Stakeholder, Stakeholder, Stakeholder
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A lesson I learned the hard way, lack of stakeholdering is one of the most common reasons behind non-acceptance of a deliverable by the client. Whether it be a document, a decision, or analysis that you have painstakingly put together, it is absolutely imperative that you keep the client informed and involved in the deliverable creation process. Not doing so runs the risk of losing client buy-in and may jeopardize the project schedule or, in some cases, damage your credibility.
Assuming you are working to a project plan, as you should, identify milestones in the deliverable creation process. These milestones may represent key events that constitute successful completion of the deliverable e.g. creation of the document template, completion of key analysis, option elimination and recommendation, etc. Next, ensure (by planning ahead) that you have an opportunity to meet with the client to discuss the deliverable at the completion of each critical milestone. At this stage, bring the client up to speed on the deliverable and its completion status, and, most importantly, gain client acceptance to the direction you are taking and the progress being made.
Remember, the trick is to gain client agreement along the deliverable creation process so that the resulting product is both familiar and known (avoid surprises). Following this simple advice is guaranteed to save you hours of rework and unnecessary frustration for both you and your client.
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Comments
Tom,
Precisely. I have sometimes found that consultants choose to work “in a bubble” and emerge weeks later with a shiny, new deliverable only to the client’s utter surprise and horror. Without constant communication, the end-product is naturally foreign to them. On the other hand, with some stakeholdering and client acceptance along the way, the client feels ownership of the document as well because they have some skin in the game as well.
Glad you liked the blog. I have enjoyed posts on your blog too and stay informed via your rss feed.
Thanks again for the comment.
ZS, this post was concise and informative. I guess what you’re saying is that constant client communication is critical (Do you like my alliteration?).
Thanks for the constructive comment on my blog.
Tom
PS - I like your blog, I’m glad that I found it.