Communicate Without Technical Details
Hey engineers, you don’t have to mention technical details in every thread.
Here's a recent conversation I had:
“““
Program Manager: "Hey Alex, do you know when bug xxx will be fixed?"
Alex: "I'm actively investigating the issue and we expect to finish it soon. It's related to a routing problem in xxx, and Bob is also investigating an alternative solution xxx on the deployment side."
”””
Do you see the problem with Alex's response?
He didn't explicitly answer the program manager's question.
He provided unnecessary technical details.
A much better answer would have been:
Alex: "We expect to have this fixed before 12 p.m. tomorrow. Bob and I will keep you posted with an update by the end of the day."
(Optional): Alex can then tag someone with a relevant technical background and provide the extra details to ask for advice.
Why the New Answer Is Better
It’s direct. The response immediately answers the program manager’s question, giving them a clear and confident answer.
It’s specific. Giving an exact time avoids any misunderstandings about what "soon" means.
It's clear. By avoiding unnecessary details, the critical information stands out. The response also shows that Alex is seeking help to avoid delays.
As engineers, we often feel the need to share technical details because they're important to us. However, this isn't always true for others, especially in large teams where many people don't have the technical expertise to understand what we're talking about.
Generally, people care about whether the goal will be achieved and, if not, how far away we are and what can be done to speed it up. So, the next time you're communicating a project's progress, start with a high-level summary of your status and mention what, if anything, is needed from others. You can always share specific technical details with your colleagues later or keep a separate note for yourself.
Hopefully, this will help you communicate your progress more clearly next time!