Customer Success Playbook Podcast S3 E56 - Elizabeth Harrin - Blueprint for Managing Competing Project Demands

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When multiple projects collide with competing deadlines, stakeholder management becomes an art form. In this dynamic episode of the Customer Success Playbook, Kevin Metzger and Roman Trebon continue their conversation with Elizabeth Harrin, exploring the intricate dance of aligning diverse stakeholder expectations. From financial services to healthcare, Elizabeth shares her cross-industry insights on what truly matters to different stakeholders and how to orchestrate harmony amid chaos.

Detailed Analysis

The episode opens with Elizabeth's compelling cross-industry comparison that immediately sets the tone for nuanced stakeholder management. Her transition from financial services to healthcare revealed a fundamental truth: what matters most varies dramatically by context. In finance, deadlines reign supreme; in healthcare, quality trumps timing when lives are at stake. This powerful example illustrates why understanding stakeholder priorities isn't just good practice – it's essential for project success.

Elizabeth introduces her stakeholder prioritization grid, a tactical tool that transforms vague relationship management into strategic action. The framework helps project managers navigate the complex web of expectations by first identifying what each stakeholder values most – whether it's time, cost, quality, or social impact. This clarity becomes the North Star for prioritization decisions.

The conversation takes a practical turn with Elizabeth's "Five Email Rule" – a communication strategy that recognizes when digital ping-pong needs to become actual dialogue. After five exchanges, pick up the phone or schedule a meeting. It's a simple yet powerful reminder that efficiency sometimes means stepping away from the keyboard.

Roman's enthusiasm for tactical tools shines through as he highlights the real-world applicability of Elizabeth's methods. This isn't theoretical project management; it's battle-tested wisdom that acknowledges stakeholders are just as overwhelmed as project managers. Elizabeth's solution? Become "easy to do business with" by streamlining communications, creating consolidated reports, and establishing predictable patterns.

The discussion culminates in a masterclass on transparency and trust. When competing demands surface, honest conversations about trade-offs become possible only when you've built that foundation of trust. Elizabeth emphasizes that while you can accomplish anything with enough resources, reality demands smart choices within constraints. By making these constraints visible, project managers empower stakeholders to guide prioritization effectively.

This episode delivers a crucial message for customer success professionals: managing multiple projects isn't just about juggling tasks – it's about orchestrating relationships, understanding diverse priorities, and creating systems that make collaboration effortless.

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Episode Transcript

Kevin Metzger (00:09):
Welcome back to the Customer Success Playbook
podcast.
I'm Kevin Metzker.
Here again with my co-host RomanTrevon and our guest, Elizabeth
Herron, the Force Behind RebelsGuide to Project Management.
Roman, are you ready for, uh,question?

Roman Trebon (00:25):
I am ready for the one big question, Kat, but
before we do that, I wanna ask alittle Elizabeth a few questions
to get to know her a littlebetter.
Right.
So, Elizabeth, I hope you'reready for this.
I hope you're buckled up.
These are all really hardhitting questions here.
Right.
So

Elizabeth Harrin (00:39):
I'm ready.

Roman Trebon (00:39):
Um, okay.
If you could travel anywhere youhaven't been, where would you go
and what?

Elizabeth Harrin (00:46):
I would go to Japan.
I've never been, I think it's a.
Beautiful area from what I'veseen.
And I really love sushi.

Roman Trebon (00:55):
Yeah, I love sushi too.
I'm, I'm in, I'm in Me su

Kevin Metzger (00:58):
Yeah.
I, I Roman, I'm, I think we needgo back and actually look at the
survey of all of our guests.
I'm pretty sure Japan's startingto kind of creep up the list.
Oh,

Roman Trebon (01:08):
really?
Just maybe one of the top.
I think so too.
I think so too.
Maybe we can get our, the tour,the, uh, Japanese tourism
department is a sponsor.
Kev, there you go.
We can, uh, do and Oak

Kevin Metzger (01:16):
Journal.
There you go, Elizabeth.
Uh, hometown.
Where, where are you located?

Elizabeth Harrin (01:21):
I'm located in a, a small town just south of
London.
So I thought I'd give you, um,you know, if, if you want sort
of tips somewhere to go in, inLondon, that's probably a,
something I can offer.

