Hi there,
Waiting is hard.
Just ask Tom Petty… the waiting is the hardest part.
⚡ Supercharge of the Week
Remote Octopus recommends being mindful of dependencies when providing clear dates of handoffs for cross-functional deliverables.
Ensure none of your stakeholders have to unexpectedly wait. 🎶
When moving quickly, it’s easy to miss deadlines by a day. But one day here and there can add up especially if you’re backing up against OOO time or team off-sites. Before you know it, your launch is delayed. And you’re not even really sure why…
What exactly might this look like?
Let’s say you’re waiting on Legal to sign off on a document before you can share it with the Marketing team. You tell Legal you need the document by EOD Wednesday 7/23. Then you tell Marketing that you’ll send them the document on Wednesday 7/23 once Legal signs off.
😬 You’ve communicated to both Legal and Marketing that Wednesday 7/23 is their target.
However, if you’ve communicated to Legal that they have until the end of the day on Wednesday 7/23 then they might truly take until the end of the day.
Legal can meet your target in all of the following scenarios:
They approve it at 5:30 pm ET – and Marketing wraps up closer to 5 pm ET most days.
They approve it at 5:30 pm PT – and Marketing works ET so they’re already done for the day.
They approve it at 10 pm PT (because that’s still technically by the end of the day when you didn’t specify the time zone) – and Marketing is asleep in ET.
And in all of these scenarios, the Marketing team likely will not get the document until Thursday 7/24. A day late. Cue up: The Waiting is the Hardest Part.
Let’s review two options on how to increase clarity of handoff dates. Ensure no one has to put this Tom Petty track on repeat and that your launch stays on track.
⏰ Option One: Provide Time Clarity
If you need Legal to sign off on a document the same day that Marketing will receive it then time clarity is essential.
Consider each team’s– and your own – time zones.
EXAMPLE IN ACTION
Ask Legal to sign off on the document by 12 noon PT on Wednesday 7/23.
Tell Marketing they can expect the document after 12 noon PT on Wednesday 7/23.
Ensure you’re working after 12 noon PT that day to hand off the document to Marketing that day.
📆 Option Two: Communicate the Extra Day in Advance
Identifying and planning for the additional day in advance will keep your launch on track. As you’re figuring out dependencies, be mindful of how you’re communicating dates.
EXAMPLE IN ACTION
Legal needs until EOD Wednesday 7/23 to sign off.
You’re not sure which time EOD means in this case so you ask – and they say they’re not sure but it will be some time before the day is over.
Tell Marketing to expect the document on Thursday 7/24.
🐙 Remote Octopus Resources
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