The Client role at RAA Our clients are a critical part of the project team and, as such, have certain rights and responsibilities, which will play a key part in the success of any effort.   This paper will articulate the definitions of the various types of our clients, their rights as far as what they can expect from us and their responsibilities to RAA and to the project.   Definitions: The Client This term describes the broad sweep of entities that employ RAA services. They include the corporation and everybody with whom we have either direct or indirect contact. This can range from the President of the company to an in-house editor. The Client is the most general of terms. The Executive Group There are a number of people in the upper management of a client that can significantly influence a project even though they may have little day to day knowledge of the project. The Steering Committee This committee or group is the governing body that makes key decisions regarding the work effort. Some companies have them and some do not. Controlling costs, creating efficiencies, and expectations of rapid decision making has an inverse relationship to the number of people on the committee. The Decision Maker Whether in control of the Steering Committee or as an individual, the Decision Maker is ultimately the person that is requesting the work, approving it and authorizing the expenditures. The Daily Contact This is the person we often refer to as “the Client” and can encompass 1-4 above in some cases. But more often, the Daily Contact is the person who has the responsibility for execution of the project with varying degrees of authority. Sometimes one person plays all of these roles, sometimes it is a matter of organizational structure. Regardless, these people/groups will be players in the development of various projects at one point or another and it is important that we know the roles of who we deal with and the scope of their authority.   Client Rights - You have the right to To expect us to speak your language Discussions should center on your business needs and use your business vocabulary (which we may need to learn). You shouldn't have to wade through advertising or technical jargon to understand what is going on. To expect us to learn about your business To do our job effectively we need to interact with your company to fully understand the business tasks and how our work effort fits into the company. The more we understand, the more focused and accurate the work product will be. To have the requirements of the project explained to you In order for us to fully describe the requirements of the project, we need to be able to communicate it without lingo you are not familiar with. You need to be able to get specifications that fit your requests and you can explain within your company. To be treated with respect As we gather information and requirements for your project, you should expect an attitude of mutual investment in its success. There can be gaps of understanding between team members at times; gaps in technology awareness, marketing needs, business goals, or even personalities for example. You should have an open channel to express your issues in a non-confrontational atmosphere. To be presented with alternatives We consider ourselves to be team members, not just order takers. You should expect to be presented with ideas, methods, and tools you may not be aware of which may provide you a better solution or prevent an expensive problem later on. To change your requirements for the project Change is a constant in business. But change can cause disruption and needless costs and delays if not managed properly. You deserve a method to communicate change requests and should expect a full explanation as to their ramifications to the project. To good faith estimates that you can understand We make good faith estimates of our services based on the information you provide, requirements we can mutually agree upon, or other resources involved. We recognize that typically, it is you that eventually will defend and justify the estimates to your company. You have the right to getting these estimates in a form that best suits your needs, aids in your understanding and helps you understand the value of the effort you are investing in. We will fully explain the drivers of the costs, impact of changes. To non-disclosure You should expect that information you provide to us regarding your business is kept confidential during the development of your project. We work with a large variety of customers and you should not feel that what you have told us or given to us is not compromised. Client Responsibilities A successful project is one where there is clear communication, mutual respect, and mutual goals of success. In order for us to hold up our end of that bargain, there are certain responsibilities that you must assume as a client.   