How to avoid the unavoidable — common client-supplier issues to deal with while working on an IT project.
In the perfect world of ordering services, everything seems to be so logical and organized. A client orders a service of an outsourcing company: “I want you to modernize the system my employees are using”. The supplier chooses the appropriate number of specialists to complete the project, they do the job, go through the testing and bug fixing stages, implement the changes, and they can say “our work is done here”. Well, real life is not a fairytale. This article will tell you about the most common issues that usually arise on the way to reach the customer’s goals and how to address or even avoid them.
Flexibility — the go-to mode
Defined goals and scope of the project are of course crucial both for the client and the supplier. What happens on the way to achieve those, however, can change multiple times. Is that something that should worry the client or the supplier? No, changes are natural and occur in the process of profound and comprehensive work being done on the client’s software/product/service. Doing more or in some cases less, thinking of other ways to improve processes, creating new solutions — all of these are very common and mean only one thing: the supplier wants your business to become more efficient.
Being flexible means being ready for some issues to appear, problems to be solved quicker/slower — depending on their importance or complexity, and scope to be changing fluently.
In Jit Team, we make sure that both parties of the project — the client and Jit — are honest and transparent towards each other. We keep each other updated not only about the successes and positive aspects, but also about the setbacks and issues that need to be solved. Regular meetings are very helpful to stay on the same page and discuss the direction we are heading.
More than planned
We have worked for many clients on projects different as day and night. One thing, however, in almost every IT project stays the same: the moment we start working on the client’s software, analysing their needs, and planning our work, it turns out there will be much more to be done than previously assumed. There are many factors that contribute to such a situation — the client starts trusting us and realises how much we can actually improve in their business, we, on the other hand, dive deep into the clients software/solution and see more than we did at the beginning (we see problems, but also opportunities).
One could say this can be problematic — such changes definitely influence the budget and extend the deadline. This is exactly why we rarely agree to do fixed term/budget projects — because the real scope of work to be done can only be visible when the first stage of the project starts not any time before. To us, it means being fair — being open about these aspects and offering the clients what is best for them.
Out of control to some extent
Industries are governed by laws and policies enforced by the state. The work of software development teams is sometimes dependent on the decisions made not only by the client, but also by politicians. Having a healthy client-supplier relation means being ready for all the expected and unexpected changes that may need to be introduced. To be a little bit more specific, we can share examples taken from fintech projects. Our experience shows that at times, projects planned for a longer period of time have their scopes and schedules altered because of new rules and laws caused by for example: Brexit, Covid-19, or changes in the tax laws.
The ability to adjust to the new environment and agreeing on ways of dealing with such unpredictable modifications can count as yet another element of the transparency and honesty offered by Jit Team. Such problems are not uncommon and should not be obstacles in reaching the goal of the project. There is always a way to turn challenges into opportunities!
Overcoming bad experiences
Finding a good IT outsourcing company can be difficult (we advised our followers on how to choose the right IT company here). Regaining your trust in external suppliers having experienced a dishonest and unfair ‘partner’ can take a long time. We have heard many stories about companies not delivering services on time or implementing software of poor quality. We are not surprised, then, when customers require us to specify the budget and time needed to complete a project. They just want to be sure they won’t be tricked this time.
To show the client our mode of work and to ensure the problems they encountered before won’t stand in the way this time, we offer to complete a small task for them, something that doesn’t require complex introduction to the client’s business. Thanks to this approach, both parties can check if they like the cooperation and then decide to go for more.
Some of the above simply can’t be avoided or somehow overlooked. Facing those issues and being prepared for any adjustments is crucial for the success — the client’s and ours. We do realise that handing over some parts of you business to an external team can feel like a lot, but once you are aware of the longterm benefits it is going to bring your efficiency and profits, accepting those unexpected turns can make a real change.
