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 Expectations Management |
| By Steve Kaplan |
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| "What do you consider to be the most important factor of a successful project?" |
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| This was one of the questions an IT review committee fired at me during our interview for a project with a Northern California city. Suspecting a trick, I promptly deferred to Tom Meyers of TGMeyers & Associates. Tom unhesitatingly responded, "expectations management". |
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| I stifled a smile thinking this was another example of Tom's glib command of semantics. Surely he could not believe that managing expectations was more important than design, implementation, training or support? But as I listened to his explanation, I gradually became convinced that he was not only sincere, but likely correct. |
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| Tom maintains that a client either receives anticipated results or considers the project a failure. Exemplary work in excess of industry standards is still immaterial if customer expectations are not met. Perception is reality. Tom keeps a tongue-in-cheek sign in his office that reads, “We don't care if you are happy, as long as you think you are”. |
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| We partnered with Tom on the city bid because the RFP required tasks such as helping departments formulate their goals. This kind of skill is neither our current, nor our desired forte. Tom, on the other hand, is an expert at working with organizations to define their technology needs. He attributes this ability to an eclectic background that includes a masters in Information Management and experience covering construction, microbiology, application development and satellite communications. He has been in the industry long enough to once have had lunch with both Bill Gates and Mitch Kapor (founder of Lotus). |
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| According to Tom, the first clue that expectations management has failed is when your client utters the words, "you know, we expected...” The goal is to avoid this phrase by making sure that the customer's mental image of what they expect matches the proposed end result. |
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| Effective communication is essential. People tend to engage in selective listening. You can never be sure of what they heard. When speaking with groups of people, the problem becomes even more acute. Different people might be present at different times and have very different impressions of the discussions. |
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| Combining active listening with active documentation helps clarify communications. Listen audibly, but give written or graphical feedback. Tom tries to provide multiple forms of feedback through email, faxes, letters and presentations. He hopes to catch any unstated expectations before the project implementation begins. |
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| Expectations management is accomplished through managing the details. Updated check-off lists help ensure that salespeople ask the right questions about the project, as well as about relevant peripheral items. These might include the number of applications or the quality of air conditioning. |
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| Our worst case of failed expectations management involved a network installation for a non-profit institution in the early 1990's. Our salesperson initially spent many hours in meetings listening to their needs. She later patiently went over every detail of the proposal. Despite her efforts and a very smooth installation, the project was unsuccessful. The clients had an unrevealed perception that we would manage their day-to-day operations as part of the installation price. We finally convinced them they were mistaken, but they never became raving fans. |
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| Tom stresses that you can not meet every goal nor make everyone happy all of the time. Success is a subjective, emotional thing. He used to work on rescuing troubled projects that were over budget or behind schedule. Tom would ask the clients to describe their original goals. He then ascertained the minimum results needed in order for them to consider the project successful. |
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| Defining terms helps to reduce differences in expectations. What is fast? What is slow? How big are big savings? Setting priorities is also important. Keep in mind that the client is not always right. It is okay to question everything. Tom says that he is not afraid to stick his nose into anyone else's business if it can affect his project. He wants to account for any interdependencies that might impact his results. |
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| The final key to successfully managing expectations is to turn down potentially troublesome projects. Some prospective clients are just plain unreasonable. Emphasizing active listening rather than closing techniques increases the likelihood of detecting the warning signs. Forging ahead into troubled waters inevitably leads to a tortuous ordeal. A far more prudent approach is having the discipline to just move on to the next, more promising, project. |
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| Steve Kaplan is president of AccessFlow. This is an updated article originally published in Reseller Management in February 1998. |
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