What happens if your VA do it wrong?

In a perfect world, projects would always be completed exactly the way we want. (Actually, in a perfect world, we wouldn’t have any projects at all… we’d all be sipping fruit-shakes on a beach somewhere). Okay, so in a NEAR-perfect world, projects would always be completed exactly the way we want. But we don’t live in a perfect world or even a near perfect world. We live in a world where stuff happens: Mistakes, miscommunication, project derailment, etc. For any number of reasons, a project can go in a different direction than we wanted. Here are some thoughts on how to fix it.

Step 1: Review the finished project in its entirety

Review the finished project in its entirety. Does it look like they just attached the wrong file? It happens! Or, perhaps they provided excess information as background and the finished work is at the end of the document.

Step 2: Determine how it can be saved

Assuming that the project you received wasn’t an incorrect file or just a mislabeled project, look at the project and determine how it can be salvaged. It’s extremely rare that a project is so totally off the mark that it needs to be scrapped and started over from zero. If you think of a project being completed in stages, think about what you have to dial the project back to in order to start from there. Is 50% of the project correct? 75%? 25%?

Step 3: Look for a pattern regarding what went wrong

Yes, this might seem like a strange step to take but it will make a huge difference to the outcome of the second attempt… and to the outcome of future projects. Here’s a simple example: Perhaps you might notice that the project was an entire plan about social bookmarking rather than social networking. Some of it is still salvageable but it needs to be extended out to cover broader social media. So the “pattern” here is that it was focused too narrowly on bookmarking.

Reviewing this step thoroughly, while you also review the communication in the project, can help to highlight where the mistake occurred.

Step 4: Review with the assistant

So far, you’ve done the work on your own. Now it’s time to go back to your virtual assistant with an outline of what went wrong and how to fix it. When you review with them, remember to be clear but positive. (Positive doesn’t mean that you have to thank them for a job well done if the project was wrong, but it does mean that you need to maintain professionalism and an upbeat attitude because good work doesn’t happen when criticism becomes too harsh). Outline for them what you were expecting and where you think the error occurred. Discuss a plan of action to see that the project gets corrected.

If you are concerned about how the project will progress and whether the corrections will fix what you are looking for, set up a series of mini-milestones in which you review the revised project before it is completed. While that might not be ideal on every project, it’s not a bad idea on projects that have really gone in a different direction than you were expecting.

Homework

Have you had a project that didn’t turn out exactly how you wanted? Think about how close it was. In some cases, a project can still be good but just not how you would do it. In other cases, a project can be good but not what you want at all. When you’re preparing future projects, consider how you can clearly articulate what you’re looking for… and what you’re NOT looking for.

Remember

In the words of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “Don’t Panic”.