How important are right questions
Marcin Gora
Program Manager | PhD Student | Lecturer | Digital transformation | Global program management
Let's imagine... our customers always will be right and will have full knowledge of what they want. It's a dream or miracle :) For every project manager or business analyst it would be something amazing.
Once, we had great customer with huge knowledge about process. Current management built company from the beginning. During ERP system implementation we discussed about some modification of sales process in our system. How automatization should look like and what we need to change in the system. The add-on to the system delayed whole process of T&T for something like 1-2 months. After implementation we started trainings for end-users. We were so proud about prepared feature. On the first day of presenting the system sales person asked why we prepared this solution. We answered, that it was agreed with their management. "But we stopped this way of working about 4-5 years ago..." You could imagine our faces... ;)
Sometimes, it's really good to validate agreed solutions with end-users, who will work with them in the future. If you are preparing MVP (Minimum Viable Product) you could check your solutions on every small step - if everything is ok and if you are going in the right direction. Often customer want to just copy their old solution or implement what they saw somewhere else. It's not a preferred solution. Your role as project manager, architect, solution designer is to help them find the best option. On every project we need to use our knowledge and experience to deliver to the customer profitable product or at least to show them possibilities. At the end we need to combine it with their needs and vision. It doesn't matter if you are delivering new data center or some small cabinet - it's always cooperation.
Every proposal should be validated and optimized. And checked again. No matter if you are working Waterfall or Agile or on hybrid mode - discuss, prepare first draft, validate, implement changes, repeat. This is a wheel of delivering solutions.
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If customer doesn't know, what he/she want - we need to prepare for them the best solutions. And if you let them make a choice and help them to choose wisely this customer will come back to you and will also generate really positive feedback. Focusing on quality and value delivery will always bring something positive. Remember, that happy customer will generate you additional one in the future. Good luck!