The world of shypokrylov, or how to find a common language with customers
Terentii , my ex-colleague and leader took hold of the pen. I would like to comment on some episodes in ASG, especially the relations with the client, marked as “they were being led to the office, to put it mildly, in a boorish way - worthy heirs of the traditions of Soltychikha”. The fact is that ... the customer is always right. So…
When the project of the site of X-Bank was ready and it was necessary to repay the contract, the project manager could not receive the payment “with a charge” and began to keep similar records:
- January 20, 11:02. called the bank. otv.manedzher did not fit. promised to call back in an hour.
- January 20, 15:02. called back. He was absent. called his supervisor. the secretary did not connect.
- January 25, 11:02. called the bank. Otv.manager went to the phone. yelled why i didn't call earlier. made an appointment.
- January 27, 3:00 pm at the meeting they took out the brain, they said to redo everything. TK in the contract is not looked. wrote them the changes that we can make with saving the cost.
- January 28, 11:00. Called to find out that with e-mail. not connected ...
And so on.
')
Having plunged into a problem with X-Bank (his meeting-strategy with clients, described by terentii, happened before this):
1. The manager was reinsured and decided to close each stage of the contract with acts. For example, they made a catalog of services in the frontend, closed it with an act (which means that we will not make any changes anymore), made a section “about the bank” - they closed it with an act. Thus, the acts scored up to 15 pieces. The client suspended signing on the seventh act, and under the contract if there are no comments from the client, the act is automatically accepted 5 days after it is sent to the client ...
2. In the TK was not indicated whether the rubber design. By default, they made 800 by 600. On the monitor (far beyond 1600) the chairman of the board, the right part of the screen represented a white spot. And no one could explain how to remove it. To make a rubber design meant to redo the layout of the entire front end, especially as the bank services menu, located on the left side of the page, was graphically executed. And the layout was closed with an act a long time ago ...
I remember the meeting on point 2 well. I got stuck in the room: from our side: our main programmer, the head of project managers, I, as a project manager, from the Bank: chief technical specialist, head of IT department, press secretary (at the meeting, she stretched out her hand to me and her palm was strictly parallel to the floor, I shook my hand turning it to a perpendicular state. She did not greet me more), and a few more uncles in very smart-looking ties. 2 hours we discussed options:
1. Leave as it is and at the same time show the website of the chairman of the board on another monitor. Problem: how to replace his favorite 27-inch monitor. The head of the IT department promised to lie on the embrasure, giving the monitor temporarily for repair.
2. Make a rubber version. Looking at the graying temples of our hands of project managers, I suggested not to do this in view of the restructuring of the site (no one understood) and re-approval from the chairman of the board (and everyone understood this). Therefore, from paragraph 2. immediately refused.
3. Divide the page into 2 parts. One is pressed to the left edge, the second - to the right. We fill the middle with a banner or new site services. Dug up a volume on usability. We decided not to do it, or else the users' brain will be split in two.
Closed the contract and launched the site as follows. We agreed with the head of the IT department (on whose balance the contract was hanging) that we would be representatives of the parties. The bank agrees to the 800 fix, we update all the content on the site, make several pages, train the content manager. After 2 weeks, we sat opposite each other and signed 8 missing acts in turn.
The most calm client was the Press Service of the Federation Council, about which terentii speaks. Most of all I remembered the canteen with prices of 7 rubles 38 kopecks, where I tried to come as often as possible, the press service team, who gave tea with cookies and just that former colonel. Prior to launching the project, he spent most of his work time on page layout and a bunch of static pages with each other, so he took the idea of ​​automating his work with a bang. He gave me recommendations on data structures, what information products should be, etc. In general, we did the project quickly and almost without coordination.
Everything rested on the cap (it was a 800-by-60-pixel image) ... on which, according to customer requirements, d. Russia is depicted, and the building of the Federation Council, and the coat of arms, and flag. Everything would be fine, but only he asked to make the flag animated in a flash, i.e. fluttering. I noted that only an animated flag with other static objects will cause a number of questions, in addition, what parameters does the flag use for “waving”? Wind speed, direction? Obviously, you need to take into account the weather data, the time of day, which requires a separate server, additional negotiation ... If the time of day, then how should the SF windows go out? Which window should go out last? Chairman window? And if it is not from the street? Rotate the building in 3D? But for security reasons, you cannot show that it is in this window that the chairman’s office ... Of course, I exaggerated, but nevertheless we decided to put off the animated flag until the next version of the project. Soon forgot about the flag. And our designer was saved from the difficult programming of the wind in a flash.
In general, which of these can be learned for project managers:
* The client will never say what he needs in the "correct" language. Understand his business and understand his needs. If you have not guessed, the client does not accept the project - this is your problem, not the client.
* It is impossible to defend against customer claims by legal means (hard contracts, acts, etc.). The whole project is done on mutual respect and trust. There is no trust - and nothing will save.
* Representatives of the customer (and if they are large companies) are hard to get their positions, are in constant corporate struggle. They implicitly demand respect for themselves, for their status. So respect their status (but do not bow - there is a difference).
* Design is always subjective. Put in the project up to 10 design options - i.e. "To the bitter end". Never ask "what you specifically do not like the design." The design is either tasty or not tasty. And without explaining the reasons with the decoding "goodies".
* Treat the client site as your business site. For the client will immediately be yours.
Pps
In the trilogy of G. Harrison “The World of Death” there is a chapter about a colony of settlers on a planet with a very aggressive animal and plant world. The colony was surrounded by a technological perimeter, which every minute burned out attempts of poisonous plants to devour colonists. When the main character was outside the Perimeter, then for some reason (I think I just wanted to live) I began to think about monsters without hate and they became welcoming to him. However, shark teeth and saliva in the style of aliens remained the same. So the world is as we think of it. He just mirrors us.
