Advisor to the all-powerful
The Insight
Clients often make decisions that are influenced by externalities rather than practicalities. From the Client’s perspective, they want to achieve certain milestones by certain dates, even if those dates aren’t linked to the Project Manager’s logic-driven Gantt chart.
The Client carries the greatest influence over the success of a project, but not in the way you might think. It’s their vision, their money, and their schedule. At the end of the day, they’re calling the shots and employing you and me at their cost to make it all happen.
However, while there are various ways of fitting all activities of a project into a Gantt chart, there is genuine importance behind their sequence. Just because you can scoop the ice cream before you’ve grabbed the cone, doesn’t mean you should.
The Impact
This isn’t to say it can’t be done.
If the Client wants to grab a handful of ice cream so they can start eating it right away, they should also be made aware of how messy that will be and how cold their hand will get. It’s the Project Manager’s job to ensure the Client is aware of the risks and provide advice on the best way forward.
Taking ownership of risks empowers the Client to put mitigations in place to minimise the effect of each risk. Solutions happen when the Client accepts that risks can’t be removed completely or offset onto a third-party.
Sometimes, the most positive influence the Client can have on a project is knowing when to relinquish control.