Establish Accountability - Create shared representations
I have mentioned a couple of times in this book that I have a thick Scottish accent, so shared representation can be extremely important to me. Many times I have left a meeting with people, assuming that they were all on the same page, only to discover that nothing could be farther from the truth. Particularly when migrating from users to customers, you need to establish a common language; and no, I do not mean English or Spanish, but common phrases and terminology that both parties easily understand. Once a common language is established, customers feel more at ease and more empowered to ask questions and engage with their IT colleagues. It also helps drive out ambiguity, as a free flowing exchange of ideas can iron out any potential kinks or wrinkles from the proposed solution. This is true in a couple of different areas such as scoping, knowledge management and making information-sharing the default. In terms of accountability, it leads to a representation that everyone can reach consensus on, and sign off with confidence, in that they know the solution they are expecting is the desired outcome.
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