When the project of the site of X-Bank was ready and it was necessary to repay the contract, the project manager could not receive the payment “with a charge” and began to keep similar records:
- January 20, 11:02. called the bank. otv.manedzher did not fit. promised to call back in an hour.
- January 20, 15:02. called back. He was absent. called his supervisor. the secretary did not connect.
- January 25, 11:02. called the bank. Otv.manager went to the phone. yelled why i didn't call earlier. made an appointment.
- January 27, 3:00 pm at the meeting they took out the brain, they said to redo everything. TK in the contract is not looked. wrote them the changes that we can make with saving the cost.
- January 28, 11:00. Called to find out that with e-mail. not connected ...
And so on.
')
Having plunged into a problem with X-Bank (his meeting-strategy with clients, described by terentii, happened before this):
1. The manager was reinsured and decided to close each stage of the contract with acts. For example, they made a catalog of services in the frontend, closed it with an act (which means that we will not make any changes anymore), made a section “about the bank” - they closed it with an act. Thus, the acts scored up to 15 pieces. The client suspended signing on the seventh act, and under the contract if there are no comments from the client, the act is automatically accepted 5 days after it is sent to the client ...
2. In the TK was not indicated whether the rubber design. By default, they made 800 by 600. On the monitor (far beyond 1600) the chairman of the board, the right part of the screen represented a white spot. And no one could explain how to remove it. To make a rubber design meant to redo the layout of the entire front end, especially as the bank services menu, located on the left side of the page, was graphically executed. And the layout was closed with an act a long time ago ...
I remember the meeting on point 2 well. I got stuck in the room: from our side: our main programmer, the head of project managers, I, as a project manager, from the Bank: chief technical specialist, head of IT department, press secretary (at the meeting, she stretched out her hand to me and her palm was strictly parallel to the floor, I shook my hand turning it to a perpendicular state. She did not greet me more), and a few more uncles in very smart-looking ties. 2 hours we discussed options:
1. Leave as it is and at the same time show the website of the chairman of the board on another monitor. Problem: how to replace his favorite 27-inch monitor. The head of the IT department promised to lie on the embrasure, giving the monitor temporarily for repair.
2. Make a rubber version. Looking at the graying temples of our hands of project managers, I suggested not to do this in view of the restructuring of the site (no one understood) and re-approval from the chairman of the board (and everyone understood this). Therefore, from paragraph 2. immediately refused.
3. Divide the page into 2 parts. One is pressed to the left edge, the second - to the right. We fill the middle with a banner or new site services. Dug up a volume on usability. We decided not to do it, or else the users' brain will be split in two.
Closed the contract and launched the site as follows. We agreed with the head of the IT department (on whose balance the contract was hanging) that we would be representatives of the parties. The bank agrees to the 800 fix, we update all the content on the site, make several pages, train the content manager. After 2 weeks, we sat opposite each other and signed 8 missing acts in turn.
The most calm client was the Press Service of the Federation Council, about which terentii speaks. Most of all I remembered the canteen with prices of 7 rubles 38 kopecks, where I tried to come as often as possible, the press service team, who gave tea with cookies and just that former colonel. Prior to launching the project, he spent most of his work time on page layout and a bunch of static pages with each other, so he took the idea of ​​automating his work with a bang. He gave me recommendations on data structures, what information products should be, etc. In general, we did the project quickly and almost without coordination.
Everything rested on the cap (it was a 800-by-60-pixel image) ... on which, according to customer requirements, d. Russia is depicted, and the building of the Federation Council, and the coat of arms, and flag. Everything would be fine, but only he asked to make the flag animated in a flash, i.e. fluttering. I noted that only an animated flag with other static objects will cause a number of questions, in addition, what parameters does the flag use for “waving”? Wind speed, direction? Obviously, you need to take into account the weather data, the time of day, which requires a separate server, additional negotiation ... If the time of day, then how should the SF windows go out? Which window should go out last? Chairman window? And if it is not from the street? Rotate the building in 3D? But for security reasons, you cannot show that it is in this window that the chairman’s office ... Of course, I exaggerated, but nevertheless we decided to put off the animated flag until the next version of the project. Soon forgot about the flag. And our designer was saved from the difficult programming of the wind in a flash.
In general, which of these can be learned for project managers:
* The client will never say what he needs in the "correct" language. Understand his business and understand his needs. If you have not guessed, the client does not accept the project - this is your problem, not the client.
* It is impossible to defend against customer claims by legal means (hard contracts, acts, etc.). The whole project is done on mutual respect and trust. There is no trust - and nothing will save.
* Representatives of the customer (and if they are large companies) are hard to get their positions, are in constant corporate struggle. They implicitly demand respect for themselves, for their status. So respect their status (but do not bow - there is a difference).
* Design is always subjective. Put in the project up to 10 design options - i.e. "To the bitter end". Never ask "what you specifically do not like the design." The design is either tasty or not tasty. And without explaining the reasons with the decoding "goodies".
* Treat the client site as your business site. For the client will immediately be yours.
Pps
In the trilogy of G. Harrison “The World of Death” there is a chapter about a colony of settlers on a planet with a very aggressive animal and plant world. The colony was surrounded by a technological perimeter, which every minute burned out attempts of poisonous plants to devour colonists. When the main character was outside the Perimeter, then for some reason (I think I just wanted to live) I began to think about monsters without hate and they became welcoming to him. However, shark teeth and saliva in the style of aliens remained the same. So the world is as we think of it. He just mirrors us.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/25693/
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