Welcome back to our project management series! In this series, we’re taking a deeper look at each step of the 7 Tasks Rockstars Check Off Before Kickoff.
Need a refresher on what we’re talking about? Here ya go:
The eLearning Brothers Custom Solutions team has developed a strategy we call the Readiness call. During a Readiness call, we go over 7 specific areas with our clients, gathering information and details that will help us stay on target to meet our scoped budget and timeline.
Step 1 was to determine the roles and responsibilities of all the key players on your project. Visit the previous post to catch up on that.
Today we’re talking about Step 2: Define Success Criteria
This is the shortest section of the Readiness call, but it reveals a wealth of important information. Discovering how your client views success can transform your working relationship from acquaintance level to advocate level.
Ask your client these 3 questions at the start to build a strong foundation for your partnership:
What does success look like to you?
Everyone has a different idea of what a successful project is, and knowing where to focus your efforts will make your process more efficient and result in a happier client (or stakeholder).
What’s the most important objective you’re trying to achieve?
Maybe the timeline is the "be all, end all" of the project: “It must be finished in 6 weeks, no matter what.” Or, it could be, “It has to be perfect and I want to take as long as it needs.” Those are two very different perspectives. If you know your client is all about the timeline, don’t suggest enhancements that might look cooler, but will extend the production time. On the other hand, if you know your client really wants to get it right, you might suggest some alternative ideas or strategies that could take the project to the next level.
What are you most concerned about?
Knowing what your client is stressed about—before it happens—is key to preventing that stress from happening. This is your opportunity to reassure them and also get ahead of potential problems.
We’ll be talking about defining project scope on the next post, but until then, download the Top Strategies to Avoid a Change of Scope checklist to start implementing these techniques in your eLearning development.
Download the checklist to see all the steps rockstars check off before kickoff.
