I have posted nary a thing since early this month, but I have a good excuse! But first, a question for you:
In consulting, is it possible to make a client too happy? Whenever there is an agreement between buyer and seller, the overall goal is always that both parties walk away satisfied. But if party A is drastically more satisfied than party B, then chances are it’s because the project was underbid by party B, who I work for.
If you answered yes, then you probably have worked for on projects that somehow quietly crept out of scope and nobody noticed until it was too late. Decision makers probably told the developers to try to do whatever it takes to “cram” those extra features in there, and avoid disappointing the client.
Or, in my case, the scope was well defined during the planning phase, and a detailed estimate submitted. But lo and behold, after all of this work, the client announced that someone in sales had predicted it shouldn’t cost more than $50,000. So our schedule / timeline is currently based on that number, and not the true cost of the project. Our CEO is somewhat infamous for keeping the client happy at all costs. But I would argue that if the consulting firm is losing money, the client might be too happy.
Unless they are cash strapped, clients will respect consultants that communicate genuine risks, and will sometimes agree to pay more if need be to ensure a successful project.
All that to say… I’ve been working a little overtime lately.
