Better Software - July/August 2008 - (Page 23) Management Chronicles and that they ‘got the best they could expect.’ I want to delight them.” Dave leaned forward. “Sure, I want them to get a good product, and I want to deliver on time, but it’s more than that. When Mary, the SMEs, and the testers leave this project, I want them to say, ‘Wow! What a great experience.’ I want them to thank us for our hospitality, to say they just loved the picnic. I want them to volunteer the next time their bosses want to do a project with us.” Dave was talking faster now and his hands were flying over the place as he spoke. “But, it’s even more than that. I need their guys on board, collaborating with my guys. When the SMEs meet with their bosses and are asked how things are going, I want them to be able to say that we’re working hard—that we are hustling, even. They can’t say that if they’re not here working with us. I want the bank to feel that it’s getting good value for its money. I can tell them that … but I’d rather show them, each and every working day.” I dropped my poker face and smiled. “So, what’s missing, then? What would make the difference?” “Isn’t that obvious? I need their SMEs and testers on board, like they promised.” “So, what’s missing, then? What would make the difference?” He frowned, not sure what I meant. I gave him time. “The folks I’m dealing with are willing to accept a lower standard than they need to.” “So, what’s missing, then? What would make the difference?” “What would make the difference? If I could just put my case to someone who cared. Someone who could do something about it.” I said nothing. Dave knew what he had to do. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? I have to talk to Mary’s boss—the project’s sponsor. I have to make him feel pain. Mary’s heart is in the right place, but she doesn’t have the authority to make people move faster. Her boss does.” I nodded. He’d been having the right STORY LINES • Use the “picnic principle” when planning projects: Agree, with no ambiguity, who brings what to the project. Ensure everyone knows the consequences to him and to the project of not turning up. No one wants to ruin the picnic. • Don’t just deliver what’s in the contract—deliver an experience. Your goal is not just to have a picnic, but for everyone to enjoy it. • Google “James Watt Steam Engine.” You’ll learn that great technical innovations must also be great commercial innovations if they’re to survive. • When people aren’t delivering on their promises, dollarize their pain. Sometimes numbers speak louder than words. conversations—just with the wrong person. “Good, Dave. Now what are you going to say to him? You’ve described the benefits to you and CCXSoft for getting its people on board now … but he’ll just laugh at you if you repeat those to him.” Dave frowned. “I’m going to need to talk dollars, aren’t I?” “It’s easier than you think. Let me tell you about Watt.” “What?” “No, Watt. James Watt—he helped kick start the industrial revolution. He also invented the term ‘horse power.’” Dave raised his eyebrows slightly then smiled. Another one of my analogies. “Watt was a clever technician and an astute business man. He didn’t invent the steam engine—he took an existing invention and improved it so it was commercially viable. After he’d done the innovative technical stuff, though, he found himself with a brand new problem: how to sell his new innovation. He decided to sell the steam engine to coal mines where miners could use it to replace the horses they used to pull coal and pump water from the mines. Watt needed to figure out how to sell to the owners of the coal mines, so he invented the term ‘horse power’ to describe how many horses each engine would replace. So a twenty-horse-power engine would replace twenty horses, saving the coal mine owners a lot of money. Watt took one third of the savings as his price, and both sides in the bargain came out substantially better off.” “The bank doesn’t employ horses.” “No, but imagine if you had the conversation with the sponsor where you say something like: ‘If your people don’t come, then we will still deliver to you in time to start your acceptance testing, but we expect that it’ll take between two and four months longer for your team to do its acceptance testing. Some changes are going to come out of that—changes that we could avoid if your team were on board now. I estimate we will have to charge you between X and Y dollars to complete those. It’ll also mean that you will go live two to four months later than you currently plan. I imagine the delay will cost you considerable revenue, too. I’d like your help to prevent those costs.” I looked at Dave as his frown slowly turned into a smile. “Yes! That would work. He’s going to feel pain—that’s inevitable. He’s also got the power and authority to avoid it. But I’m not going to talk to him.” “You’re not?” “No. I’ll have the conversation with Mary first, then suggest we both go talk to her boss. Together we can come up with a stronger argument. And, more importantly, I want to collaborate with her on this project. How’s she going to feel if I go to her boss behind her back? That’s not collaborative … that’s adversarial. And that’s no way to delight a customer.” Good work, Dave. {end} Dave is right: Projects deliver much more than what’s in the contract, they also deliver an experience. Tell us about a great experience you’ve had and what made it great. Follow the link on the StickyMinds.com homepage to join the conversation. www.StickyMinds.com JULY/AUGUST 2008 BETTER SOFTWARE 23 http://StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com
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