Without TK: why the client does not want it
From the practice of a business analyst: how are customers trying to start a project without TK, and what to do about it?
When I die, and the devils come to drag me to hell, they will start with this phrase. With each step, they will tell me about how they remembered some kind of new nonsense functionality, which was initially implied and obvious to everyone ...
How many steps we have to go, no one knows, but if I get there, I will become a saint.
')
Even among the people, a similar approach is popular: “There is no time for TK, it is necessary to start sooner”.
This is solved simply: even for the smallest task, you can make a mini-TZ. I will say more, I just adore small and simple projects for being clearly described. I try to cut big projects into small ones.
If the “small and simple project” is already stuck at the coordination stage of the TK, it means that you skillfully recognized the devils before they cooked you in your boiler.
Once I wrote TK to a large and complex medical system ... But it was an application for theaters. So that I did not guess that we are talking about theaters, the client told me about the doctors. When the NDA was finally signed, I was solemnly announced: “Well, it's the same! Mechanics like: actors or doctors - what's the difference? Why are you so upset? ”
It would seem, why not sign with me NDA immediately? But no, the paper does not give a 100% guarantee. It is necessary to meet and get to know me better! Suddenly I will reveal a military secret? ..
There was also a secret dating site: "We have such devices, but we will not tell you about them." Or: "We have a mega-secret project here, tell me how much it costs?"
As soon as I hear about the secrecy that the NDA does not close, I immediately suggest taking a pause until the client is mature. Unfortunately, TK, written in hints of what-that-can-not be called, is not developed.
The client is not sure if he will order from you, but if he orders, he will be worse for you. “Okay, we are suitable, we start the work, there is no time for TK! Oh, and you promised that everything will be cheap and fast! How so! Well, it's obvious that everything should work wrong, and so! How are we not agreed? Return the money!".
The question of the price of the project before the preparation of the TZ is probably the most frequent. I would like to briefly describe the project and collect quotes from all familiar and unfamiliar teams. Usually, the remark that the price can grow 10-20 times as much as the detail of the client does not impress: “Well, you are good guys! You do not do this to us! ”
In general, the client’s desire to get quotes and hold a mini-tender is normal, but this should be done by sending the teams full TK!
The client pretends to be a golden antelope and sincerely resents that you are trying to make him pay for the trap with which you want to catch him. “We are“ Wow! ”Company. If we are among your customers, everyone will say:“ Ah! ”Demanding money from such customers as we are from the doorway is simply indecent!” However, dear client, shards from your hooves already stand across the throat, and I want to shout: "Enough!".
If the client does not want to pay for the TK, it will be bad for everyone:
First, it will not allow spending the necessary amount of working hours on TK, make all the edits and achieve approval.
Secondly, if the client does not want to pay you for the TK, will he want to pay for the development in full?
Clients often treat free TK frivolously and see them rather as a commercial offer, and not as something requiring attention, stress of participation. As a result of the work on a free TZ, you can hear: “We need a solution to the problem, not your pieces of paper!”
Why do you need to pay for TK? For example, because not to pay the risks that are usually laid in the development without it.
My favorite. With these comrades porridge can not write, because grind 3-4 different TK to choose from - beyond my strength.
To these clients, I usually offer an idea design service. It works this way: we agree on the format of the presentation and the number of ideas, we write for example the first idea, then we creative with all our friends and acquaintances in the format.
The laughter here is that if you hear: “We want to see options!” - you still need to start with TK. Only TK needs to be made up not on the system, but on ideas. Yes, yes, there is a mini-task for ideas. Very useful thing, I recommend!
It seems that Poles Susanin said something similar ... Such a client, as a rule, believes that TK will somehow limit his flight of thought, imagination and creative creativity. Usually, it all ends in a deep swamp, in which no one knows where we are going or what we agreed on.
At the same time, when there is even the most unpretentious TZ, which allows you to move the project, the creative client is harnessed to work, and his rapid fantation does not ruin the project, but gives it the power of a jet stream.
In the process of development it will not hurt sometimes to beat a creative client with a printed and signed TK at the source of a creative jet, so as not to fly from orbit into deep space.
This is what I do not like to write TZ. Terribly exhausting. Some funny guys sawed some system for years, it overgrown with all sorts of ryushechkami and frills, and now all this stuffing, which went gradually and evolutionarily, you need to sit down and describe. Work for these trackers!
What a pity those developers who get involved in cloning without TK. Well, it's as if you are looking at the heroes of Mortal Kombat, trying to learn how to fight. Also funny and sorry.
