The Downtown Diner

Create clarity out of confusion.

I learned this skill from Master PM Pat Hill.

Quite often people take a simple matter and convolute it beyond recognition. A good program manager can recognize when this has happened, untangle it all, and achieve clarity for the whole team. It can be surprisingly hard!

Here a few tactics that are helpful when trying to untangle almost any situation:
- Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant data.
- Ask questions, lots of questions.
- Paraphrase what you've understood to make sure you're on track.
- Speak in simple English (or whatever language you're using). People around you will follow suit.
- Question assumptions.
- When you think you've untangled the issue be sure to check with others to make sure you really have.