Kevin Metzger (01:32):
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah.
Perfect.
Let's go with that.

Elizabeth Harrin (01:35):
So, yeah, I mean, there's loads of cool
places in London, isn't there?
But the place that I like isColumbia Road Flower Market, and
we went there for my sister'shen party as part of her sort of
hen day out in London.
And it's just so pretty and itjust feels like it's a real, it
hidden gem in the city.
So if you're overpassing, it'sin the East, um, it's, it's not
that difficult to find.

(01:56):
So that's the place I'd stop by.

Roman Trebon (01:58):
I love it.
So, Elizabeth, I, I, I am thiswill, this will show my American
ignorance hen party.
What, what, what is a hen party?

Elizabeth Harrin (02:07):
A hen party.
It's the party that the ladieshave before someone gets
married.
What do you call?

Roman Trebon (02:13):
Back to the red party.
Back to the red party that,there we go.
So you learn something new.
We're, we're not only justgetting project management tips,
we're learning, uh, uh,nomenclature as well.
Awesome.
All.
Elizabeth, what is your favoriteway to unwind After a long week
of project deadlines, I.

Elizabeth Harrin (02:29):
Oh, that's a hard one.
I think, I mean, I like crochet,but I'm not very good at it and
I'm really, really slow.
So I'd say probably the thingthat I turn to the most is
cooking.
I, I just bake cakes or I'llmake something with pastry and
then eat it.

Roman Trebon (02:44):
Love it.
That's the best part.
That's both worlds.
That's the best cook gets up offyour mind and then you get to
enjoy a little comfort foodafterwards.
I love it.

Elizabeth Harrin (02:51):
Exactly.

Roman Trebon (02:52):
Alright, you ready for the one big question?

Kevin Metzger (02:54):
Yeah.
Let's get into it.
So, Elizabeth, uh, how.
Can we align stakeholdersexpectations with running
multiple projects with Com,competing deadlines and demands?

Elizabeth Harrin (03:07):
I think, I mean, it feels really difficult
when you've got lots ofstakeholders and they're all,
all asking you for various bitsof information or you've got
different teams and they'reexpecting stuff.
I think the, a good startingpoint is understanding what's
important to the stakeholders.
I.
So for some of them,'cause Iremember I, um, when I moved
from financial services intohealthcare, the expectations of

(03:29):
what was important tostakeholders was very different.
So in financial services, wealways hit our deadlines.
We delivered on time and thatwas the most important thing in
healthcare.
I remember being in a, in a roomwith some, um, nursing staff and
we were trying to do projectrequirements and trying to find
out what it was that they reallywanted.
And the little pager thing wentoff and.
The, the team just walked out.

(03:51):
The, the head nurse just leftbecause obviously her job is
saving people's lives and doingnursing work and solving
problems with patients.
And all of that's far moreimportant than me sitting there
having a meeting about what doyou want your IT software to
look like?
So the difference in people'sexpectations was, was extreme in
that they were, would ratherhave a much more quality

(04:11):
service, quality system.
It didn't really matter if ittook a little bit longer for us
to find, uh, the time to speakto people.
So it's really important just tofocus on what is it that your
stakeholders find, find the mostimportant.
It could be time, it could becost, it could be quality, it
could be green credentials, orenvironmental or social impact,
or whatever it is that'simportant to them.

(04:31):
And then that can help youprioritize the way that you
manage your work.
So you're giving them what itis.
That they need.
And the other thing I think withstakeholders is that they're
just as busy working on allthese projects as we are.
So your client is probablyworking on a range of things
with a range of differentsuppliers or internal contacts,
and we need to streamline whatwe are providing to make it as

(04:51):
easy as possible for them towork with us.
So we are easy to do businesswith.
So anything that you can do tostreamline communications or
make a consolidated report, setthings in a regular pattern so
they know what to expect, thenthose are the kind of activities
that can, uh, help manage thatrelationship with stakeholders.
So they're a bit more responsivewhen you pick up the phone to

(05:13):
them.

