The Part of Project Management Nobody Puts in the Scope of Work
September 15, 2026
If I’ve learned anything about project management over the past few years, it’s that the key to move a project forward isn’t about having a fancy expensive tool; it’s about the relationships among those on your evaluation team, as well as your relationship with the evaluation commissioner. The pace at which a project is able to move forward depends on the trust on both sides, as well as the commitment that everyone has to the project.
In my experience, here's what that looks like in practice.
1. Understand the context and adapt
I try not to walk in with a pre-built framework about how a project will run and start applying it right away. I sit with what's actually happening — even when it's messy or hard to define — long enough to understand it first. Sometimes this can be as simple as not making assumptions about the kind of tools other partners are accustomed to using, even if they are common (like WhatsApp, Google, Zoom, etc.). This means asking real questions about the assumptions underneath a project, and being honest when something's outside my experience. That honesty is what turns you into a thought partner instead of just someone executing a scope of work.
2. Pick a tool, define processes, then stick with them
Having a way to track project progress is critical. However, it doesn't much matter whether the team uses Asana, Google Tasks, or a shared spreadsheet — what matters is using it consistently. The best tool is the one that works for you and actually gets used. Not every project needs complicated software; sometimes the simplest option is the right one, depending on the size and scope of the project. A few things make the tool actually work for the team:
Keep meeting notes and files in one shared space, like Google Drive, so everyone can find what they need.
Keep team meeting agendas flexible — let team members add to them before or during the meeting, so there's room for what matters to them, not just what's on the plan.
Use a file naming convention everyone understands, and keep files organized in the folders where they belong. Back everything up too — on your computer and in a password-protected cloud; losing work to a bad backup is entirely avoidable. And if you ever need to delete something, check with your partners first. I've been on the evaluation team that lost a commissioner's data, and it wasn't a fun conversation. They never said as much, but I think we lost some of their trust that day.
3. Build a “no surprises” rhythm
Consistency is what makes a project feel trustworthy. We've heard that commissioners want a regular cadence of check-ins — not just status updates, but a real read on how the partnership is going. A few habits can help build that trust:
Send unpolished meeting notes right after each meeting: here's what we heard, here's what we're doing about it, and here’s our timeframe for these tasks, as well as any actions to which the commissioner agreed with agreed deadlines. Consider a designated notetaker and a shared notes document that everyone in the meeting can see and add to in real time.
Share early drafts of deliverables, not just the final version, so expectations line up well before the deadline. I do this with data collection tools and reports — sharing them long before they're “ready” — and it's saved me a lot of work in the long run.
On one needs assessment for a historically underserved rural community, the commissioner reviewed an early draft of our tool and realized they wanted something much simpler than what we'd put together, so the final version ended up with more basic questions that actually got at what they needed.
On another project, an early draft of the report surfaced context about the commissioner's program that I didn't have, and it led me to re-analyze parts of the data and reorganize how I presented it, so it would actually be useful to them.
Build cushion time into every plan. Something unexpected always comes up, whether it's on the evaluator's side or the commissioner's. Not long ago I lost a few days of work because my kid came down with a contagious illness and couldn't go to daycare. I couldn't have planned for that, and it was a good reminder that, even with solid planning, things happen that are out of your control — so it's worth building in slack for that.
4. Stay flexible, but keep your boundaries
Good project managers pivot when a project's real needs shift, rather than rigidly following the original contract. But flexibility isn't the same as having no boundaries. Push back on scope creep, and be upfront about what's realistic, if someone asks for more. Sometimes commissioners don't realize that what sounds like a simple ask on their end actually takes real time and energy on ours — but they won't know that unless we say so. Being realistic starts as early as what you put in a proposal response; trying to fit a big project into a tight budget rarely works, so it's worth right-sizing from the start. I once worked with a team lead who liked to overpromise in RFP responses, and it hurt the team in the end, because the work always cost far more than what we were being paid for it.
5. Lighten the load for partners where you can
The best project management often shows up in small things — offering to draft an email a funder needs to send to their own leadership, for example. Treat the relationship as part of the project, not something separate from it. When you do, it stops feeling transactional and starts feeling like an actual partnership. And once the partnership begins, that’s when the work starts to matter.
6. Don't skip the human element
Disagreements solidify when nobody names what's actually going on. Say the quiet part out loud early — who owns scheduling, who handles interviewee payments, what each side expects from the other.
Doing this can feel much more comfortable, when we have built relationships with each other as humans. And it doesn’t take much to accomplish this. These simple actions can help:
Start meetings with a quick personal check-in — something as small as asking meeting participants how their weekend was or what everyone's favorite fall dish is — before diving into the agenda. We've heard that when budgets are tight, check-ins like this are often one of the first things to get cut to save money, but skipping them can cost you more than it saves, since they help foster trust that is critical, when a project takes an unexpected turn or tough things need to be discussed.
Ask for help when you need it. It's better to speak up early than to quietly create more work for the team down the line — time is money, and that gap doesn't always come with extra funding to cover it.
Build in time specifically to talk about how the partnership itself is working — an After Action Review or just a standing check-in. Budget for it upfront, so you're not scrambling to find the time later; it's always easier to cancel a meeting than to squeeze one in. On the contracts where we've had standing check-ins, the relationship has always felt more genuine, and we've been able to work through things more easily, because we'd already built trust and a rhythm of talking to each other.
On the teams where we actually take the time to know each other — a bit about each other's families, how things are really going — I feel comfortable raising concerns when they come up, and the people I work with do, too.
Closing thought
These are the lessons I've learned about how project management can contribute to a successful team and partnership with an evaluation commissioner. What would lessons would you add?
