Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
and will blame you and will never try to understand your situation. He will only
be looking at the SLAs and will never look beyond that. On the other hand, if you
have created a good rapport with him early on and you have been communicating
with him constantly, then he will definitely understand your situation; in cases
when difficulties arise, he will cooperate and will sit with you and help you in
solving the issues. That is why successful projects
always have
customers actively
involved.
Establish an agreement that both the customer organization and the delivery
organization have rights and obligations if the project is to be a success. Establish
an agreement that both parties will respect each other's rights. Also in the SLAs
make provision for ample and regular communication between the two by includ-
ing compulsory meetings or other communication platforms at regular intervals.
It is very important in outsourced projects to keep seeking buy-in for every
initiative taken by the service provider at all levels of the customer's organization.
Lack of management involvement and support within the customer community
can severely affect any project.
There are three aspects of communication: (1) to create a rapport, (2) to reduce
errors due to misunderstandings, and (3) to keep track of the project with status
reports from time to time. In fact, there are three mantras for success of any project:
communication, communication, and communication!
10...2
Kickoff Meeting
Kickoff meetings help in breaking the ice and starting the project in a very posi-
tive environment. Arrange a kickoff meeting with the customer at the outset of the
project to set the ground rules for the project and to position the project for success.
Kickoff meetings are very useful in gauging and setting customer expectations from
the very beginning of the project.
It is very important that the meeting takes place when everybody from the
customer's project team is available and can give enough time for the meeting.
Postpone and rearrange the meeting if anybody from the customer's project team
cannot attend the meeting.
The agenda at the meeting should be to discuss scope, risks, known issues, and
critical factors in the project. By the end of the meeting, customer expectations
should be clear. Any agenda items that are not fully resolved should be assigned as
issues and tracked to resolution using the formal issue management process.
10....
Get Approval for Delivery Methodology
Each organization has some unique methodology to deliver projects. The service
provider must educate the customer about the process so that the customer under-
stands how deliveries will be made.
