A good project plan can’t prevent failure if expectations are not managed during execution.
Key takeaways
Misaligned assumptions often derail projects more than technical flaws.
Expectation management is not a soft skill, but a critical operational discipline.
Some project plans could win awards. Every deliverable is accounted for. Every dependency is mapped. Every milestone is aligned with management’s priorities. On paper, they are flawless.
But weeks into execution, the wheels come off. Hand-offs are missed. Stakeholders are frustrated. Decisions are stalled. The problem isn’t that the plan was wrong. The problem is that expectations weren’t actively managed once execution began.
A trap even seasoned project managers fall into is believing that a great plan is enough to guarantee a great outcome. It isn’t. The real test begins when you start executing. That’s when expectation management becomes the difference between smooth delivery and chaos.
What work plans often miss
A plan defines what you’ll do. Expectation management defines how you’ll do it and how you’ll adapt when things inevitably change.
If you assume everyone sees the plan the same way, you’re setting yourself up for surprises, such as the following
- Different update rhythms: You plan to share progress biweekly in PowerPoint, but your sponsor expects weekly reports in a live SmartSheet dashboard.
- Scope assumptions: A stakeholder believes you’ll coordinate a third-party vendor, but that was not in the statement of work.
- Decision bottlenecks: No one has formally agreed on who can approve critical changes, so decisions stall.
- Insights and updates: The executive sponsor expected more involvement from your firm’s subject matter experts about the strategic direction of the project.
These aren’t flaws in the plan. They’re mismatches in expectations, and they can derail execution faster than any technical issue.
Expectations management is a core execution discipline
Some see expectation management as a soft skill. In reality, it’s an operational discipline, just as important as tracking budgets or managing risks and issues. Without it, even the most disciplined project plan erodes when faced with inevitable misunderstandings, shifting priorities and hidden assumptions.
When you actively manage expectations during execution, you:
- Reduce errors by clarifying deliverable definitions before work starts
- Shorten decision cycles by agreeing on who decides and when
- Prevent scope creep by surfacing misalignments early
- Build trust through transparency and clear communication
The process of expectations management is not an add-on. It is execution.
The ExPECT model
The ExPECT model is a framework that can guide the expectations management process. It is simple but powerful and can be part of the regular cadence of project managers (internal or external) and executive sponsors.
- Expectations: Identify what both sides need, want and expect that is beyond what is written in the contract
- Planning: Align on how to meet those expectations
- Execution: Deliver on the expectations plan
- Checking: Evaluate progress through a regular cadence of candid conversations
- Tailoring: Adjust based on feedback and evolving needs
This framework helps you move beyond the statement of work. It creates space for transparency, accountability and trust.
Making it real
Start your project by setting expectations around behaviors as much as deliverables. For example, will you respond to emails within 24 hours? Will you communicate weekly in a PowerPoint or daily via text? Can you agree that asking team members a question such as “What is bothering you about our work today?” is a productive way to enable progress?
Document these expectations and revisit them during regular meetings.
An openness around expectations helps eliminate unspoken assumptions and surface misalignments early.
The takeaway
Gone are the days of people in a large room completing a project. In a remote, hybrid, global, digital, artificial intelligence-enabled, cross-functional, multivendor world, expectation management is the glue that holds projects together. It’s what turns internal teams and myriad vendors into trusted advisors and advocates for each other. And it’s what allows you to lead, more than just execute.
Regardless of your project’s specifics, one principle holds true: clear and continuous expectation setting drives better outcomes.
You can have the best work plan in the world, but if expectations aren’t aligned, you’re still at risk. Make expectations management a core part of your engagement approach and watch how it transforms your relationships.
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