Understand the Client's Situation

Chapter six deals with understanding the client’s situation, this is vital when trying to accomplish a particular job. Understanding what the issues are that the client needs help with will more than likely place you in the right track. You have been called for a particular reason, understanding what the reason is will more than likely get you and the client closer. Understanding where the client comes from and where he/she wants to go make things a lot easier for both parties. The Enterprise IT model lays out a perfect outline of what needs to be done to accomplish the mission. An excellent tip that I will adopt from this particular chapter is to become a good observant. The author used a very colorful quote from Yogi Berra, “You can observe a lot just by watching.” This could not be better put, anyone can watch but not everyone can observe. I believe that if a person really wants to get the insight of how something works, they need to infiltrate the organization. These types of procedures are very common in law enforcement, where undercover agents become part of the organization they want to “bring down.” As an insider you can evaluate the environment, atmosphere, work flow and attitudes. We all know that we act differently when someone is watching us work, especially if it’s our boss, this is just human nature. If you are trying to get an accurate understanding of the situation, walking around with a white coat and a clip board will probably not help. Another good tip mentioned by the author and that I would like to try out in my office is conducting surveys. This would be an excellent way to gather information from the people you going to work with. I think this also puts people at ease, getting their input might be as important to you as it is for them.

Visualize Success

Chapter five opens with a great scenario, it mentions how difficult it is to transition to newer technology. This is so true, in my department we have the pro-technology people, and these people are more than willing to embrace any new technology. Then you have the anti-technology people, these people do exactly what the author mentioned, they will “cry and protest” through every step of the new changes. I like the idea of creating a “tag line” I think something like this would help in convincing people that what you are doing is for everyone’s benefit. A good tag line in my department would be, “with this new program you will not have to get up from your desk to get your coffee.” With the distinct division in my department, what we need is a person that can unite the clans; otherwise we will remain in the same situations. Some individuals want to stick to doing it the old fashioned way while others are more than willing to adopt any new technology that help provide a better service. The author makes an excellent point when he talks about the communication issue. Having worked in various offices, the lack of communication can devastate the working environment. Good communication amongst the people involved will prevent numerous headaches. As the author states, “One of the key adages of communication is that rumor fills a vacuum.” This could have not been better stated; I worked in a department in which “management” made all the decisions, rarely consulting the “working class.” The moral in this particular department could not get much lower; needless to say, I do not work there anymore. I personally believe that the key to success in anything you do is communication. As long as people are aware of what is going on, they will more than likely participate in any project. My ex-director gave me a tip that I will never forget, he would say that to keep people happy you tire them out with kindness. This simple action will warm the coldest heart; people will not know exactly how to react when you shower them with nothing but kindness. Change is inevitable, and people have two choices, embrace it or fight it. If the change will benefit the masses, why not take it, now if this change harms the masses, fight it till the end.

Negotiate the Relationship

This chapter lays the foundation for either a good or bad outcome. Chapter four deals with negotiating the relationship between the consultant and the client, a good relation should lead to good results and of course, a bad relation might not end with a desirable outcome. Here is where all the questions should be placed on the table. Questions like; when do I get paid, who do I answer to, who will I be working with, what is expected of me and so forth. The author explains it perfectly in the opening pages; he states, “the client’s expectation of the role you will play determines the style you bring to the engagement.” Once your role has been established, you can then begin work in that role. If you are only there for recommendations, then recommend, if you are there to program, then start programming, you get the idea. One excellent point mentioned in this chapter deals with asking the client exactly what they expect of you. This sets the stage to what needs to be done to accomplish your job as a consultant. A simple question that the author uses is “What can I do to help with that problem?” Establishing that you are there to either solve a problem or make something run smoother is always a good start. Now lets get to the issue dealing with money, how you charge and who will pay. The author makes an excellent point when he states, “take the client’s money seriously; you can be sure the client does”. This makes perfect sense, the client is paying for a service and that service comes from the consultant. It is the consultant that must now decide how much his work is worth. From this point, I would calculate just how much time my project might take. If this project is to extend more than several weeks I would charge as a project and add additional fees for unforeseen incidents. If I calculate that the work is only going to take a couple of weeks, I would then charge by the hour. The author mentioned three words that might come up when negotiating with the client, cheap, fast and good and this is how he puts these words into perspective.
If the client wants it good and fast, it won’t be cheap.
If the client wants it good and cheap, it won’t be fast.
If the client wants it cheap and fast, it won’t be good.
These are all good points and we have all tried at least one of these concepts, whether it is with our mechanic or our computer tech.

Approach the Client

The beginning of chapter three has been great help when it comes to advising students. Beginning in the fall of 2007, The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College instated an academic policy in which students must be meeting a 70% completion rate and must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average. This new policy has crated enormous havoc for students that had one or two “bad” semesters at the beginning of their university experience. This is where Euripides comes into play; I’ve been telling students that “A bad beginning makes a bad ending.” This is true for everything in life; every action an individual takes has a reaction. The meeting between consultant and client reminds me of job interviews I’ve had in the past. Everyone is evaluating everyone, the last and toughest interview I have ever experienced happened June 2006. I was interviewed for an FBI position. The minute I entered the room I was evaluating the individuals in the room and I could feel they were doing the same. This same concept is repeated by the author as he states that “the client and the consultant are also evaluating one another.” As corny as this may sound its true, the first impression says a great deal about the person one is meeting. In my profession I have met thousands of students; in the first meeting I know what type of student I am dealing with. This is the same with an IT and a client, first impressions are everything. I have never seen anyone go to a job interview in shorts, t-shit and flip flops (chanclas). Of course not, people are normally dressed in professional attire; the power of observations is tremendously strong. A good tip that I picked up out of this chapter when advising my students is not to prescribe before diagnosing. Let your client, or in my case, my students express their concerns and then comment on what I think could be done. An excellent tool used by the author is to integrate a Case Study into the chapter. This gives the reader an excellent scenario of how things work in an IT and client environment. After reading the beginning of the case study, much of the first three chapters made more sense.