The Art of Intelligent Escalation in Project Management

Stop annoying your sponsors: 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 "𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧".

Escalate too often, and you look incapable. Escalate too late, and you become a liability. Sound familiar?

Before even thinking about your sponsor, ask: "Can my team and I solve this without external help?" and "Is this issue significant enough to warrant executive attention?" This shows you respect your own authority and your sponsor's time.

💡 Then follow this simple 3-step framework:

1) 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭:  Don't just say "we have a problem." Translate it into business terms.

2) 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:Come with homework done. Show you've thought it through.

3) 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:Take a stand. Your sponsor needs your expertise, not just a problem dump. Explain why you favour one option, even if they might override you.

Become known as the person who 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, not just problems.

How do you approach escalations in project management?