Project Customers

All projects must end.  Hopefully, they end with the customer and sponsor being happy with the project's deliverables.  A key thing to plan for on every project is how the customer will be managed after project implementation.


Many organizations rely on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to help them manage their customers. CRM systems have evolved to be must have tools for many organizations, and all project managers should be familiar with their capabilities and limitations.   Also, since many CRM systems are hosted in the cloud, the startup costs can be very reasonable.


Wikipedia defines Customer Relationship Management as "a widely-implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing, customer service, and technical support. The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and client service.^[1] Customer relationship management describes a company-wide business strategy including customer-interface departments as well as other departments".


If you are interested in learning more about CRM systems, one company I have looked at is Hosted CRM from Sherweb.  If you have done business with them in the past, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.


Also, make sure you check out these great customer service jobs from Jobboom, a supporter of this blog.

You Have Issues

Issues are going to happen on your projects. What is an issue you may ask? I define a project issue as “any event or circumstance that could alter the project schedule, budget, scope, quality or otherwise impact a project in a negative way”.

To manage issues properly you must log them, and ensure they are resolved quickly so they don’t negatively affect your project. Managing project issues is a very simple process; however we need to follow a few guidelines. Steps to take include:

Identify the Issue

This should always be done in writing. Any project team member can submit an issue to the project manager, however the project manager may choose to ignore the issue or even alter the project scope depending on circumstances.

Review the Issue

Review the issue with all concerned. Prioritize the issue and access any risks.

Log the Issue and assign ownership

When creating an issues log include at a minimum:

Write a clear and concise issue description 

Prioritize the issue based upon potential impact(s) to the project or deliverables 

Capture the date the issue was opened, date issue is expected to be resolved, and actual resolved date

Note the person responsible for resolving the issue (don’t make this a group or team. Always specify a person here.)

Have a notes column to log updates about the issue

Issue Monitoring

Request that issue owners update the issues log (or send you updates) at least weekly. Review the issues list with all core team members on a regular basis.

Issue Closure

When an issue is resolved, update the issues log with any pertinent information and close the issue.

A good issue management process will let the project sponsor know when and where issues are occurring. Additionally, an issues list is a great way to communicate to the project stakeholders about problems or concerns that are being addressed by the team. Many times an issue can cause a Scope Change Request to be generated if the issue isn’t properly managed.

In closing, conduct regular reviews of all open issues with the team and review progress towards resolving the issues. Manage issues daily, and work to resolve them quickly so they don’t become major problems on your project.

Great Article by Harold Kerzner, Ph.Dl, PMP

Click here to view the article entitled: Twenty Common Mistakes Made by New or Inexperienced Project Managers By Harold Kerzner, Ph.D., PMP

Links to the above post by Dr. Harold Kerzner have been published in several places, but I wanted to share it here too for those that haven't seen it.  This is an awesome document that will help both new and experience project managers.

I have a couple of Dr. Kerzner's books and they are all excellent.  One of his best books is listed below:

Do You Use Business Cases to Justify Your Projects?

Before a project is started, there should always be a business case. Without a business case that defines the problem(s) you are trying to solve and what success looks like, your project will start on very shaky ground.

Rule # 1 -  the business case is always written by the organization receiving the benefits.

A business case is nothing more than a story. As you begin to write your story one of the first things to define is the benefits (the value) the product(s) of the business case will bring. These value statements should be specific, brief, clear, and measurable.

Here are some basic questions that must always be answered when developing a business case. They are:

What is the problem you are trying to solve? What are the gaps between where you are and where you want to go? What are the assumptions? What will it cost?

What is the ROI (Return on Investment) and how long will it take to recoup the investment?

When did the problem first appear? How long has it been happening? What is it costing you?

Where is the problem occurring?

Who is impacted?

Why is there a problem? What is causing the problem and what is the effect? Why is a change needed now to address the problem? How big is the problem?

How will solving or minimizing the problem save money or add value? How will you measure the value?

Are the business case’s benefits worth it? Are they realistic?  Are there alternative solutions that would cost less?

There are many more questions to be answered when developing a business case, however answering the questions above will get you off to a good start.

Project Communications Planning

Project Communications Planning is a process that is continuous throughout a project. When building your initial Project Communications plan focus on the following:

Define Your Audiences - Who needs to know What, and When and How do they need to know it. Communication needs and audiences will change as the project moves forward. Plan for it.

Start from the Top and Work Your Way Down the Chain - Start your Communications with the highest levels of the organization first, then work your way down to the team members. Repeat this cycle.

