# Address a missed commitment with a team member I don't manage

A respectful, direct conversation plan for getting delivery back on track when you have responsibility but no line authority.

- Topic: Leadership & Management
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Leadership, Productivity, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/address-a-missed-commitment-with-a-team-member-i-don-t-manage

## Prompt

```text
Help me address a missed commitment with someone on my project team who does not report to me.

**Their role and who they report to:** [DETAILS]
**What they committed to and when:** [TASK and original date]
**What happened:** [missed by how much, any pattern, what they said]
**Impact on the project:** [what slips or who is affected]
**What I know about their situation:** [competing priorities, workload, skills gap, unclear expectations]
**My relationship with them:** [new / good / strained]

Help me handle it in this order:
1. **Check myself first**: was the task clear, was the date agreed or imposed, did they have what they needed? List questions I should honestly answer.
2. **The conversation**: an opening that is direct but not accusatory, questions to understand the cause, and how to agree a new commitment that is realistic.
3. **Common causes and responses**: competing priorities from their manager, unclear requirements, skills gap, overload, low buy-in - with what to do for each.
4. **When and how to involve their line manager**: as a resource-planning conversation, not a complaint - with a short script.
5. **Preventing repeats**: how to make commitments visible and confirm them in writing without micromanaging.

Return:
- A conversation plan with suggested wording.
- A follow-up note confirming the new commitment.
- A message to their manager, if needed, focused on priorities and capacity.

Keep the tone respectful and assume good intent until the facts say otherwise.
```

## What to fill in

- DETAILS
- TASK and original date
- missed by how much, any pattern, what they said
- what slips or who is affected
- new / good / strained

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.