HELP! Managing a Dsyfunctional Client to be successful
Anonymous
I have to post this anonymously for confidentially reasons.I'm currently engaged in a B2B implementation project. The client is lacking enterprise wide executive sponsorship and commitment, there has been not buyin by the business units that will be affected by this implementation. There is a loosely organized project teams in all workstreams - supplier adoption, change management, buyer adoption, client leaders are being engaged to complete buyer adoption and change management; however, we (consultants) are being told by the client not to help this person to accomplish these tasks even though the role is part of our scope. Any thoughts, suggestions, to keep the consulting project team from exhibiting the same dsyfunctional traits. Thanks! Saving Changes...
Let's see -- no executive sponsorship, no business unit buy-in, and direction to not help with a necessary part of the engagement.
And a request for advice on immunizing the project team from similar dysfunction.
Unless you have the thinking and communication skills to address the first two issues, the first advice that come to mind is: "Fire the client."
Given that no one other than the client has any interest in the endeavor, I wonder if you really have a project that has any value for the organization. If not, what reason is there for a consultant to be involved other than to line one's pockets?
Doctors like to say "First, do no harm." Consultants should also include, "Only do work of value to the client organization." in their code of behavior. I wonder if the codependent behavior of helping to keep this project alive has more potential to harm the organization (and your repuation) than help it.
I basically agree with Frank Patrick on this posting. However, you might try clearly redefining and communicating project goals and scope for all concern, then documenting variances and concerns in terms of "impacts" to your project's objectives, presenting these issues to upper management and see what kind response you get. If you present your concerns in this manner you'll hopefully minimize risk to yourself. In any case, as I've pointed out in other postings, politics, corporate cultures, PM maturity level, commitment, and WORK ETHIC varies so widely between companies and even within large organizations, that it is next to impossible to come up with a solution based on a posting, except to say always stick with basic blocking and tackling and don't point any fingers. On the other hand, you might be dealing with a client from hell, so be ready to walk. Saving Changes...
I basically agree with Frank Patrick on this posting. However, you might try clearly redefining and communicating project goals and scope for all concern, then documenting variances and concerns in terms of "impacts" to your project's objectives, presenting these issues to upper management and see what kind response you get. If you present your concerns in this manner you'll hopefully minimize risk to yourself. In any case, as I've pointed out in other postings, politics, corporate cultures, PM maturity level, commitment, and WORK ETHIC varies so widely between companies and even within large organizations, that it is next to impossible to come up with a solution based on a posting, except to say always stick with basic blocking and tackling and don't point any fingers. On the other hand, you might be dealing with a client from hell, so be ready to walk. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Thank you for the honest feedback. I couldn't agree more with your comments.
In Novemeber the consultant team finally realized it was time to do something so we talked with the managing partner. For obvious reasons we were concerned about the value we were adding to the client as well as being perceived at just getting billable time. We are not a a Big 5 type firm and we wnat to add value to each engagement.
We decided our recommendation would be to call a "time out". The intention was to allow the client to get organized, get their executive team aligned, and come back in January with a team approach. The managing partners approached the client with the recommendation and the client agreed. At which time a Project Rescue Plan was recommendated. The client was very happy we noticed this and brought this to their attention.
The Rescue Plan, now called the Check and Adjust plan eventually became very watered down over the next 2 months and in reality became a status report to upper mgt, the major points were left out. The executive leadership alignment is just now beginning but not to degree we think it should, although a good thing.
Getting them on track continues to be challenge, we continue to think outside the box in terms of getting the client team to engage. We have seen minor changes, unfornuately this is the first huge enterpise implementation which can has the potential to have huge benefits. Saving Changes...
It's probably fairly predictable that if Tom and I are anywhere near agreement, the advice is probably pretty good. ;-)
One other thing came to mind. One of the issues facing the team was a lack of support of the effort -- a lack of support that is probably related to an inability to make the leap from "big enterprise project" to "what's in it for me."
On the Portfolio Management thread here in Project Managemetn Central, I posted a rather long note on a process to achieve and understanding of how individual projects in a portfolio either support or fail to support what is important to the organization. It's too long to post again here, but you might want to take a look at a cleaned up version at this weblink.
Pay particular attention to the discussion of using the individual problems faced by diaparate members of the team to get a grip on what perpetuates those problems. If you can relate the objectives of the project to this core problem and to its local translations, then you can have a better chance of pulling together a collaborative team around the effort.
