Establish Accountability - Know what good looks like
Do you know what good looks like on every project you are currently working on? I know I currently do not. I have at best a vague notion on some of the projects where I am involved on the periphery. So why am I going on about it? Because you, your team and, yes, your customers need to know what good looks like when you get there. Recently we have started offering customer options on their technology bundles, i.e. different configurations of phone, pc, tablets, etc., with great success. Now, they could always have ordered the bundles separately, but the fact that cost and technologies were broken down in five easy-to-digest options; and they got to make the selections, made a huge difference. On this one, “good” was ease of use for the customer, and autonomy of selection. How could you reframe your purchasing choices for your customer today? We do not always need to supply the most expensive or technologically-advanced solutions. In most cases, the more cost-effective solution may be the optimal solution, but you will never understand what is optimal until you understand what good looks like. Ford, Audi and Aston Martin all make cars, right? Do you believe a Ford Mustang is going to thrill an Aston Martin owner? Or that the price tag of an Aston Martin is going to work for the average Ford owner?
By taking the time to define what good looks like, you are better able to scope the project, understand your customer and set realistic goals. Letting the customer make the choice between good, better and best solutions also allows you to iterate through the process of defining the statement of work. You empower the customer to indicate to you, early and often, what they want, if they are getting it, and if you all agree on good. It also allows you to deliver optimal solutions to the customer. These deliverables have clear stretch objectives that your team must rise to meet, so they get a sense of autonomy, mastery and purpose. As Daniel Pink points out, these three things are what motivates today’s knowledge worker.
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