Roman Trebon (05:14):
I love it.
And, and in your book,Elizabeth, I think you, you
actually have a stakeholderprioritization grid, right?
And, and you, yes.
Which is, I, I love books thathave actual tactical things that
you can actually apply to yourday-to-day job.
And so, so check out the bookand we'll be plugging it, uh, in
our, in our podcast.
So check the show notes for thatas well.
But, um, you have something inthe book called The Five Email

(05:34):
Rule.
Can you, can you talk the, tellour audience a little bit about
that and how that's used?

Elizabeth Harrin (05:38):
Well, that's a communication strategy.
'cause I think when you get to apoint where your email chain has
had five emails, then it's notreally email anymore.
You need to start having aconversation with people.
So it's just a reminder for meand my team that once we've
pinged backwards and forwardsfive, the chain is five.
And for maybe for you it'sthree.
Maybe for you it's seven, Idon't know.
But you know, pick a number thatyou feel is appropriate for the
back and forth when it hits thatnumber.

(06:01):
Pick up the phone.
We'll have a meeting or just.
You know, take it out of thatforum because nobody wants 20
emails on one topic and variousdifferent strands going off and
reply to all.
It'd just be, it's really,really busy and it's not an easy
or efficient way to communicate.

Roman Trebon (06:17):
Yeah.
It's like the email I got, theemail chain I got brought into
and there is 17 emails.
I don't think there's a 17 emailrule.
Right.
We should lower that.

Elizabeth Harrin (06:24):
Before that.

Kevin Metzger (06:25):
Nobody wants more meetings on one hand.
On the other hand, um, sometimesjust.
Getting a meeting actually saveseverybody's time.

Elizabeth Harrin (06:34):
Well structured meeting.

Kevin Metzger (06:36):
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah.
I think that's a, actually, Ireally think that's a great role
and it's something to, toconsider.
Uh, you know, the other thingyou, you were mentioning that,
um, I, I think was, was good, isyou wanna save your clients'
time.
And it's something that, youknow, as.
Whether it's project management,whether it's customer success,

(06:56):
wherever you are, when you'reinvolved with a client.
I, I, it's, it's something thatwe repeat over and over again,
but I don't think it can be saidoften enough, is keeping your
focus on what the client's goalsare and objectives are and what
they need to do.
And if you can.
Provide data in a way that theycan reuse to report up to their

(07:17):
management and save them timeand save them effort in how they
need to, um, how they need toreport or basically allow them
to be more proactive with theirmanagement team.
It, it buys so much in the wayof, um, customer satisfaction
of.
Trust and, and working with,with people.

(07:40):
It's just, I, I think it's, Iappreciate that you brought that
up and I think it's really goodto to reiterate on it, so thank
you for that.

Elizabeth Harrin (07:49):
That's right.
Well, you also mentioned aboutcompeting demands and I think
when you're making that datatransparent and your.
Talking to them and sharing thatinformation, that the demands
become more visible.
And then you can have thatconversation with them that
says, okay, this is happeningover here.
This is happening over here.
Which one of these projects doyou want me to spend my time on?
Because they've both got adeadline of next month or

(08:10):
whatever.
And it's impossible for the teamto manage both.
And if you've got that great,trusted relationship, you can
have much more honestconversations about what the
trade offs might be.
You can probably, you, you know,you can do everything if you
have enough money and enoughpeople, but.
You know, clients have budgets,right?
We, we have finite resourcepools, so we have to manage with
what we've got.
And so if you can share thatinformation with them, they can

(08:32):
then have those onwardconversations and say, you know,
what's our internal priorities?
And they can better guide youwith how you spend your time.

Roman Trebon (08:38):
Great insights, Elizabeth.
And thanks for breaking down onhow to get everyone pulling in
the same direction.
Uh, we haven't scared you offyet.
Hopefully you're coming to comeback Friday.
I'll, is that confirmed?
You're coming back Friday.
All right.
All right.
And you're gonna talk to usabout how you can ta how AI can
help manage all of this withoutadding complexity.
So we'll get into ai.
It's everyone's favorite topicnowadays, so, uh, we'll dig into

(09:00):
that with you, Kevin.
Excited for AI Friday, but untilthen, keep on playing.