Comments on: Why The Customer Always Wants His Stuff Tomorrow http://www.projectshrink.com/why-the-customer-always-wants-his-stuff-tomorrow-35.html Welcome To Shrinkonia. Sun, 20 May 2012 21:13:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Oren Cohen-Shwartz http://www.projectshrink.com/why-the-customer-always-wants-his-stuff-tomorrow-35.html#comment-57 Oren Cohen-Shwartz Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:03:32 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/why-the-customer-always-wants-his-stuff-tomorrow-35.html#comment-57 Customers want the stuff tomorrow because they need it ASAP. One can't blame the customer urgency. Having a real customer on hand is fantastic for the company to R&D. Smart Project Manager participate his team with the customer information. All the team members need to know the big picture: Customer name, location, needs etc. My assumption is based on that people want to be involved, contribute and create successful software for the customer. Knowing for whom you are working for grant focus and feeling of accomplishments. In this kind of atmosphere it is much more easy to make employees agreed with harsh deadlines. Customers want the stuff tomorrow because they need it ASAP.
One can’t blame the customer urgency.
Having a real customer on hand is fantastic for the company to R&D.
Smart Project Manager participate his team with the customer information.
All the team members need to know the big picture: Customer name, location, needs etc.
My assumption is based on that people want to be involved, contribute and create successful software for the customer.
Knowing for whom you are working for grant focus and feeling of accomplishments. In this kind of atmosphere it is much more easy to make employees agreed with harsh deadlines.

]]> By: Ann Brown http://www.projectshrink.com/why-the-customer-always-wants-his-stuff-tomorrow-35.html#comment-56 Ann Brown Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:23:30 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/why-the-customer-always-wants-his-stuff-tomorrow-35.html#comment-56 Same thing happens in supply chain management when people do not trust the process - they hoard, over order, under promise etc. until the whole process is completely undermined. Customers demand delivery "next Tuesday" as they believe that only the squeaky wheel will get attention. PM promise "as soon as I can" to put them off...and also because they believe that there's not point in guaranteeing a time as no-one is working to the plan anway. What a sad situation and how unhappy for customers and suppliers...and downright miserbale for the project manager. Good project managers (and organizations) work to build trust in the process of specifications to delivery. And the trust must be with the customer and within the team. Project Manager as relationship builder - what a concept! Same thing happens in supply chain management when people do not trust the process – they hoard, over order, under promise etc. until the whole process is completely undermined.

Customers demand delivery “next Tuesday” as they believe that only the squeaky wheel will get attention. PM promise “as soon as I can” to put them off…and also because they believe that there’s not point in guaranteeing a time as no-one is working to the plan anway.

What a sad situation and how unhappy for customers and suppliers…and downright miserbale for the project manager.

Good project managers (and organizations) work to build trust in the process of specifications to delivery. And the trust must be with the customer and within the team. Project Manager as relationship builder – what a concept!

]]> By: Snik http://www.projectshrink.com/why-the-customer-always-wants-his-stuff-tomorrow-35.html#comment-55 Snik Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:35:31 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/why-the-customer-always-wants-his-stuff-tomorrow-35.html#comment-55 With an 'unreasonably' short deadline, I think that the guys at the bottom of the stack who actually have to do the work immediately start to doubt the seriousness or competence of the decision makers. That is the start of a downward trend in trust and respect. Of course, if the workforce were already on that downward slope, a deadline or two makes little difference. With a more generous deadline than 'necessary' a motivated workforce almost feels compelled to refine, tweak, improve and enhance a project that could otherwise be very simply, quickly and efficiently completed. But as you stated, if the workforce was never very motivated in the first place, then all the time in the world would be of little help to the project. This article seems to make a lot of sense. With an ‘unreasonably’ short deadline, I think that the guys at the bottom of the stack who actually have to do the work immediately start to doubt the seriousness or competence of the decision makers. That is the start of a downward trend in trust and respect. Of course, if the workforce were already on that downward slope, a deadline or two makes little difference.
With a more generous deadline than ‘necessary’ a motivated workforce almost feels compelled to refine, tweak, improve and enhance a project that could otherwise be very simply, quickly and efficiently completed. But as you stated, if the workforce was never very motivated in the first place, then all the time in the world would be of little help to the project.
This article seems to make a lot of sense.

]]> By: Bas http://www.projectshrink.com/why-the-customer-always-wants-his-stuff-tomorrow-35.html#comment-54 Bas Sun, 29 Jul 2007 11:08:00 +0000 http://blog.softwareprojects.org/why-the-customer-always-wants-his-stuff-tomorrow-35.html#comment-54 Pawel Brodzinski wrote a response to this posting on his great blog. Definitely worth checking out: http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/07/setting-deadlines.html Pawel Brodzinski wrote a response to this posting on his great blog. Definitely worth checking out:

http://blog.brodzinski.com/2007/07/setting-deadlines.html

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