After a brief summer vacation, the stress caused by external expectations at work is a little more difficult to handle. We’ve all been through periods of intense external pressure at work, and despite efforts to deliver according to expectations, the results are not entirely satisfactory for the recipients.
A recent difficulty involves a parser for an industry standard format, where the objective is to enable a key differentiator in our commercial product. The parser meets the requirements of most users, but fails to satisfy those who planned to extend the use cases beyond the original product intentions.
Another situation concerns customization of the product, using the built-in tools to provide the automation for special use cases, creating an application with high added value. The initial requirements are met, but users always desire new functionality as their experience grows and they face new challenges.
This type of situation is often encountered for those providing products and services with high added value, and can lead to a never ending list of remaining tasks and a growing set of deliverables. My advice is:
– Set and agree on the correct expectations early in the project, and remind everyone of this agreement as often as needed.
– Create the appropriate environment and business model to cope with an increased specification or list of deliverables.
Creating a win-win scenario between the user or buyer, and the supplier, requires both of the above conditions, and will avoid frustrations on both sides as is typically seen with complex projects. The difficulty in implementing such a situation often comes from the involvement of multiple persons, with individual goals, and the end result is a loop that is not closed.
Enough procrastination, time for action!