Although I've never seen it published, I'm sure that the question from managers "Did you get them to signoff on that ?" leads to a sense of dread right up there with public speaking for most. As a manager myself, I see the dread all too often; and to be truthful, unless it's to sign off on a positive note (eg. Project closure on a project delivered 20% under budget) it often fills me with dread too. Having said this, through the years I've learned that signoffs can in fact be a positive experience and one of the best ways to avoid pending doom as opposed to just a "backside covering" exercise as many would believe.
I've previously written about this, but I am a solid believer in wanting to know issues upfront as opposed to be blind-sided down the track. Issues raised and addressed early on whilst often painful and less painful than those that have "aged" and the problem has become one that will consume multiples of the original time to resolve than had it been raised earlier. Milestones (and associated signoffs) in projects are a way to bring to the table any issues that people may be hesitant to raise.
While it may true that some are flippant in signing their name away, for most applying their moniker to something they feel is risky may be the first time you hear from them. I've been in projects (as a member and as a manager) where silence in the room over months is shattered the moment a signoff page and pen hits the table.
I preface my opinion stating I'm not a psychologist by any stretch, but psychologically speaking the act of putting pen to paper creates a far greater importance than responding to an email.
So what is the best way to handle signoffs? I tend to follow a pretty straightforward approach rooted in open and (preferably) face to face communication as follows:
Communicate in advance that a signoff point is approaching, noting the importance of signoff in ensuring the project commits to a common view on where things are truly at.
Provide Clarity as to what the signoff means in particular:
What the signoff means in terms of the next steps or the "gate" that is passed due to this signoff ;
That whilst signoff is important, it is rarely the case that signoff is a career-ending move whereas "stalling" for no good reason;
Mistakes will happen post signoff….this is unavoidable and again signing or otherwise will not avoid failure; taking time to formally review provides a consideration point to really think about the risk going forward as opposed to simply hitting "Reply All" in an email.
Offer that you are open to hear any concerns related to the signoff in confidence
Document any concerns or caveats. Signoff does not have to be black of white in most cases. People often believe that they cannot signoff because of a concern they hold eg, They have only executed 2 instead of 3 planned runs. As ultimate signoff is generally held by management or a project stakeholder, it is important that they are aware of these concerns, so capturing this information may actually not impact there decision to go through a signoff point and in fact it leaves "for the record" clarity on how signoff was reached.
Walkthrough the document to be signed off in a group with all the key people so that they have an opportunity to openly again talk about their concerns.
Whilst many signoff processes involve online electronic signoff process not requiring a physical signature, particularly for critical milestones even if there is not physical signoff, going through the roundtable process will help ensure that everyone has had an open chance to challenge the signoff as opposed to passive signoff.
I'm sure it's clear through this post, but my critical message in signoffs is to avoid the temptation to address signoff through passive methods such as a "Do you agree email" or a show of hands in an undocumented meeting. Time taken to bring everyone together and truly feel out the signoff as opposed to treating it as a "I just need to do this" type task will additionally bind the team in their commitment and decision……much more important than covering ones backside.
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