Keeping Up-to-date with Your Clients’ Needs
In consulting, as in Chinese calligraphy, “change” can represent both crisis and opportunity. Imagine this: After you have worked with your consulting customer to establish a well-constructed outcome and target results for your work, your client’s needs change. Are you required to change your approach or services to match new needs?
The specter of “scope creep” haunts many consultants when they find that initially proposed services may no longer be relevant. Scope creep refers to the addition of new consulting services that were not specified in your original contract.
Of course, when the proposed change is a high priority for your client, and significant extra time will be required, it will be prudent to discuss and agree with your consulting customer on specific changes in your deliverables or cost.
From another perspective, change gives you the opportunity to add value by customizing service to meet the client’s new situation or by including that extra option or parameter into what you are creating for them.
Because each of us exists in business, home, or community settings that continually evolve, you can be certain that your client’s needs will shift. Agree at the outset of your engagement on how you will communicate and handle changing requirements. This will prevent scope creep, and give you a framework for periodic check-ins to insure that your services are still on target to deliver high value.
Randy and Susan
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