Ever go to the grocery store on an empty stomach without a shopping list? How did that turn out? Let me guess. You spent more than normal. Your path through the store was, shall we say, less than efficient. Now imagine being asked to go to the grocery store, with your empty stomach, and being told to “get the groceries” without a clear expectation from the requester on what “the groceries” are. Not only is your experience going to be stressful and inefficient, but you are also likely going to disappoint the person that requested the trip in the first place. Working without giving or getting clear expectations is the same thing for people at any level of a company: inefficient, stressful, and unproductive.

So, how can Picas help with this you ask? Is there a magical “Expectations” module? Does it scan your brain and print out your internal expectations? While having a brain scanning device to create expectations sounds amazing, we have something much simpler and little more realistic: Data.

Our to-do lists are consistently increasing in chaos, especially in the midst of… the busy season and the slow season and vacation season and on and on. When do we not have 10 things on our plate and 10 more things on the plate that’s on the way to our desk? Well, never, right? And so, since the input/flow of work is not slowing down, we need something that can help us clarify what we need to do, and when we need to do it. We need something that will say, based off of previous years and current goals, this is the most important task for this week; everything I do will drive me towards that goal. 

So what is that thing that will clarify what is expected of us in the workplace? After sifting through the notes and the conversations, verbal or via email and text, you will find that the simplest way of communicating expectations and executing on goals is through… data. And fortunately for you all, you have access to all of the data you need in Picas.

Data allows for the expectations and goals for everyone involved in the operation to be objectively linked together, which in turn enhances communication and the overall work environment. Through data, supervisors and bosses can provide context to the feedback they are providing their team. Whether the feedback be positive or negative, it holds more weight if here is information to back it up. For example:

“Nice job Matt, things are looking good out there”

vs.

“Matt, after looking over the data in Picas, our production plan vs actual is right on target. Great job out there.”

The latter would feel a heck of a lot better than the generic “good job”. Why? Because I have met an expectation and not only that, that expectation was clear to my supervisor/boss and to myself. I knew what my goal was for the day, week, or month, and successful executed on it. 

With all the daily fires and smoke that happen in a normal workday, there should still be clear understanding of what is expected. This will increase the structure of the team’s day, which definitely feels good in the midst of chaos. Data and communication allow you to walk through the smoke of the day-to-day with intention. That makes the workday more enjoyable, it gives you and your team direction, and it provides guardrails when we start to get lost in what is important each day. 

How do we go grocery shopping on an empty stomach and not break the budget and walk around the store like a crazy person? With a list that has been seen by someone else so that they and you, have the same clarity of expectation. 

Set clear expectations for your team, with objective data found in Picas!