How to align Customer Expectations in the complex world of Magento Project Management

2. Aligning Customer Expectations
In the Complex World of Magento

3. Brent Peterson
Magento Evangelist
Agency Coach
Selfie Extraordinaire
Wagento Commerce
Email: brent@wagento.com
Twitter: @brentwpeterson

4. Magento’s flexibility comes from its broad
codebase and deep configuration scheme.

5. So how do we best educate the client?

6. The Challenge
To educate the client upfront what a
successful project looks like.

7. The Solution : Client Education
• Two things to Focus on:
• Learn what the client has done in the past
• Create a clear statement of work

8. The Solution : Client Education
• Learn what the client has done in the past
• Creating a clear statement of work
• Adding work to a project will add time to the project.

9. The Solution : Client Education
• Learn what the client has done in the past
• Creating a clear statement of work
• Adding work to a project will add time to the project.
• A project can’t be done as soon as the designs are
complete.

10. The Solution : Client Education
• Learn what the client has done in the past
• Creating a clear statement of work
• Adding work to a project will add time to the project.
• A project can’t be done as soon as the designs are complete.
• Even when discovery is done surprises may occur.

11. How is education realized?
• Performing discovery on both the client and the project.

12. How is education realized?
• Managing the assumptions that are inherent in a Magento
project.
• Performing discovery on both the project and the client.

13. How is education realized?
• Communicating to the client how modules, products,
servers and traffic will impact the performance.
• Managing the assumptions that are inherent in a Magento
project.
• Performing discovery on both the project and the client.

14. How is education realized?
• Setting clear billing expectations.
• Communicating to the client how modules, products, servers and
traffic will impact the performance.
• Managing the assumptions that are inherent in a Magento
project.
• Performing discovery on both the project and the client.

15. How is education realized?
• Clear billing expectations.
• Communicating to the client how modules, products, servers and
traffic will impact the performance.
• Managing the assumptions that are inherent in a Magento
project.
• Discovery on both the project and the client.

16. Having a Trusting
Relationship is Key
The Most Valuable Business Commodity: Trust
David K. William – Forbes.com

17. The Basic Contract

18. What a basic SLA looks like
Client asks for work. Agency does work. Client approves work. Client
pays for work. - REPEAT.
• Start the conversation about expectations early on.
• Make it simple enough for everyone to understand.
• Reassure the client that we will fix bugs and errors.

19. The Good

20. Expectations
• The good is going to be realized by how each party member
manages the expectations of the project.
The Good

21. Expectations
• The agency’s ultimate responsibility is to manage the
expectations.
• The good is going to be realized by how each party member
manages the expectations of the project.
The Good

22. Expectations
• The client fully participates in the project
• The agency’s ultimate responsibility is to manage the expectations.
• The good is going to be realized by how each party member
manages the expectations of the project.
The Good

23. The Good
Constant Consistent Communication is Key
“The single biggest problem in communication is
the illusion that it has taken place.”
– George Bernard Shaw

24. The Good
Put it in writing!

25. Communicate Timelines
• Carefully explain the project process
• Communicate timelines upfront
• Explain why a delay is happening
The Good

26. Communication Quality
The Good
• Low quality communication may result in lost trust of the client
Always value ethical actions over expedient ones.
- Jean-Luc Picard

27. Communication Quality
• Balancing the Information
• Too much information may result in confusion.
The Good

28. • Calls and face to face meetings
• As often as needed during discovery
• Once a week with client during production
• Scheduled and impromptu after launch
The Good

29. • Emails
• Client would expect to see these frequently
The Good
• After launch a scheduled check in should be maintained

30. • Reporting
• Weekly timeline during production
• Daily status updates on tickets if needed
• Schedule delays
• Anything else the client needs to know!
The Good

31. • Changes
• During production changes need to be introduced immediately
• Add or remove items that will impact the timeline
• Discuss budget
• Post launch versus pre-launch
The Good

32. • Tools
Good Project Management tools will help move the project along for both the
client and the agency. It is important to educate the client and engage them to
use and learn the tools. As every client is different and every project is different
each interaction will be different.
The Good

33. Respect Time
• Time is valuable
• Respect the time of others
• Ensure it is time well spent
• Deliver valuable content
The Good

34. The Bad

35. Sales and Accounting
• Giving quotes without proper discovery
• Poorly communicated time spent on issues
The Bad
• Declaring “Yes we can do that!” (without discovery)

36. Development and Technical
• Why something is a great idea but bad in practice. (200 store
views)
The Bad

37. Development and Technical
The Bad
• Decision makers without the technical knowledge to make
technical decisions and not asking questions.
• Why something is a great idea but bad in practice. (200 store views)

38. Development and Technical
The Bad
• Magento projects taken by developers who know nothing
about Magento
• Decision makers without the technical knowledge to make technical
decisions and not asking questions.
• Why something is a great idea but bad in practice. (200 store views)

39. Development and Technical
The Bad
• Let the developer be the only one to communicate with the
client!
• Magento projects taken by developers who know nothing about
Magento
• Decision makers without the technical knowledge to make technical
decisions and not asking questions.
• Why something is a great idea but bad in practice. (200 store views)

40. Project Management
• Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad

41. Project Management
• Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done.
• Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad

42. Project Management
• Waiting until the end of a project to communicate changes
• Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done.
• Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad

43. Project Management
• Project managers with too many projects
• Waiting until the end of a project to communicate changes
• Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done.
• Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad

44. Project Management
• Creating poor common practices: allowing phone calls to dictate the new work and
not following up in writing
• Project managers with too many projects
• Waiting until the end of a project to communicate changes
• Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done.
• Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad

45. Project Management
• Getting emotionally involved in a project
• Creating poor common practices: allowing phone calls to dictate the new work and not
following up in writing
• Project managers with too many projects
• Waiting until the end of a project to communicate changes
• Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done.
• Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad

46. The Ugly

47. The Ugly
At some point the client becomes frustrated
because what they are expecting is different than
what the Agency can or will deliver.

48. Client comes to a Magento Partner with performance issues after
going through a non-Magento Agency.
Problem: 200 store views 9000 categories… slow website.
Someone without Magento experience may not know that loading up
Magento with so many store views and categories will slow things
down.
Possible Solution: Reduce the amount of store views and
categories as well as heavily caching the website.

49. Client in a rush has a questionable timeline. The client tells the
agency it has to be done and agency agrees to do it without
thinking….
Problem: Let the client dictate the entire project: Time line, delivery.
Etc…
Possible Solution: Say no. Full stop. Give the client a reasonable
timeline

50. Customer comes to agency after dealing with another Magento
developer or agency. New agency needs to both launch the project
as well as fix and/or learn everything that has already been done.
Problem: Recover a failed implementation: How do you deal with a
project as the next developer or the sixth developer?
Possible Solution: Be honest with the client and agree that you are
not going to be able to know everything about the project. Let the
client know that problems will come up and the agency will be there
to help.

51. What did we learn?
• Communication is King
• Understanding what everyone wants and not assuming.
• Get it in writing
• Tell the client when something changes
• Be honest with the client
Having awkward conversations up-front.

52. Thank You
Email: brent@wagento.com
Twitter: @brentwpeterson