This document discusses how to be honest with clients and keep them as clients. It identifies several common problems that arise such as clients micromanaging, not having proper project management artifacts in place, and clients questioning the skills and decisions of the development team. It provides solutions to each problem such as establishing clear rules and processes, improving project management, keeping clients engaged through documentation and analysis, having clients pay for technical education, and implementing independent reviews. The overall message is that being transparent, establishing structure and control over the project, and ensuring quality will help clients trust the development team.

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Yegor Bugayenko
How to Be Honest and
Keep a Client

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15projects
300K+
lines of code
200+programmers
7clients
3years
teamed.io

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Estimates
Sources
Tasks
Bugs
RisksLogs
Talks
Full Access
CI

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Easy?

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3
Directing us.
Asking/telling us.
Judging us.

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Why?

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Because they are idiots.
Dumb and Dumber (1994)

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Micro-management.
1

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“I'm paying you,
do what I say”
— Your Client

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No ground rules.
problem

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Why this task is not assigned?
When next version will be released?
Why didn’t you report yesterday?
Who is fixing this bug?
Why this ticket is in lower priority?

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Explain them the rules.
solution
Teach

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Policy of work.
aka Project Management Plan

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No management artifacts.
problem

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Burn After Reading (2008)

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Budget
Schedule
Risk List
R&R
Quality
Scope

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Improve your management.
solution

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No engagement.
problem

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Hail, Caesar! (2016)

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Keep them busy.
solution

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Recruiting
Documenting
Tech Analysis
User stories
Testing

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Asking/telling too much.
2

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“By the way, why
PostgreSQL?”
— Your Client

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“I think MySQL will
work better, use it.”
— Your Client

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Expect us to teach them.
problem

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Let them pay for it.
solution

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ticket
sources
client team

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Change control.
solution

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Questioning our skills.
3

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My friend said it’s wrong.
problem

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Independent reviews.
solution

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