And now for something completely different.
As a client-side advocate, I have had this happen too many times to keep count.
Years ago, a close contact from the implementation group of a software and services partner reached out to me asking me to join a call with a client who had been struggling to engage on an implementation project. They had already signed a contract to implement their latest software/services offering. However, they were unhappy with the assigned team and concerned about the implementation.
The first two calls were an introductory and a deeper dive. I was getting familiar with the client and gathering information. The issue with the first two calls was that the implementation team leads were still the same people, and the client was unsatisfied. On the third call, I started to share some of my insights from my previous experience implementing this product/services. I took time to break down the effort by week of what is expected from the client and what will happen. This prompted a healthy dialog between the client and I. Level setting expectations and providing clear insights on risks and timeline of events. This prompted the client to tell the partner that they would only go ahead with the project with me, and my team, to be assigned to the project as the client-side advocate and advisor. This was unanimously agreed upon.
What are the takeaways from this real-life experience story?
- Manage key stakeholders effectively by developing buy-in, identifying roles, and allocating resources.
- Adopt an agile approach to project management that allows for feedback loops, planning, and reassessment.
- Understand user stories and align them to the scope of the project.
- Understand the systems landscape and the integration requirements.
- Provide adequate training and enablement for the end-users.
- Avoid long implementations that increase the risk of management changes and project cancellation.
- Document and apply lessons learned from past projects to improve best practices.
When you are having challenges with your project, and need a client-side advocate to look out for you and help you navigate things forward, look no further. Reach out to us before it’s too late.
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