Sisca YuliharyaniSr. PM Consultant | Chief Strategy Officer| IndonesiaBandung, West Java, Indonesia
I assigned to manage small IT project, which is i did not have any experience for small IT project that held based on friend relation (not professional relationship). I try to apply my knowledge as PM of large IT project but in the end the client was not happy because i apply my knowledge as PM like i did in large IT Project. My development team were very grateful on how i manage that project because i make the plan and requirements clear but the client try to gain benefit with disagreeing in the feature that agreed before. Actually i have a lot of prove that what i did was true because i always speak with data and documentation. my question is how to make my CEO understand that the client is the people who was not sure what he want (the client is close friend of my CEO) and not my team's fault that the client was not happy? Saving Changes...
Sisca YuliharyaniSr. PM Consultant | Chief Strategy Officer| IndonesiaBandung, West Java, Indonesia
Jan 05, 2017 2:22 AM
Replying to Muhammad Shalahuddin
...
I think your problem is about communication.
You are a low-context person that good communication is precise, explicit and clear, so you think your client is satisfied with your product until your client said the opposite to your CEO.
Indonesian people are commonly high-context person. In high-context cultures, communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages are often implied but not plainly stated. Less is put in writing, more is left open to interpretation.
You did great job when you met your CEO and gave good explanations so he trust you to closed your project. I hope you can close your project smoothly and than you create a good lesson learned document.
Thank you for sharing,
I aware of the difference between low context and high context cultures, that's why in the next meeting i will less writing, and more concern about what the client "really need".
I really appreciate your support and input :) Saving Changes...
Hi Vincent and all,
Thanks for your input. I 've met my CEO, and he ask me to provide the client's need, but he didn't put the blame on me since i have the evidences and good explanations. I will organized meeting with my client next week to see how me and him will fix the requirements and working with the same understanding of the scope. I hope this time i can closed this project on time and within schedule baseline, also i hope i can gain my client satisfaction and the software can be the answer of his company problem
Sisca,
Good job with the CEO meetings. Remember to keep boundaries between both. Good luck with the client meeting.
I don't know many CEOs that made bad business decisions to help a friend.
If you've produced the correct project results, they should speak for themselves. When you start defending yourself, you have lost the battle.
...
2 replies by Muhammad Shalahuddin and Sisca Yuliharyani
Jan 05, 2017 7:44 PM
Sisca Yuliharyani
...
Stephane, i wasn't depending myself, i just feel sorry to my project team that because of this project, i still could not closed the project. Because i know my team is very great and the result is satisfying (although the client said the opposite). My CEO have take a look at the product, and he agree that what me and my team did was great, with my prove in documentation about the scope and requirement, MoM, etc, he know that the problem is not in his company side. But the client is really important to him, so he asked me to provide "whatever" he need. I also communicate with my CEO that there are several risks would rise if we provide the way he wants. Actually i little bit confuse about why he even hire me as certified project manager if he had no problem in scope creep.
Thank you for your great input..
Jan 05, 2017 8:15 PM
Muhammad Shalahuddin
...
I think that CEO didn't realize that he already mad bad business decisions. He is more trust to what his friend said than project result (software & document) that Sisca & her team create.
According cross cultural management about trusting (link: https://hbr.org/2014/05/navigating-the-cultural-minefield), there are 2 kind of cultures, task-based culture (trust is built cognitively through work) and relationship-based culture (trust is a result of weaving a strong affective connection). Majority of Indonesian are relationship-based culture.
I don't know many CEOs that made bad business decisions to help a friend.
If you've produced the correct project results, they should speak for themselves. When you start defending yourself, you have lost the battle.
Stephane, i wasn't depending myself, i just feel sorry to my project team that because of this project, i still could not closed the project. Because i know my team is very great and the result is satisfying (although the client said the opposite). My CEO have take a look at the product, and he agree that what me and my team did was great, with my prove in documentation about the scope and requirement, MoM, etc, he know that the problem is not in his company side. But the client is really important to him, so he asked me to provide "whatever" he need. I also communicate with my CEO that there are several risks would rise if we provide the way he wants. Actually i little bit confuse about why he even hire me as certified project manager if he had no problem in scope creep.
Thank you for your great input.. Saving Changes...
Sisca YuliharyaniSr. PM Consultant | Chief Strategy Officer| IndonesiaBandung, West Java, Indonesia
Jan 05, 2017 7:25 PM
Replying to Rami Kaibni
...
I agree with all my fellow colleagues but Stephane said a Golden Sentence: Let the project results speak for you !
Yes, Rami i do agree...
Thank You Saving Changes...
Muhammad ShalahuddinHead of IT Department| Subsidiary of BUMN/ SoE (State-owned EnterpriseBandung, West Java, Indonesia
I don't know many CEOs that made bad business decisions to help a friend.
If you've produced the correct project results, they should speak for themselves. When you start defending yourself, you have lost the battle.
I think that CEO didn't realize that he already mad bad business decisions. He is more trust to what his friend said than project result (software & document) that Sisca & her team create.
According cross cultural management about trusting (link: https://hbr.org/2014/05/navigating-the-cultural-minefield), there are 2 kind of cultures, task-based culture (trust is built cognitively through work) and relationship-based culture (trust is a result of weaving a strong affective connection). Majority of Indonesian are relationship-based culture.
...
1 reply by Sisca Yuliharyani
Jan 05, 2017 8:23 PM
Sisca Yuliharyani
...
Yes, Muhammad
I think you are right :)
Saving Changes...
Sisca YuliharyaniSr. PM Consultant | Chief Strategy Officer| IndonesiaBandung, West Java, Indonesia
Jan 05, 2017 12:44 PM
Replying to Mayte Mata Sivera
...
Sisca,
Good job with the CEO meetings. Remember to keep boundaries between both. Good luck with the client meeting.
Thanks Maria Saving Changes...
Sisca YuliharyaniSr. PM Consultant | Chief Strategy Officer| IndonesiaBandung, West Java, Indonesia
Jan 05, 2017 8:15 PM
Replying to Muhammad Shalahuddin
...
I think that CEO didn't realize that he already mad bad business decisions. He is more trust to what his friend said than project result (software & document) that Sisca & her team create.
According cross cultural management about trusting (link: https://hbr.org/2014/05/navigating-the-cultural-minefield), there are 2 kind of cultures, task-based culture (trust is built cognitively through work) and relationship-based culture (trust is a result of weaving a strong affective connection). Majority of Indonesian are relationship-based culture.
You are a low-context person that good communication is precise, explicit and clear, so you think your client is satisfied with your product until your client said the opposite to your CEO.
Indonesian people are commonly high-context person. In high-context cultures, communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages are often implied but not plainly stated. Less is put in writing, more is left open to interpretation.
You did great job when you met your CEO and gave good explanations so he trust you to closed your project. I hope you can close your project smoothly and than you create a good lesson learned document.
Hi Muhammad, thank you for your notes, but only one comment, be careful with Wikipedia...sometimes information is not accurate. Saving Changes...
Community Champion
