Why Project Managers Should Communicate with FINESSE

The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram provides a proven, practical approach that enables busy project managers to become effective communicators. Visit the Tackle Shop for communication and facilitation resources.

Good communication makes or breaks a project. As a project manager, you’re juggling timelines, tasks, people, and expectations. How you share information matters as much as what you share. The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram is a proven, practical approach that helps you communicate clearly, especially when things get complex. Here’s why project managers use the FINESSE approach and the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram.

1. FINESSE Gives You a Clear Roadmap

FINESSE is a helpful guide. It stands for Frame, Illustrate, Noise-reduction, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics. Think of it as pieces of a fishbone (the bones) diagram that help you lay out your message step by step [Re-Introducing Communicating with FINESSE on Accendo Reliability - Accendo Reliability]. FINESSE keeps your communication sharp and purposeful.

2. Helps You Navigate Complex Projects

Projects are messy. Complexity, risk, and uncertainty are inherent aspects of the process. The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram offers a cause-and-effect approach. It has been proven that applying the seven aspects guarantees effective communication.

3. It’s Practical, Not Just Theory

The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram is based on work by technical and project managers who deliver complex projects. After nearly a decade of case work, the results were analyzed and validated to establish the seven “bones” and their cause-and-effect relationship with effective communication.

Doing each of the seven bones of FINESSE will create effective communication.

4. Supporting Material Built for Busy Professionals

The Facilitating with FINESSE website offers two affordable checklists applicable to every presentation. There are also options for quick third-party presentation reviews and half-day training sessions. Two practical books written for busy professionals are available.

For example, Facilitating with FINESSE spends minimal time on basics (there’s only a short chapter on general facilitation) and instead focuses on the situations project managers face every day [How JD Solomon’s Newest Book, Facilitating with FINESSE, Is Different from Other Facilitation Books | by JD Solomon | Medium]. The book is organized so you can skip to whatever you need to know.

5. Reducing Noise Is A Must for Project Managers

Noise is anything that distracts or distorts your message. The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram helps project managers avoid issues such as unclear updates, overloaded dashboards, and sharing inconsistent data [Reducing Noise in Project Management Communication | by JD Solomon | Medium].

6. FINESSE Builds Trust and Project Success

Projects depend on trust. When communication is structured, clear, and honest, your team and your stakeholders feel confident in what’s happening. FINESSE encourages ethics and empathy at every stage. As a project manager, you’re guiding people toward shared decisions, not just simply managing tasks [Three Things Project Managers Should Know When Communicating with the Boss|Substack].

7. Supports Your Growth as a Leader

The FINESSE approach is designed for technically trained professionals who want to enhance their communication and facilitation skills. Whether you’re presenting to senior leaders or steering a team debate, FINESSE helps you become the trusted advisor people rely on [How FINESSE Improves the Careers of Project Managers|Substack].

8. You Don’t Have to Be The Most Articulate or Attractive

The power of systems thinking and the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram is the cause-and-effect relationships between the inputs (the bones of FINESSE) and the output (effective communication). You can be a great project manager without having to be the most articulate or the most attractive person. Technical professionals can be good at their work and highly valued as communicators of complex information.

Eight Reasons Project Managers Need FINESSE

Using the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram is a proven and practical way to manage complex projects involving multiple stakeholders. The FINESSE approach provides a clear path, the book showcases real-world applications, and the noise-reduction tips keep your message focused. Above all, you build trust, lead with clarity, and make the challenging aspects of projects run more smoothly. That's why every project manager should communicate with FINESSE.

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JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Visit our Program Development page for more information on business cases, third-party assessments, phasing projects, and related services.

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Communicating with FINESSE is the not-for-profit community of technical professionals dedicated to being highly effective communicators and facilitators. Visit the Tackle Shop for communication and facilitation resources.

5 Things to Remember When Facilitating an Uncertain Future

The National Hurricane Center puts its forecast at 5 to 10 percent of Hurricane Erin hitting the US coast. However, the final probability will be 100 percent or zero.

