Sometimes, projects stay on track, but more often, we are behind schedule. Usually, there is no big problem because we have the margin to manage project delays, but what do we do when the buffer runs out, and we still have a problem delivering products in the project?
In this article, you’ll read about
The project is successful only when all products are delivered
I know, that the best way to avoid this thought situation is perfect planning, keeping an eye on the schedule, and managing project parts. But this time it was different. I jump into a project that looks nice and is easy to finish. Most of the project products were ready, the last thing was to deliver the last product in the last part of the project.
Unfortunately, the last product had the most value, and finishing it was the most problematic because suppliers failed. What’s more, the supplier wasn’t available at all.
Emergency plan
The problem in project management is highly possible, so we need to have an emergency plan. I would like to have one, but there was no emergency plan for this project.
The first idea was to find another supplier, that will make this final product. But there were two main problems: time and cost. Time doesn’t exist as you probably heard, so the cost was this element, that made finding someone else to finish the job impossible.
When you stay on the edge don’t forget about communications
So you and your team are crying and see no future. Project speeding up, and wall standing in front of your track. There is no hope to deliver all products in this project in the promised time. What’s the next step?
Communications. There is tons of good advice to communicate all problems to your client. But who likes to do this? Nobody, but one of the worst roles of a project manager is telling clients that we have a serious problem.
How you do this is extra important. Remember that the biggest advantage of this crisis could be your client being convinced that you are able to manage the trouble perfectly.
To do this, you need to propose to your client how to solve this issue. The best solution is based on the client’s must-have parts of products, if there are any parts. So you need to know what the client will do with your product, and when he needs it ready in 100%.
We don’t think about it at the beginning of the project because we assume that everything will go as planned. But when problems appear, it’s a good time to figure out what the major element of products for the client is and how to deliver them to him as soon as possible.
Effective Communication of Project Issues: A Practical Guide
Now it’s time to restore controls of the project
When we find what the client needs most, we can deliver these parts on an acceptable schedule. This is the first huge step in solving the problem.
Then you need to pay close attention to deliver what you promise because there is no place for mistakes.
Success
When you finish this project, your client is likely to recommend your services. Why? When everything goes well, there is no place to check how your partner is dealing with problems. Most companies have huge trouble when something goes wrong, and they aren’t able to solve problems transparently.
On the other hand, clients often wonder if our contractor will have problems. If you show the market that you can handle problems and do this in a professional way, new clients will appear because they will know that even if things go wrong, your company gives 100% to solving a problem and finishing the project with success.
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