How to Be the Best Client: Recommendations for Success

This team should have a definition of success for the project from both the organizational and your user perspective. Everyone should be dedicated to working together to reach those goals. Having a definition of success ensures that all team members are moving in the same direction, though the path they have in mind may be different.

For larger teams, scheduling can be a blocker for moving forward with project deliverables. Ideally, one individual would be required to attend all meetings and would be empowered to make decisions if other decision makers are not available or are not able to reach a consensus.

Need help deciding who your Key Stakeholders will be? Check out our Stakeholder Involvement Checklist.

Identify Your Main Point of Contact

Another key role in a successful project is a Project Manager. If you don’t currently have a project management role in your organization, you’ll want to assign someone as the Main Point of Contact for your project. This individual can be—but likely is not—your key decision maker. Their job is to make sure that decisions from the key decision maker or key stakeholders are communicated to Mighty Citizen. The Main Point of Contact is also responsible for ensuring that their team members know when their feedback is required (deadlines), working with the Mighty Citizen Project Coordinator to schedule meetings for the team, and serving as the…well…main point of contact when questions arise.

For a website redesign project in particular, we often find that a well-defined process is needed around content review, revision, and integration into the new site. The Project Manager would be responsible for working with their internal team to create a review and approval process to meet the deadline for each phase of the project. The Mighty Citizen Project Management Team will guide you through this process.

Availability

When our Project Manager plans for your project, there will be a discussion about how quickly you anticipate being able to make decisions to keep the project moving forward. In many cases, organizations would like to move forward as quickly as possible. In order to do so, all team members need to be dedicated to answering communications and assisting with making decisions in a timely manner.

If your team is stretched thin with their daily responsibilities, provide that information to your Project Manager. We can create a schedule that aligns project progress with your availability.

Level of commitment for a Discovery project

During a Discovery project, you can expect a lower level of involvement. Most weeks will require 30 minutes to 1 hour of time from your Key Stakeholders. Depending on the deliverables in scope, there may be points along the process where the Main Point of Contact will be needed for an additional 2 to 4 hours for assistance with scheduling or gathering information.

Level of commitment for a website redesign project

A website redesign project will ebb and flow in terms of Key Stakeholder involvement. On average expect to be involved with the project 2 to 4 hours per week to review deliverables, participate in meetings, and provide feedback/approvals. The Main Point of Contact on average should expect to spend 3 to 6 hours per week. If the project involves content, you can expect to dedicate more time.

During the content editing, creation, and integration phase of the project, expect that your team may need to be meeting more frequently and spending additional time with the project to ensure content deadlines are met.

Level of commitment for a marketing project

The involvement for a marketing project largely depends on the type of work we’re doing, the speed at which the organization and industry moves, and how the organization is set up internally to make decisions. Expect that communication, feedback, and approvals could be needed daily (averaging 1 to 2 hours per day) or could be on a weekly cadence (averaging 2 to 4 hours per week).

Encourage Open, Transparent Communication

We’ll be making big decisions during this project. Some of which will reach beyond the project to how you operate as an organization and communicate with your audiences. The Mighty Citizen team strives to provide the utmost level of transparency on our projects. We’ll ask hard questions and will likely push back on your way of thinking a time or two (we ask that you do the same!). We’ll have an open ear to all opinions and brainstorm collectively on the best step forward for the future of your project and organization.

From a Project Management standpoint, your Mighty Citizen Project Manager will be watching the project with a keen eye for any risks that could result in a scope of work, timeline, or budget constraint. We’ll be in communication at the first sign of an issue and will work closely with your team to find the best solution. We are dedicated to developing a strong relationship with each of our clients so that open communication and transparency are built into the process.

Change will happen

New information will come to light each day as we move through the project. Internal and external factors could have an effect on our goals and priorities. If changes to our scope, timeline, or budget are needed throughout the project, we will openly discuss the changes and the impact on the project. Then, we’ll work together to define how we can best meet the needs of the project while also being strategic for the future of your organization.

To the Power of Mighty Citizen

We’re not only here to deliver on your project, but to make your team stronger along the way. We’ll give you the tools to navigate the often murky waters of the relationship between your board, staff, and other audiences. Our team is a fun, upbeat group. You’ll feel our dedication and passion for your project from day one. We love to get to know our clients on a personal level and strive to have a bit of fun along the way.

We can’t wait to see everything we’ll do together.