When working with various stakeholders in a project, there is the ever-present temptation to tell a client what he/she wants to hear, rather than what he/she needs to hear...the truth. While it is easy to commit to any given deadline that is requested, the results of over-promising on deliverables almost always ends with unhappy employees, and a very unhappy client. Generating a long-term project plan is can be like walking on a wire for a project manager, but it is important to set up all involved parties up for success.

A common phrase in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novels, turned HBO series, is “words are wind.” The same phrase can be too often applied to web and software development. A six-month development project might be possible in four months, but there is always an eager and ambitious individual out there that will promise it in two and always fail to deliver. As a project manager, don’t let your words be wind, and follow these tips to ensure that your team’s actions and performance can speak for themselves:

• Fully spec out the project’s components and review development estimates with your team. It is important to have those that will implementing the project confirm, or dispute, your own estimations.

• Ensure that you have all of the assets needed to logically perform that tasks that you have scheduled.

• Discuss with your stakeholders any required meetings, or demonstrations, that will require the site to have a specific set of functionality.

• Determine a realistic strategy for content entry, or user testing, and stick to it. These phases always tend to take longer than both the client and vendor predict.

• Stay focused, committed, and accountable to the deadlines when set and agreed upon. Schedules should be set to avoid over-extending your resources, though if a project hits unexpected issues, always have a “Plan B” ready to meet the next deliverable.

• Be transparent. Utilizing open and honest communication with a client will yield more positive results than attempting to mask a poor product.

Set some positive time-frame expectations, and you’ll be back to wielding swords and slaying dragons, er, um, answering e-mails and managing projects in no time!