problems that he hadn't planned for, giving him insomnia and funding pressure as the development resources got eaten up.

If developers and their managers aren't challenged explicitly what the situation is, then human nature decrees an answer that matches the question (read fuzzy).

So rather than pausing at the phrase 'how are things', why not push on until you get a firm commitment.

‘how's it going?'

'When will it be finished?'

'That's the 3rd July?'

'And you will have completed customer acceptance?'

'All the bugs will be ironed out?'

'You are committed to this plan?'

Even if some of the replies you get are not ideal, you will be in a much better state to handle the situation than if you just accepted their fuzzy replies.

To get commitment prepare to ask for it. Make sure that you don't agree to an ambiguous reply and continue enquiring until you have entire confirmation.

If you fail to get commitment at every phase of your plan you leave everything to fortune. By asking politely but constantly for a clear and explicit reply to your request you will avoid the catastrophe that compresses into a concertina at the end of the project.

For the last 20 years Rob Wendes has been providing stress free business technology solutions to Business owners and professionals. http://www.tactips.com

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