Hurricane season reminds me of the difficulty of facilitating technical forecasts of an uncertain future. In my world, it includes not only natural systems but also economic growth, consumer demand, human behavior, regulatory changes, and technology adoption. Developing useful predictions requires facilitators and participants to understand a handful of key concepts related to predictions, probability, and risks.

1. Predictions and Forecasts

Prediction and forecast are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t exactly the same.

A prediction is a statement about what will happen in the future, often based on intuition, expert judgment, or limited data.

Two examples of predictions are: “The Cincinnati Reds will win tonight’s game, or Hurricane Errin will strike the US East Coast.”

A forecast is a systematic, data-based estimate of what is likely to happen, often expressed with probabilities or ranges. It’s more analytical than a prediction and acknowledges uncertainty.

An example of a forecast is: “There’s a 65% chance the Reds will win tonight’s game, based on pitching matchups and recent performance.”

2. Frequencies and Forecasts

A frequency is simply how often something happens within a set of observations. It’s backward-looking because it comes from recorded past data.

An example of frequency is: “Out of 100 baseball games, the Reds won 55. The frequency of wins is 55/100, or 55%.

Forecasts are forward-looking.  In forecasting, you usually start with base rates (historical frequencies). Then, you adjust them with new information, trends, or context.

An example of how frequencies (or base rates) are used is forecasting is: The Reds historically win 55% of games at home. For tonight, considering they’re facing an ace pitcher, the forecast drops to 45% win probability.

3. Probability and Subjective Probability

Probability is a way to quantify uncertainty about future outcomes. Probability is the measure of how likely an event is to happen. It’s expressed as a number between 0 and 1 (or 0% and 100%).

Like forecasts, probability is forward-looking. It’s a statement about how likely an event is to occur in the future. In practice, probability is an estimate informed by past frequencies, current information, and assumptions.

Probability is subjective because it reflects a person’s degree of belief in an outcome, given their knowledge and evidence. So subjective probability is a rational belief, but not one just based on historical frequencies.

4. All or Nothing with Hurricane Erin

Remember, probability is forward-looking. That means our forecasts reflect the chance we believe an event to occur. However, once an event passes, it either happened, or it did not (it's either 0 or 100%). The result is now part of the historical frequency.

5. Risk is in the Eye of the Beholder

Risk is the endgame of most predictions and forecasts. We want to look into an uncertain future and understand how circumstances will impact us. Risk is the deviation from expectations.

There is no risk if you have nothing to lose.

As a facilitator, remember that collaborators with skin in the game may provide different forecasts of an uncertain future than those that do. The quality of forecasts of an uncertain future often comes down to which data they use to form their opinions and the confidence they have in the underlying data.

Facilitating an Uncertain Future

Remember these five things when guiding a group of technical professionals to forecasts that are created, understood, and accepted by all. JD Solomon Inc. specializes in helping facility and infrastructure owners understand and allocate resources responsibly for big decisions related to an uncertain future.

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JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Visit our Facilitation page for more information related to all types of facilitation.

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JD Solomon is the author of Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand and Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions.

A Five-Step Approach for Better Environmental Decisions

A structured approach to decision making and communication is essential to navigate environmental decisions effectively. The Decision Quality Process and the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram are two essential steps.

All decisions require an allocation of resources. When it comes to environmental decisions, how we allocate time, money, and behaviors directly impacts the quality of life and those around us. Environmental decision making presents unique challenges due to its complexity, long timelines, and multiple stakeholders. A structured approach to decision making and communication is essential to navigate these challenges effectively.

Establishing Standards Complicates Environmental Decisions

Most organizations and individuals prioritize compliance with government-established standards. However, personal and corporate behavior often exceeds these minimums.

Politics plays a significant role in environmental decision making. Given the long timelines and inherent uncertainties, political processes influence regulations, corporate strategies, and social behavior. Understanding these influences is key to effective communication and action.

What Makes Environmental Decisions Different?

Environmental decision making differs from other types of decision making due to several key factors.

