The Importance of Following Up

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I have a rule that if I need something to continue doing my work, deliver a project on time on behalf of a client, or simply get something that I want, it is my responsibility to follow-up. I do not consider myself innocent for receiving something late unless I have followed up multiple times. 

I do appreciate that sometimes you may have the urge to NOT follow-up so you can say something like "well, you did not get us the information in time so we are delaying the launch of a project" in order to buy yourself more time for reasons that have nothing to do with the item you are following up about. There are circumstances when that tactic is helpful (I've certainly done it) but I consider that the exception and not the rule. And it is also not the best approach to buying yourself more time because it backfires easily. If you need to buy more time, the safer approach is to manage expectations early and often. 

Below are some 5 tips for following up. Note that these rules may sound like they only apply to project managers but I wholeheartedly believe that every person/role/discipline should utilize these tips. Organizations run much more smoothly when everyone takes responsibility for their own follow-up.

  • Always follow-up the day before something is due
    • This applies to anything that has a due date. It could be something that is due from a client, an internal resource, or a friend. You should always give a reminder at least 24 hours early to give people a real fighting chance of delivering on time.
    • It may be helpful to schedule the follow-ups ahead of time in your to-do list.
  • Within the week leading up to a time-specific project, follow-up daily
    • If a project or event is launching on a specific day that has absolutely no wiggle room, follow-up on all outstanding items daily. You will NOT annoy everyone. In fact, it will instill quite a bit of confidence that you're on it.
    • I will generally do daily follow-ups in the form of a status report and call out outstanding items in bold and/or a different color.
  • After the first follow-up, include the consequences of a delay
    • My general rule of thumb is that the first follow-up is just a friendly reminder. After that, I include the consequences of a delay (eg, the project will launch late, we will charge a change order, etc). 
    • For especially time-sensitive projects, you may want to stress the consequences in the first follow-up. However, you should always try to follow-up the first time with a enough time to keep it non-urgent.
  • Remember that following up is helpful, not annoying
    • I love when people send me friendly reminders about what they need or remaining outstanding questions. Even if I am on top of it, I still appreciate the other party acknowledging their participation. 
    • If someone responds to your follow-up with the date when they will provide your request, hold on further follow-ups until, at most, the day before the stated delivery date.
  • Acknowledge when someone follows up with you
    • Just like it is nice to get a response to your follow-ups, if someone follows with you, respond. A simple "on it!" works. 

Some people have told me that it feels like nagging or accusatory to follow-up. Below are some wording options for your follow-up emails/calls to show that it does need to feel that way.

  • "Are we still on track to receive X by DATE?"
  • "A friendly reminder that THING B is due tomorrow."
  • "Let me know if you need anything from me in order to deliver ITEM C by DATE."
  • "Checking in on the status of DOCUMENT O that is due on DATE. A reminder that if we do not receive it by DATE, the launch will be delayed by 3 business days."
  • "Note that we did not receive THING F yesterday, as originally planned. Please confirm expected delivery date and I will follow-up with a revised schedule."

Good news! There are tools that can help! If you use Gmail as your email provider, you use Boomerang to help keep track of your follow up items. I do not personally use it but have heard good things. I keep track of all of my follow-ups in my to-do list manager, Toodledo. 

What other tips do you have about following up? Let me know in the comments below!