Although customer's lack of knowledge can make our job easier ;-), it does inversely affect the quality of our deliverables. Secondly, an inappropriately informed or knowledged customer affects our customer satisfaction index adversely in the long run. In wake of this,isn't educating the customer the right way is the way forward than simply committing that customer is right? Your thoughts on it, please. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
The answer is in the definition of quality itself, which is something is loose here. And yes, customer know what they need. Once again, the answer is inside the definition of sale and marketing, which is something is loose here. I know about that because I have a master degree in that area. But to have a master degree say nothing about knowledge. You are wrong about your analogy about patients and doctors. Doctors are not able to help patients if patient do not know about the pain, In fact, a business analyst works like a doctor to understand customer needs and helping customers to create the solution that best fits. Once again, when somebody thinks that customer do not know about its needs then fail. You can read the PMI´s Pulse of Profession of August 2014 to get some comments and statistics about that. Saving Changes...
PARAG KANDEKARVP Operations| SoftNice IncAllentown, Pa, United States
I agree with Julie - its two way education. If we feel only Client need to be educated would be incomplete statement. Many times we fail to understand the message behind communication content. This involves effective and active listening - understanding your client. Its we as PMP have to use our skills to make the conversation rather than one way communication.
Client knows their business better than us - what we need to understand is their PAIN where we can provide solution as PARTNER.
We should share constraint, educate client on possible risk involved. Get ourselves educated by actual problem doing Root Cause Analysis (BA Skill) and propose various optional solutions (Solution Architect) with involves risks/ constraints, quality and benefits.
Here when we discuss on the various parameters and have mutual agreement to go together for implementation. I always refer this to Effective Negotiation which ensure Mutual Agreement.
I am sharing my personal thoughts only based on my experience - I am sure everyone has their own thoughts, success and failures.
I believe on building CONNECTION with client where conversations are healthy, smooth and for mutual benefits.
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A degree is learning from past experiences (through books and professors). As we continue to learn from many sources new learning comes to plug the holes holes in the existing knowledge. If it is not there already, we invent to make ourselves better. In short, we continue to innovate and constantly learn an keep expanding our knowledge to make this world a better place. Saving Changes...
Very nice discussion my Sergio, Julie, Parag and definitely Arul. I am enjoying the way the arguments are developing. Sergio, I would say I agree with you to the extent that all requirements are coming from the customer and she is definitely the source who should be knowing all the requirements, as we cannot turn to anyone else for the same. Irony of the situation is that customer may know all requirements but usually is unable to formalize and communicate them effectively. Here is the role of project manager or business analyst to elicit the requirements from customer in a way you dig out the unexpressed or not very well defined requirements from the customer also, in the process explicitly explaining them to customer and getting the agreement. Customer should be told what she is signing up for and be able to validate all the requirements captured.
Business Analyst is not a new emerging role. It existed from the times when projects were not even called projects. But the role of BA has been highlighted recently especially how it can interact with the PM. BA role starts mush earlier in time, even when the project is yet not conceived and it continues much beyond the completion of project and delivery of product. PM gets the business case from BA and refines it further for defining product ad project scopes. Saving Changes...
I agree with you. But still we would n''t be sure that customer knows what he wants. We begin with that assumption to make our business easier but in the long run, it makes it complicated. Which is the case now.
Say, e.g, , I have worked in 4 four banks as an IT Pro, and have understood and shared my knowledge with them. Given my background, here comes a 5th Banking client to me. Now this bank has been in existence for 50 years and they know what they are doing. But in the past 3 years, I have worked in 4 banks and I know what is cooking in the market as well but not my customer who can only copy from other banks apart from their 50 years of experience.
Another Scenario, The customer is doing business for 50 years, and they have been using quite a few technologies for their work. But I have been working for 4 banks and have just 5 years of experience. I know cloud computing is doing the rounds particularly with other banks.
I can give you numerous such scenarios of customers coming short on their knowledge but the clients doing better. On the other hand like Julie has pointed out, it needs to be two way, as there are instances where customers have come up with some interesting surprises to dictate the proceedings.
So, can we conclude that customers are always right? Indeed not, they need to be educated to make right decisions for themselves (and as Julie has pointed out, its two way education). Such customer service brings in joy for both the parties involved and customer satisfaction is 100% ad stays for a long time. Saving Changes...