And from experience: it often happens that the “exact clone” will require a “pair of minor modifications” that destroy the whole logic and mechanics of the donor.
I am writing, and in the mail is just another request for an exact clone of this ...
“Oh, yes, we are specialists!” The commercial director usually says, and it is important that he has shining cheeks. “Now we will tell you the best! We know, we are specialists, we have the competence !!! ”After these words, the client’s eyes light up and he thinks:“ Finally, I found people who immediately understood the essence of my project, heard me! ”.
Usually the mirage is finally dissipated in the second ten rounds of edits of the finished project.
Recently, once pulled out a sticking project. At the 32nd round of edits, which lasted a year and a half, we decided to write the technical specifications for edits, and everything was quickly finalized.
Once I connected to one project that was slightly delayed for several years, I finally asked: “Guys, did you have TK?” To which I was answered: “Somewhere we had a video where the client tells what he wanted.”
Often the client sends some kind of trash with clowns by helicopter. But I am not greedy, in response I give examples of tasks I compiled, and ask you to arrange everything in the same format. After that, the “recorders” disappear for half a year.
But there are customers who really wrote the TK themselves very clearly. One of my most favorite clients agreed to fill in everything in my format and does it regularly to the joy of developers. And of course, some TK clients were experts, which is also nice.
Quite often I hear this objection. Usually they accept, so feel free to rewrite them for new developers, if they don't accept them. It was a funny case. Has handed over TZ, and developed on the client side say that it is not TZ. Well, let your format - redo it. There is no format. Tell me what you do not like? They say, they say, not according to GOST! Well, let's do according to GOST, but for the add. fee. Have you seen GOST? Looks like no.
I know from experience that so many developed people do not read TK. Therefore, the best way to deal with this is to read it with them. The script of actions of the user and the description of screens is best of all perceived. These two documents usually exhaustively describe the system. Sometimes API and tables with math are added to this, if there is one.
But there is, for example, TK according to GOST from tender sites, or giant API for 300 types of requests. Here I have to translate already for developers into human language.
I hope I have not forgotten anything. Tell us about your cases and methods of working with objections. I will be glad to hear your thoughts in the comments, and in the drug.
1. "We have a very small and simple project"
When I die, and the devils come to drag me to hell, they will start with this phrase. With each step, they will tell me about how they remembered some kind of new nonsense functionality, which was initially implied and obvious to everyone ...
How many steps we have to go, no one knows, but if I get there, I will become a saint.
')
Even among the people, a similar approach is popular: “There is no time for TK, it is necessary to start sooner”.
This is solved simply: even for the smallest task, you can make a mini-TZ. I will say more, I just adore small and simple projects for being clearly described. I try to cut big projects into small ones.
If the “small and simple project” is already stuck at the coordination stage of the TK, it means that you skillfully recognized the devils before they cooked you in your boiler.
2. "This is a commercial secret, we will not tell you"
Once I wrote TK to a large and complex medical system ... But it was an application for theaters. So that I did not guess that we are talking about theaters, the client told me about the doctors. When the NDA was finally signed, I was solemnly announced: “Well, it's the same! Mechanics like: actors or doctors - what's the difference? Why are you so upset? ”
It would seem, why not sign with me NDA immediately? But no, the paper does not give a 100% guarantee. It is necessary to meet and get to know me better! Suddenly I will reveal a military secret? ..
There was also a secret dating site: "We have such devices, but we will not tell you about them." Or: "We have a mega-secret project here, tell me how much it costs?"
As soon as I hear about the secrecy that the NDA does not close, I immediately suggest taking a pause until the client is mature. Unfortunately, TK, written in hints of what-that-can-not be called, is not developed.
3. "First tell me how much it costs!"
The client is not sure if he will order from you, but if he orders, he will be worse for you. “Okay, we are suitable, we start the work, there is no time for TK! Oh, and you promised that everything will be cheap and fast! How so! Well, it's obvious that everything should work wrong, and so! How are we not agreed? Return the money!".
The question of the price of the project before the preparation of the TZ is probably the most frequent. I would like to briefly describe the project and collect quotes from all familiar and unfamiliar teams. Usually, the remark that the price can grow 10-20 times as much as the detail of the client does not impress: “Well, you are good guys! You do not do this to us! ”
In general, the client’s desire to get quotes and hold a mini-tender is normal, but this should be done by sending the teams full TK!
4. "Why do we have to pay for what you need?"
