When to Overcommunicate • Hacker News Board

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#21

Post by specialist » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 12:55 PM UTC

I wish there were more articles like this about communications, organizational psychology, effective coordination, etc.

But mostly, I wish there were ways to recognize, navigate, negotiate people's different styles.

TMI from recent my turn at the woodshed:

Noob manager (Jane) is unhappy with my communication. Wants more detail. Her prerogative, so I try. So in addition to adjacent desks, always on Skype, standups, status reports, very verbose commit messages, novels added to JIRA tickets, I start writing daily status reports.

Months of "improvement", no change in satisfaction.

So us chickens are sitting around trying to troubleshoot something. Me (Bob) and another coworker (Stan) casually noticed that a third (Steve) seems to have a great working relationship with manager (Jane).

Stan and I are astonished (gobsmacked) to learn that Steve is privately texting (via Skype) Jane 15-20 times per day. The smallest updates. "Just committed changes for JIRA 123". "PR 303 approved and merged." "Build successful!" All sorts of emoji.

I would have NEVER thought to spam my manager all day every day. But that's apparently what Jane wants.

The weird part in all this, like most miscommunication, is Jane couldn't say what she wants. Nor did it occur to her to tell Stan and me to be more like Steve.

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#22

Post by mfer » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 1:03 PM UTC

throwaway713 wrote: post #3

I personally find overcommunication annoying and don't like to hear constant status updates from people; just handle the work and let me know when it's done unless you have any blockers. That said, I've received feedback from multiple people that they never know how my work is progressing, are surprised when it's completed, and would like more status updates along the way, so I think it's safe to say that my preferen…

Too much isn’t useful. For bosses or those we produce for there is as opportunity for a short regular summary (like once a week). Can take like 5 minutes to create

Over communication is shallow work. We should limit that. There is a useful amount.

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#23

Post by amwelles » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 1:08 PM UTC

I started communicating more by giving end of day updates to my managers after I started falling behind on projects. It didn’t just help them—it helped me. It kept me on track and I could more easily see when/if I was falling behind.

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#24

Post by brightball » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 1:26 PM UTC

throwaway713 wrote: post #3

I personally find overcommunication annoying and don't like to hear constant status updates from people; just handle the work and let me know when it's done unless you have any blockers. That said, I've received feedback from multiple people that they never know how my work is progressing, are surprised when it's completed, and would like more status updates along the way, so I think it's safe to say that my preferen…

It’s all about balance.

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#25

Post by me_me_me » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 1:28 PM UTC

jezclaremurugan wrote: post #2

Anecdotal experience - I've noticed that shipping late by 2 weeks with advance notice to stakeholders is taken way more positively than shipping late by 1 week but informing people late. This seems like plain common sense and required courtesy but I've been on the wrong side of this from both approaches enough times from both sides of the table - people somehow have a block in sharing the bad news (also because in un…

Well you let them know that they might need to change their plans. They have time to prepare and mitigate any issues caused by slip in schedule.

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#26

Post by zenpaul » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 1:29 PM UTC

throwaway713 wrote: post #3

I personally find overcommunication annoying and don't like to hear constant status updates from people; just handle the work and let me know when it's done unless you have any blockers. That said, I've received feedback from multiple people that they never know how my work is progressing, are surprised when it's completed, and would like more status updates along the way, so I think it's safe to say that my preferen…

The overriding thing is to "take care of each other". If they want more updates, send more updates. If they want less updates, send less updates. How do you know what they prefer? Ask them.

Communicating about communicating is underrated.

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#27

Post by brianmcc » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 1:30 PM UTC

pfyra wrote: post #4

jezclaremurugan wrote: post #2

Anecdotal experience - I've noticed that shipping late by 2 weeks with advance notice to stakeholders is taken way more positively than shipping late by 1 week but informing people late. This seems like plain common sense and required courtesy but I've been on the wrong side of this from both approaches enough times from both sides of the table - people somehow have a block in sharing the bad news (also because in un…

I don't remember where I heard it but "It is OK to disappoint but not OK to surprise" rings so true. Also, the earlier you know you'll be late the bigger the chance is that additional help can avoid the late delivery.

As long as one is careful to head off the "here are 10 entirely new people to help you make up the time" trap (with credit to Mythical Man Month of course).

I've never heard that saying btw but it's a great one, I'll definitely remember it for future use!

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#28

Post by mewpmewp2 » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 1:43 PM UTC

brightball wrote: post #24

throwaway713 wrote: post #3

I personally find overcommunication annoying and don't like to hear constant status updates from people; just handle the work and let me know when it's done unless you have any blockers. That said, I've received feedback from multiple people that they never know how my work is progressing, are surprised when it's completed, and would like more status updates along the way, so I think it's safe to say that my preferen…

It’s all about balance.

And about the situations, scenarios and environments.

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#29

Post by mewpmewp2 » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 1:44 PM UTC

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #12

r_singh wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if somebody wishes to cancel after hearing the 3 weeks as opposed to 2 weeks? For e.g. if they're travelling, etc. Could result in loss of revenue as well.

I'd actually see that as a positive thing; too much money is wasted on the sunk cost fallacy, and having the guts to cancel a project if it goes too far over time / budget is rare enough.

I would argue that it is impossible to form any conclusions here without knowing what the exact specific situation is, but of course what you described is plausible.

Re: When to Overcommunicate

#30

Post by mewpmewp2 » Fri, Jan 31, 2020, 2:00 PM UTC

There is one aspect of communication. Asking questions. Sometimes I wonder if I am not asking enough. I will always try to figure out myself rather than ask. I am afraid if I ask about something and it is actually findable I am perceived as lazy, stupid or incapable of finding the answer myself so I have to waste others time and ruin their workflow.

I wonder if I am hurting myself with it and is it good or bad for my career and life.

I suppose there is a balance there somewhere, but I am not sure whether I am underasking or overasking etc