A. Complexity

Environmental issues involve multiple interconnected components, and their impacts may not be fully understood for decades.

B. Uncertainty

Many decisions involve chemical or ecological processes with limited real-world data.

C. Interconnectedness

Solutions that benefit one area (e.g., human health) may have unintended consequences elsewhere (e.g., biodiversity loss).

D. Detectability

Emerging pollutants or new measurement techniques can challenge existing regulations and decision-making frameworks.

E. Multiple Stakeholders

Decisions involve governments, businesses, scientists, and communities with diverse and often conflicting interests.

F. Time Horizon

Long-term effects make consensus difficult and increase uncertainty in projections.

G. Ethics

Different ethical frameworks influence decision making, from duty-based approaches to outcome-driven strategies.

H. Motives

Some stakeholders use environmental issues to advance political or economic goals beyond environmental protection.

I. Limited Resources

Funding constraints mean prioritization is necessary, requiring strategic allocation of resources.

A Five-Step Approach for Better Environmental Decisions

1. Establish a Decision Quality Process

Using a structured decision-making framework ensures clarity and effectiveness. One proven approach is Carl Spetzler’s Elements of Decision Quality, which includes:

• Appropriate Frame – Defining the problem correctly

• Creative, Doable Alternatives – Considering multiple solutions

• Meaningful, Reliable Information – Gathering the best available data

• Clear Values and Tradeoffs – Weighing competing priorities

• Logically Correct Reasoning – Ensuring rational analysis

• Commitment to Action – Ensuring decisions lead to implementation

Selecting a robust decision-making framework enhances transparency and consistency in complex environmental choices.

2. Use a Formal Communication Framework

Effective communication is essential for gaining stakeholder support and reducing conflict.

The FINESSE approach provides a structured method to communicate complex environmental decisions:

• Facilitate – Encourage collaboration and participation

• Illustrate – Use visuals and storytelling to clarify concepts

• Noise Reduction – Simplify messages and remove distractions

• Empathy – Acknowledge diverse perspectives and concerns

• Structure – Organize communication for clarity and impact

• Synergy – Align messages with broader goals

• Ethics – Maintain honesty and integrity in messaging

  
  

Any communications approach should include a third-party review of the presentation before making it to decision makers. An after-action review should be included as well.

3. Seek Insights Beyond the Obvious Before Making Decisions

Media, politics, and personal biases often shape environmental issues. Decision makers should actively seek diverse perspectives and data sources to challenge assumptions and improve decision quality.

The tough questions will be asked at some point in the process.

Engaging in decision making at various levels, ranging from local planning boards, public comment opportunities, and industry associations, ensures diverse voices are heard and effectively influence policy.

4. Evaluate Past Decisions Before Making New Decisions

Reflection and after-action reviews help refine future decisions. Identifying what worked and what didn't strengthen environmental strategies over time. The Decision Quality Process and the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram provide a structured foundation for evaluating past decisions.

5. Repeat the Process at Every Stage

Remember, environmental decision making is a long game. Over time, people and their roles in the process change, as well as scientific and political influences. Don't shortcut the first four steps, especially the Decision Quality Process and the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram.

Applying 5 Steps for Better Environmental Decisions

Environmental decision making presents unique challenges due to its complexity, long timelines, and multiple stakeholders. A structured approach to decision making and communication is essential to navigate these challenges effectively. Decision quality frameworks and communication approaches like FINESSE Fishbone Diagram create a pathway for clearer, more actionable environmental solutions.

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Portions of this article were published on Substack in the articles "Why Environmental Decision Making Is Difficult“(May 2023) and “What Are the Secrets for Communicating Big Environmental Decisions?” (February 2025).

See also "Effective Communication: How to Improve When Environmental Disasters Strike Our Communities." https://www.jdsolomonsolutions.com/post/effective-communication-how-to-improve-when-environmental-disasters-strike-our-communities (June 26, 2023).

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JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Visit our Environmental page for more information.

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JD Solomon is the author of Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand and Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions.