The account is closed and the monies start
rolling in. We’ve bagged the client and
it’s a brand name that is worth bragging of for the years to come. The account manager has earned his incentives
for a job well done.
Then begins the interesting albeit
overwhelming phase of project management.
The question that most project managers
grapple with is this: Is Project Management the SCIENCE OF MANAGING THE PROJECT
OR THE ART OF MANAGING THE CLIENT? There are some sticky situations that we, as
project managers tend to get into. I’ve touched upon a few key ones below:
Sticky Situation 1: Creepy Crawlies
The client asks for additional deliverables
that were not accounted for in the project scope. These requests creep in subtly
but may soon snowball into a large-ish scope extension which impacts the
project financially
What can we do? Ask the right questions
initially which will define the scope of the project more tightly. Also evaluate the client request to see whether
it can be accommodated with minimal cost and resource implication
Sticky Situation 2: Pass the Parcel
Your internal delivery team members are not
on the same page as you when it comes to what needs to get delivered for the client. This is a sticky situation which
presents itself more often when there are multiple delivery consultants working
on the same project.
What can we do? Communication is the key!
Always keeps the communication flowing between client and delivery consultants.
You need to make sure that any recent information is passed on to the other
party with the suitable context so that there is no room for misinterpretation
Sticky Situation 3: You just missed the bus
How often does it happen that you’ve
communicated the deadline for a client delivery internally to the project team
and delivery team right at the beginning of the project and they still miss the
date? You had prepared a detailed
project plan and even marked a reminder on your calendar. But you end up losing credibility with the
client.
What can we do? It’s a good idea to have
in-process steps within your project plan. For example, if a communication mail
needs to be sent out on 15th September, it’s not merely enough to have the 15th
September highlighted in your project plan. Plan for the interim steps and work
backward so that you have a deadline of 10th September to create the draft
invite, 12th September for internal approval, and so on. Also, have a reminder
in your calendar to remind your project team of the approaching deadline!
Sticky Situation 4: Oh oh! Didn’t see this
coming
The faster you learn that you are not God,
the better! Not everything is in your hands and unexpected circumstances at the
client end can change the scope in a project sometimes. You haven’t accounted for this change and now
your entire plan around costing and resourcing flies out the window
What can we do? Ever heard of a ‘Plan B’?
At the inkling of an unexpected scenario, sit with the client and discuss the
potential risks to the project. Then, do the same with your internal project
and delivery team. Pick on each other’s brains to come up with contingency
plans around the given cost and resources. You’d be surprised to find out that
the dumb-looking guy on the project team is actually the brightest bulb!
