We are now on to number #6 on my list of the seven deadly sins of project management.  So far, we’ve covered…



#1 – Taking the Customer’s Word for Granted



#2 – Trusting Team Members without Question



#3 – Leaving Your Success in Management’s Hands



#4 – Becoming Stale on Technology



#5 – Skipping Over the Planning Part



In #6, we’ll discuss what I consider – and I think most would agree – is one of the big three in determining project success.  Customer satisfaction.  Along with finishing on budget and finishing on time, customer satisfaction is usually one of the three critical success measurements for engagements within an organization.



So what happens if we put too little stock in the customer’s satisfaction level?  I’m here to tell you that nothing good can come of it.  Certainly, you don’t do everything you’re customer asks.  And certainly you don’t leave them unchecked to create havoc on the project.  As the project manager, you manage them.  But you must understand their needs and tend to those needs to the best of your ability. It is, after all, their money that is paying for the project.  And unless this customer is too painful to ever work with again, it’s likely that you want to keep them around as a repeat customer.  And you certainly don’t want any bad press from this customer because they are dissatisfied, correct?



So how do you ensure they are satisfied?  You don’t.  But you stick to the basics – good project management and good customer management.  Give them every reason to be comfortable with you and your team.  Schedule your standard weekly project meetings and stick to the schedule.  Deliver weekly status reports.  Keep them apprised of issues, risks, and the project budget status.  It’s the little communication things that we sometimes take for granted that can mean a lot to the customer.  The difference between a customer who feels well informed and one who feels like they’re being kept in the dark is like night and day.



One more thing you can do as the project manager to help ensure that customer satisfaction remains high is to get your senior management involved in the project.  And I’m talking at a very high level.  But if it’s a visible project with an important customer (aren’t all customers important?) have someone high up in your organization sit in one a couple of project status meetings with the customer.  When the customer feels like their project is important to you and your organization and they see that portrayed by some senior management involvement, it can make customer confidence and satisfaction soar.