No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
I heard a seasoned sailor who had been around the world say this many years ago. One lesson he learned throughout his travels was that people often misunderstood or took advantage of acts of kindness. When it comes to delivering a project, the only of act of kindness should be to deliver on exactly what was agreed to.
Sometimes there’s a desire to go above and beyond when it comes to delivering on a project. Reasons may include that this is a good customer, throwing in a couple of additional deliverables won’t cost you that much, or we may just be feeling generous.
A Slippery Slope
While the above may be virtuous reasons for going outside of the original scope, it could also put you in a precarious position for the following reasons:
You Do It, You Own It – I’ve seen new features added outside of the original Scope because it was cool, or it could be done, or a multitude of other reasons. It then doesn’t work they way the customer expected and it takes even more time to get it right. Or, it impacts other deliverables in the project that were not contemplated and extra time needs to be spent there as well.
It Frustrates Employees – Today’s fast paced production environments leave little room for adding deliverables into the schedule. It’s hard enough to keep up with the commitments that have been made and are known, let alone those that arise at the last minute.
The Future is Uncertain – There may be reasoning (even promises) that more business will come your way if you throw in a little extra now. Banking on the future puts the present at risk.
There is a Way to Perform Good Deeds
As an expert in your area, you could certainly make recommendations to your customers on what they could do to make their current project even better. Take the time to document it in a Project Change Form. Be very clear on what you will and will not do and what impact it will have on the schedule. Even if you decide to offer the change at no additional cost, everybody will be aware of the impact to the current project and who is responsible for future changes.
Just Do What You Say
Unfortunately, people are used to company’s not delivering on their commitments. If you deliver 100% on what you have committed (no more, no less), your customers are sure to be thrilled.