Target Your Message to the Different Groups - Different groups (and sometimes individuals) may require different types of communications media (e-mail, status reports, web site, face-to-face, memo, etc.). Plan for these different types of communications vehicles up front.

Define Roles and Responsibilities - Ensure that your Project Communications Plan includes Roles and Responsibilities for key stakeholders.

Status Reports - Status Reports are a great form of Project Communication if kept short and to the point.

Repetitive Messages will be Required - The same message delivered using different mechanisms and sources will help to reinforce your message.

Anticipate Conflict - Tailor your communications to overcome Conflict before it occurs. Keep in mind that Conflict will always occur on a project. Conflict needs to be anticipated and managed continuously throughout the project.

Allow for Anonymous Feedback - Create a way for people to relay their positive and negative feedback anonymously.

Project Managers need to recognize that good communication is important because it helps to reduce conflict, increases information distribution, and helps to silence critics while reinforcing the positive aspects of your project.

Get the Right Talent on Your Team

Years ago I managed a large group of software engineers. At the time, it was very difficult to recruit software engineers from here in the United States, so we started sponsoring talent from overseas (China, Russia, India, etc.) and bringing them here to work.  When the economy recovers the IT sector may again have to look overseas to fill many software developer and IT vacancies. There just aren’t computer science majors coming out of American universities to satisfy the current and upcoming demand.

My point is corporations will either have to outsource IT jobs to other countries or look to bring in talent from other countries using an immigration lawyer if they can’t find the right talent within our own borders. The same principles apply to your project teams. If you don’t have the right talent in your company for your project team, consider looking to outside contractors or consultants to fill these roles.

I believe that outsourcing jobs overseas or bringing in workers from outside your borders shouldn’t occur except as a last resort. Having said that, I also realize that companies can’t grow if they can’t hire the right talent.  Never settle for what is available when staffing your project teams. If you can’t find what you need within your company don’t be afraid to look externally. The job you save may be your own.

Some Great Quotes!

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”—Helen Keller

“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”— James Dean

“The two most powerful things in existence: a kind word and a thoughtful gesture.”— Ken Langone, founder, Home Depot

“The deepest human need is the need to be appreciated.”— William James

“Don’t belittle!” — OD Consultant, on the essence of a well-functioning human community

“If you don’t listen, you don’t sell anything.”— Carolyn Marland/MD/Guardian Group

“It was much later that I realized Dad’s secret. He gained respect by giving it. He talked and listened to the fourth-grade kids in Spring Valley who shined shoes the same way he talked and listened to a bishop or a college president. He was seriously interested in who you were and what you had to say.” —Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Respect

“What creates trust, in the end, is the leader’s manifest respect for the followers.” — Jim O’Toole, Leading Change

“If you can’t state your position in eight words or less, you don’t have a position.” —Seth Godin

“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead

“Make your life itself a creative work of art.” —Mike Ray, The Highest Goal

“Have you invested as much this year in your career as in your car?” —Molly Sargent, OD consultant and trainer

“The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.” —James Yorke, Mathematician, on chaos theory in The New Scientist

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” —Oscar Wilde

“People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for, that they trust.”—Howard Schultz, Starbucks

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” —Charles Darwin

“We may not be interested in chaos but chaos is interested in us.” —Robert Cooper, The Breaking of Nations: Order and Chaos in the Twenty-first Century

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”—General Eric Shinseki, retired Chief of Staff, U. S. Army

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”—Gandhi

“We eat change for breakfast!”—Harry Quadracci, founder, QuadGraphics

“If things seem under control, you’re just not going fast enough.” —Mario Andretti

“You can’t behave in a calm, rational manner. You’ve got to be out there on the lunatic fringe.” —Jack Welch, retired CEO, GE

“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s called doing things.”—Herb Kelleher, founder, Southwest Airlines

“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.” —The Shawshank Redemption (Tim Robbins)

“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”—Steve Jobs, Apple

“Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best.”—Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman, Organizing Genius

“The best thing a leader can do for a Great Group is to allow its members to discover their greatness.”—Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman, Organizing Genius

“You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend or not.”—Isabel Allende

“Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be exceptional.” —Mark Sanborn, The Fred Factor

“A leader is a dealer in hope.”—Napoleon

“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.” —Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it". Michelangelo

“If you’re enthusiastic about the things you’re working on, people will come ask you to do interesting things.” —James Woolsey, former CIA director

“Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe.” —Winston Churchill

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."—John Quincy Adams

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”—Karen Lamb