Getting to

  Requirements Management   Stakeholder Management   ProjectsAtWork  

Bringing the customer into the requirements process is a key to success in every project. Sometimes, however, their expectations are unrealistic or even contrary to their best interests. Along with good facilitation, there are ways to negotiate with customers that give them the option to say "no" without you having to insist on it.

So often business analysts and project managers have to face customers who have been promised the world when the organization can barely produce a tenth of that world. Most of the time, it is hard to tell the customer "no, we don't do that" or "no, we can't do that". However, this job has to be done.

Having faced this issue many times, I want to share an excellent practice that can get you to saying "no" without saying "no.” This is not an easy task to do, especially if you face angry customers.

As a business analyst, I have learned that bringing the customer into the process is always the key to success in every project. Along with good facilitation, there is a way to negotiate with the customer that gives them the power to say "no" to themselves without you having to utter it.

Here are the steps you can follow to ensure you accomplish this:

1. First, baseline what you currently have. It is very important that you understand where you are with your product. What have …

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