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It is great how everyone describes their "process". In the end, it doesn't mean a lot because it will all depend on the mentality and knowledge of the people wo

by cateye 14y ago

It is great how everyone describes their "process". In the end, it doesn't mean a lot because it will all depend on the mentality and knowledge of the people working in that process. At the point where people are using "the process" and not their brains and common sense, it will cause a disaster and you have to re-invent "the process".

scott_w 14y ago
There's a difference between "following a process" and "following THE PROCESS". Outlining the working process means that I and my client have an understanding, and that they have less grounds for being surprised about getting a larger than expected bill. It forces the client to be disciplined in their own behaviour, which they wouldn't be without a process. On the flip side, demanding clients fill out Form 27-B for Change Requests every time they want something changing is way, way over the top. In addition, a process can help give a client some confidence that you know what you're doing. This is especially true in the technology business, where clients tend not to really understand what they're working with.
- cateye 14y ago
  The root cause of all the symptoms that you are describing is that your client hasn't got the proper knowledge, experience and mentality to (co-)develop something innovative. How exactly is "a process" going to change that so rapidly? (I haven't a simple answer and I am also struggling with this problem..)
  - scott_w 14y ago
    I think clients in this area tend to not want "innovative". From my (admittedly limited) experience, most clients want "a website". A process can help the user understand what is needed to go from nothing to a website. It works well when the website is an aside to their goal e.g. selling watches. The website is merely a facilitator to this. By setting a process, you can gauge your client's capacity to work with you on the project. If they don't like how you do things, you can compromise or part ways, amicably. If you are building the product that the client will sell directly (e.g. a web service) then I believe that a process alone isn't going to overcome the fundamental difficulties of the project - namely that your client is probably selling something that they don't fully understand.

by cateye 14y ago

scott_w 14y ago

There's a difference between "following a process" and "following THE PROCESS". Outlining the working process means that I and my client have an understanding, and that they have less grounds for being surprised about getting a larger than expected bill. It forces the client to be disciplined in their own behaviour, which they wouldn't be without a process. On the flip side, demanding clients fill out Form 27-B for Change Requests every time they want something changing is way, way over the top. In addition, a process can help give a client some confidence that you know what you're doing. This is especially true in the technology business, where clients tend not to really understand what they're working with.

cateye 14y ago
The root cause of all the symptoms that you are describing is that your client hasn't got the proper knowledge, experience and mentality to (co-)develop something innovative. How exactly is "a process" going to change that so rapidly? (I haven't a simple answer and I am also struggling with this problem..)
- scott_w 14y ago
  I think clients in this area tend to not want "innovative". From my (admittedly limited) experience, most clients want "a website". A process can help the user understand what is needed to go from nothing to a website. It works well when the website is an aside to their goal e.g. selling watches. The website is merely a facilitator to this. By setting a process, you can gauge your client's capacity to work with you on the project. If they don't like how you do things, you can compromise or part ways, amicably. If you are building the product that the client will sell directly (e.g. a web service) then I believe that a process alone isn't going to overcome the fundamental difficulties of the project - namely that your client is probably selling something that they don't fully understand.