The Balance Between Customer and Project

Kenneth has 14 years of healthcare experience in government and private industry. Over eight years of experience managing healthcare IT projects, operations, contracts, and personnel. His work experience includes project management, contracts and procurements, data analysis, claims adjudication, business writing, and business process modeling. Kenneth was certified in 2006 as a Project Management Professional.

  CRM   Scope Management   Stakeholder Management   Talent Management  

When working on a project, it is likely that the expectations and needs of the customer are not completely aligned with what the project and the project team can accomplish in the given amount of time, the budget and scope. The project manager often needs to work with the customer to ensure that the project is meeting their needs while also staying within the confines of the space time continuum.

For example, the customer promised the CEO that everything would be finished yesterday, but the project team is still trying to understand what the requirements mean. Dealing with problems like these are an integral part of being a project manager; but since the customer is the key stakeholder in the project, it can become very difficult. Project managers should always be working to balance the expectations and needs of the customer or client against the reality and scope of the project.

Evaluation
The first step is to evaluate what the customer expects. If there is a contract or agreement that states exactly what the project entails, then that is a great starting point. (And if there is not such an agreement, then go write one right now!) Even with a formal agreement and contract though, there may be some customer expectations that you need to be aware of.

Does the customer expect you to jump every time they think of something new? Does the client want you to bend …

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