Hi all,
I am new to client facing project management. Could anyone please help me understand better what customer facing entails? How it differs to being an internal project manager? How do you initiate a project with an external client? What criteria do you choose when you select a project? And so on?
Any help would be great!
Thank you all in advance! Saving Changes...
Alexandre CostaScrum Master| Integer Consulting - Pictet technologiesLoures, Portugal
There so many ways to address this questions , depends of the organization framework. I can tell you how it is in my company. Normally we have a professional service that analysis the customer requirements, creates integration project solution aligned with the customer and our strategie. This project solution is sent to the PMO office to evaluate the benefits of it's implementation, the project can be selected for several reasons, like high profit or market penetration as leverage for future deals etc. If the project is selected, then a project manager inside the company is choosed to implement the project and a team iscreated. The professional service is responsible for the integration of the project result in the customer. This is a resumed version of the flow that we follow , but can exist so many variations. Saving Changes...
Partha BanerjeeVP, Products, Technology & Government Services| Lynchval Systems Worldwide, Inc.Herndon, Va, United States
As Alexandre rightly mentioned, it all depends upon the organization framework. I work in federal government contract as Program Manager/Account Manager and was with corporate clients for 10+ years prior to that. One common thing in my experience is: you need to show that you are there to make your client's life easy apart from maintaining all artifacts. This will help you to build a relationship and once you have that foundation, project management is easy with organization framework and PMO directives. Hope this helps. Saving Changes...
The biggest thing that I find is the need to be more careful with communications. There is a lot less formality when everyone is working in the same department. There may be rules of what you can and cannot show them in terms of business data and what you can commit to. If you are fortunate, you can develop a good working relationship and there is less formality.
Some external customers can be very tough on PMs. A functional manager could be brought before HR for saying some of the things an external customer can get away with saying to the PM. The balance of power can be very different as well. I told a major customer "no" on a request one time; their CEO called our CEO, and I was quickly overruled. Saving Changes...
Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Agree with Keith, the biggest difference is communication. The what, when and how of stakeholder communication needs to be adjusted to satisfy the external stakeholders. Actually this goes for all documentation. Typically external stakeholders have their own way of working (processes, templates etc.) and you will need to come to some agreement on what will be used. All part of your project plan.
Oh and the going over your head thing Keith mentions - all too real. Saving Changes...
Thank you all very much. It is all very helpful but at the same time a bit confusing.
If you don’t mind I’ll be specific now and start from the very beginning.
When you start a project with a client… What is the first thing you do? How do you propose a new project? Who is involved and how? How do you reassure your client it will work? What are your considerations around the budget? What do you assess? What are your key consideration? How to you determine impact assessment to you and your client?...
If you could provide some examples that would be great.
I’m really new to all this and I am sorry if I ask too much but I really appreciate your help so a big thank you! Saving Changes...
Karl TwortSenior Project Manager| Fresh EggUnited Kingdom
Hey Veronica - Its a much easier process if you are liaising directly with a PM on the client-side. Whilst this isn't always possible, ensuring you understand who the decision-maker is within the client team.
Ensure you set out a clear communication plan and agree who the client stakeholders are and what level of information and reporting they all need. Budget is budget. I assume if they have commissioned you to deliver a product, there is a defined budget in place and contractual terms. This budget just needs to be managed as any other project is done.
If a client has chosen you to deliver the product they require, you have already started to reassure them that you CAN deliver. Saving Changes...
Unfortunately, the answer to your question is very dependent on your business model. Some projects start with a supplier/contractor seeking customers through a sales campaign. Others start with a customer seeking supplier capability through a Request for Information (RFI).
Then you have organizational differences. Often projects are initiated in a sales, or other business generation department, and a preliminary scope and (unrealistic) schedule is handed off to the PMO who assigns a PM. In others, the PM may work directly with the customer from the outset to define the initial concept.
Thirdly, there are job role differences. Some of the responsibilities you describe may be assigned to a BA, Finance person, Project Engineer, or other specific job function. In some organizations, some of those roles are combined and performed by a PM.
The general pattern however is: Identification of a need, Elaboration on the needs and wants, High level concepts that will fill the need, Concept evaluation, Solution down-select, Detailed SOW development in progressive layers of detail, and Execution with feedback and control. Within that however, individual aspects such as concept evaluation can by themselves be a field of study unto themselves. Saving Changes...
More formal, more documentations and by the contract, read it carefully.
That is the simplest way I can say it. Saving Changes...
Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
It is very unusual for the PM to propose a new project. A new project is initiated by the user stating a business need. If it is something small it would usually just be agreed during a meeting to discuss the need but more substantial projects would then require a business case where the analysts would work with different stakeholder to determine feasibility, ROI, alternatives, etc. Only once the business case is approved does a PM get involved. So all the things you mention i.e. will it work, how much will it cost are things that need to be included in the business case for the business owner to consider. So it is not you who will convince the stakeholder but the business case. It is like going to the bank to apply for a loan to start a business. The way you convince the bank manager is by presenting a business case.
There are many different techniques the analyst would use to write a business case. Cost-benefit analysis, SWOT analysis, Impact studies to name a few. In the end of the day, the business case should have enough information so that the business owner knows what options they have, what are the pros and cons of each, cost and time estimates (rough), a recommendation and what data was used to determine this. Very important also what would be the outcome if they do nothing, which should also be an option for them to select. Saving Changes...
Randy HilliardManager, Project Management| Freudenberg MedicalLouisville, Ky, United States
My projects are almost all client facing. For our organization, these projects start with a business agreement. That agreement will determine what the project objective is and serve to outline what is in and out of scope as well as the budget and provide the framework for a high level schedule. I sometimes have a say in creating the business agreement and sometimes I inherit it from the sales team.
It is very important to meet with the customer team as early in the project as possible, ideally even before the project formally starts. The purpose of that kick off meeting is to ensure alignment. Alignment of their expectations with what you expected to deliver and alignment of those expectations with what was in the business agreement. In my case it is common that the person or people who made the business agreement aren't necessarily the people who will be working the project. So, getting that alignment early is critical. As soon as you realize that the scope of work is different than what is in the agreement, you'll need to initiate your change control process.
Monitoring changes and communicating them will be extremely important to maintaining good customer satisfaction without blowing through your budget and schedule.
It almost goes without saying, but good communication will be critical to the success of the project. Saving Changes...
