This is a tough one…what happens when your customer wants too much ‘voice’ in the project? It is ‘their’ project, after all. But they’re not the experts. They’re the experts at ‘as-is.’ They’re the experts at ‘what’s wrong now.’ Otherwise, they wouldn’t be coming to you for this solution.
The Customer is Not the Expert
They may think they’re the experts at ‘to-be.’ And with subject matter experts (SMEs) at hand to help guide where their business processes and ultimately their solution requirements are going, then yes, they do have some ‘to-be’ expertise. But they’re looking to you and the delivery team for the solution so the true experts are the delivery team members. And the experts in the ‘to-be’ solution…well that’s somewhere in between, I guess. The key is to keep in mind that even though the customer pays the invoice, requested the project, and signs off on the solution, they are not the experts and you can’t ever just go with what the customer says.
Maintain Control
I’ve already covered this some in a couple of past articles, but the point I’m trying to drive home is that you have listen carefully to the customer and also be careful when listening to the customer. Never quickly agree with them. I’ve run into a lot of customers – internal and external – who were certain they had the entire project mapped out in their minds before we started…the right technology, the implementation date, all the milestones, etc. You know how God laughs at us when we think we’re in total control? Ok…so don’t laugh at your customer – at least not to their face – but try hard to listen and reset expectations as necessary.
The happy customer in the end is the one that is led down the right path by the experienced project manager and delivery team on the right solution that is implemented as painlessly as possible and as on-time and on-budget as possible…but WORKABLE. No customer is ever happy if you go along with everything they ask for and say should happen only to have a failed implementation in the end. And the excuse of ‘the customer made us do it’ will never fly. Thankfully, I don’t know this from experience, but trust me…no one will buy it. It’s the PM’s job and the delivery team’s job to know the path to take and to reset customer expectations on the project and the solution as necessary to ensure project success. Silence and compliance is never the answer.
Summary
I realize this is straightforward information, but it never ceases to amaze me when I see things like this in every day life…where someone uses the excuse that they didn’t have the power to do this or that and that’s the reason it failed. I’ve seen it in every day life and I’ve seen it in the IT project world as well. And…surprise!....the customer wasn’t happy in the end even though that project manager listened to and followed their every request.
My most difficult to manage customers have always expected me and my team to have the final answers…”that’s what we’re paying you for” they would say. It’s truly empowering to hear that and it works. You’re a team with the customer, but you must take control.