Scribbling Now

There is nothing perfect in this world and that includes your Virtual Assistant’s work; mistakes, miscommunication, project derailment, etc. For whatever bunch of reasons, a project can go in a different direction than we wanted. Here’s how to fix it.

Tip 1: Entirely review the finished project

Entirely review the finished project. Look closer and see if you’re your Virtual Assistant just attached the wrong file. It happens! Or, perhaps excess information was provided as background and the finished work is at the end of the document.

Tip 2: Determine ways to save it

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 saved. It’s extremely rare that a project is so totally wrecked that it needs to be scrapped and start all over again. 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%?

Tip 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.

Tip 4: Review with your Virtual 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.

Visit Virtual Assistant Philippines for more tips on how to better use your Virtual Assistant.