The Dilemma of Signoffs

 

How often is the design or development of a project deliverable delayed while waiting for a sign-off on a specification?  And worse yet, what impact does that have on the overall project timeline or quality?  These are real issues, with real consequences, common to many projects.  Why is that?

  • Busyness – probably the #1 cause of delays.  Signoff is usually required at a manager level or above within an organization, or at least from a team lead.  The truth is these employees typically still have their regular jobs to do – with project responsibilities now added.  It takes time to carefully review and understand specifications or other deliverables, and often these tasks do not filter to the top of the daily priorities.

  • Inadequate Understanding – for many projects, and particularly for new software implementations, the reviewer may have a great understanding of their job and the organizational requirements – but not so much for the terminology and functionality of the new software.  This can be particularly true if approval is required at higher levels of the organization where the employee may have authority and yet be removed from the day-to-day details.  They may be hesitant to signoff on something they do not really understand.

  • Fear of Accountability – closely related to the above, employees may fear that they will be held responsible if they approve a design or development that turns out to be flawed.  Perhaps they did not seek ownership of the task, and they don’t want to be perceived as careless if a downstream issue is encountered.

  • Organizational Priority – oftentimes a company fails to emphasize the importance of review and signoff at each stage of the process.  They often feel the work will proceed with or without formal approval.  Competing projects may vie for the time of executives or senior level managers, and the organization does not hold them accountable for impacts to the project.

Fortunately, these issues can be mitigated through proper project structure and reporting.  Here are a few tips to keep things moving along:

  • Contracts – There should be a clear contractual requirement for timely review and sign-off.  The SOW should identify the types of things requiring sign-off (specifications, design, development, configuration, functionality, testing, etc.) and the anticipated number of each.  The detailed sign-off list will likely develop over time as the project progresses.  The contract should also clearly state the expectations for approvals, and the consequences and resolution for delays.

  • Project Plan – At the beginning of the project, include placeholders for all anticipated sign-offs (known and unknown). These tasks become a visible part of the project plan and can be expected and accounted for. Firm these up with specific descriptions and task assignments as the project progresses. Allocate specific time for review and questions, with the expectation of signoff at conclusion of the review session.

    Remember: Signoff can be either an approval to proceed, or a rejection requiring rework. Either way, the project team now has direction and can move forward with next steps or revision if necessary.

  • Review Sessions – Facilitate the sign-off by scheduling specific meetings with the approver to carefully go over the deliverable and answer any questions. This ensures a deliberate allocation of time on the part of the approver and avoids delays if the approver does not fully understand what they are reviewing. This may become a mini-training exercise as well.

  • Escalation Process –  Have a formal plan for how to escalate issues when there are sign-off delays and consequent impacts to the project. This should be built into the project SOW. Any delays should be immediately visible on the project dashboard, with reporting upstream to the project management team and steering committee at specified “degrees of lateness”. Remember – bad news does not get better with age!

  • Status Reports – Be sure to include signoff status in project dashboards and status reports. Report late signoffs immediately. Don’t allow them to age. Bring visibility to any that are behind schedule and be sure to highlight impacts to the project.·       

  • Specification Summary – Begin each specification or other sign-off document with a summary section.  This should clearly state, in layman terms, what is being reviewed and the criteria for approval.  Use this section to guide the reviewer through any unfamiliar terms or functionality.  Your goal is to make it easy for the approver to feel comfortable and confident giving their okay to move on to the next step.

By implementing a clear and efficient project structure, and following through with proactive task review and project updates, you will be well on your way to keeping your project on-time and on-target!

 
Rodney Simmons