The client pretends to be a golden antelope and sincerely resents that you are trying to make him pay for the trap with which you want to catch him. “We are“ Wow! ”Company. If we are among your customers, everyone will say:“ Ah! ”Demanding money from such customers as we are from the doorway is simply indecent!” However, dear client, shards from your hooves already stand across the throat, and I want to shout: "Enough!".
If the client does not want to pay for the TK, it will be bad for everyone:
First, it will not allow spending the necessary amount of working hours on TK, make all the edits and achieve approval.
Secondly, if the client does not want to pay you for the TK, will he want to pay for the development in full?
Clients often treat free TK frivolously and see them rather as a commercial offer, and not as something requiring attention, stress of participation. As a result of the work on a free TZ, you can hear: “We need a solution to the problem, not your pieces of paper!”
Why do you need to pay for TK? For example, because not to pay the risks that are usually laid in the development without it.
5. “We want to see options!”
My favorite. With these comrades porridge can not write, because grind 3-4 different TK to choose from - beyond my strength.
To these clients, I usually offer an idea design service. It works this way: we agree on the format of the presentation and the number of ideas, we write for example the first idea, then we creative with all our friends and acquaintances in the format.
The laughter here is that if you hear: “We want to see options!” - you still need to start with TK. Only TK needs to be made up not on the system, but on ideas. Yes, yes, there is a mini-task for ideas. Very useful thing, I recommend!
6. “What if we change the concept?”
It seems that Poles Susanin said something similar ... Such a client, as a rule, believes that TK will somehow limit his flight of thought, imagination and creative creativity. Usually, it all ends in a deep swamp, in which no one knows where we are going or what we agreed on.
At the same time, when there is even the most unpretentious TZ, which allows you to move the project, the creative client is harnessed to work, and his rapid fantation does not ruin the project, but gives it the power of a jet stream.
In the process of development it will not hurt sometimes to beat a creative client with a printed and signed TK at the source of a creative jet, so as not to fly from orbit into deep space.
7. "We need an exact clone of this ..."
This is what I do not like to write TZ. Terribly exhausting. Some funny guys sawed some system for years, it overgrown with all sorts of ryushechkami and frills, and now all this stuffing, which went gradually and evolutionarily, you need to sit down and describe. Work for these trackers!
What a pity those developers who get involved in cloning without TK. Well, it's as if you are looking at the heroes of Mortal Kombat, trying to learn how to fight. Also funny and sorry.
And from experience: it often happens that the “exact clone” will require a “pair of minor modifications” that destroy the whole logic and mechanics of the donor.
I am writing, and in the mail is just another request for an exact clone of this ...
8. “Think up yourself - you are experts!”
“Oh, yes, we are specialists!” The commercial director usually says, and it is important that he has shining cheeks. “Now we will tell you the best! We know, we are specialists, we have the competence !!! ”After these words, the client’s eyes light up and he thinks:“ Finally, I found people who immediately understood the essence of my project, heard me! ”.
Usually the mirage is finally dissipated in the second ten rounds of edits of the finished project.
Recently, once pulled out a sticking project. At the 32nd round of edits, which lasted a year and a half, we decided to write the technical specifications for edits, and everything was quickly finalized.
9. “We will write / write TK ourselves”
Once I connected to one project that was slightly delayed for several years, I finally asked: “Guys, did you have TK?” To which I was answered: “Somewhere we had a video where the client tells what he wanted.”
Often the client sends some kind of trash with clowns by helicopter. But I am not greedy, in response I give examples of tasks I compiled, and ask you to arrange everything in the same format. After that, the “recorders” disappear for half a year.
But there are customers who really wrote the TK themselves very clearly. One of my most favorite clients agreed to fill in everything in my format and does it regularly to the joy of developers. And of course, some TK clients were experts, which is also nice.
10. "Other programmers will not accept your TK"
Quite often I hear this objection. Usually they accept, so feel free to rewrite them for new developers, if they don't accept them. It was a funny case. Has handed over TZ, and developed on the client side say that it is not TZ. Well, let your format - redo it. There is no format. Tell me what you do not like? They say, they say, not according to GOST! Well, let's do according to GOST, but for the add. fee. Have you seen GOST? Looks like no.
I know from experience that so many developed people do not read TK. Therefore, the best way to deal with this is to read it with them. The script of actions of the user and the description of screens is best of all perceived. These two documents usually exhaustively describe the system. Sometimes API and tables with math are added to this, if there is one.
But there is, for example, TK according to GOST from tender sites, or giant API for 300 types of requests. Here I have to translate already for developers into human language.
I hope I have not forgotten anything. Tell us about your cases and methods of working with objections. I will be glad to hear your thoughts in the comments, and in the drug.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/315046/
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