You have the responsibility for: Educating us about your business For us to provide the best solution possible we must know how your business operates and how that is operating today. Assumptions based on old knowledge can lead to poor ideas and executions. Although we don’t intend to be experts in your business, we require access to resources and information which you and your peers may take for granted. Participation and availability We recognize that your time is precious and we want to be as efficient as we can be in the use of your time and that of your resources. However we cannot operate in a vacuum and need full and active participation by you or someone you designate as an authoritative team member as we develop the requirements for the project and during the development of it. We need access to daily contact who has the authority and the company knowledge to answer questions, get resources and facilitate the project. They need to be able to access decision makers and/or steering committee members. Being specific When we are preparing requirements, developing estimates, managing changes and costs, being vague about requirements or giving general, non specific direction causes us to guess at what you are seeking. This increases the risk, forces makeovers, and damages communication. Sometimes it is difficult to be precise because of parallel efforts in your company or interdepartmental communication. That being the case, you must recognize that a lack of sufficient requirements can impact cost and timelines. If precision is not possible, then you must agree to a process to generate the required specificity. Making timely and authoritative decisions There are many decisions to be made during the life cycle of a project. There are large ones such as vendor selection, scope and costs; there are critical path decisions that can affect the efforts outcome and there are day-to-day decisions that make the flow of development smooth. You are responsible for providing a clear understanding of who the decision makers are and providing us with prompt and authoritative decisions. We treat every decision as important because every decision made has an effect on the outcome of the product, whether it is qualitative, financial, or timeliness.. Decisions that are reversed, or not made in a timely manner can force guessing, mistakes, work stoppage or cost overruns. Providing us with a budgetary scope or price range If we are not aware of your limitations for spending, we will likely guess incorrectly. Bidding on projects is typically a dance of expectations. If we have no awareness of your expectations, we cannot tailor the project’s quality, scope, and anticipated outcomes appropriately. In the event of long-term projects spanning several months, we can often be creative about how the spending occurs so we can take best advantage of your internal dynamics. Respecting our estimates of time, cost and feasibility Each component of a work effort has a price and there are typically dependencies among components that can cause an expense or provide a savings that might not be readily apparent. Sometimes a feature you want seems minor but can present serious cost implications. Conversely, sometimes a feature that would add considerable value to you may be unexpectedly inexpensive.   We may at times have to be the bearer of bad news and you must respect that we are typically in a better position to judge the full impact and have provided you with estimates and feasibility options based on our experience. We need an open communication about costs and you need to provide us an opportunity to explain and alter requirements and estimates to best suit your budgetary needs and our costs of doing business. Setting priorities Most projects don't have the luxury to implement every desirable element of the project at once., You must determine which elements are essential, which are important to incorporate eventually, and which would just be nice extras. When you prioritize, you help us deliver the greatest value at the lowest cost within the bounds of the requirements. Not everything on the wish list can be done at once. Reviewing the requirements, specifications and costs These are critical components that require you understanding of them. These are the blueprints used for building the project elements and are the key references when it comes to questions about what was included and what is optional. They are also the cornerstones of quality communication. We recognize it can be difficult to envision how a website or a marketing program will work when reading a document and are willing to provide other vehicles such a working prototypes. But there comes a point when we need to check off completed work and eventually agree the work was completed as requested. Respecting revision cycles Cost containment cannot be achieved in an environment of constant revisions.. We employ a revision model of focusing and accepting: High level concepts are focused to a direction; the direction is refined to details; final details are completed; the component is accepted and the cycle is complete. Multiple iterations of these typically exceed the bounds of our estimating process and costs begin to mount. Your participation in the revision includes consolidating the feedback from others in your organization to provide us clear direction into the next phase of the cycle. It also means the refinements are authoritative so we can move forward and not stay in place spinning our wheels. Utilizing the change control process You have a right to request changes. You also have the right to understand their impact and make a final decision to proceed. We have several vehicles for requesting changes so that they are documented, discussed and decisions can be made and captured. Your responsibility is to utilize these vehicles instead of relying on voice communications, e-mails or other methods. This protects all of us at eh end of the projects when there is a record of the requests and their disposition. Facilitate payment for services We are in business to provide service to our clients. We provide top level service and expect that once budgets are approved, invoice processing is overseen, prompt , and followed up. Just as is the case for your company, we depend on our clients to meet the terms of acceptance and requirements for payment. We are willing to work with you to provide you with invoices tailored to fit your internal accounting needs and your sign off authority.
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