Communication Tactics

I've got another question for you:

At what points in projects do you face communication issues? And how do you resolve them?

This time I'm going to provide an answer: An issue that I have often encountered happens early on projects, even before work starts. We can win a project with a client and they sign a contract, but as it turns out in some cases, the client's lawyers either hand off or sign a version of the contract that isn't the same scope that was initially presented to them. So, we can get into our work at a reduced scope (based on negotiations), and by the client's expectations, we are under delivering or planning for less work right from the start. What a bummer.

So how have we adjusted our practice to make sure that our team and our clients are on the same page when it comes to the contract or the scope document? In an initial internal kickoff meeting, we will sit down with the document internally and review it. That will help us to plan our work. In a separate call, we will sit down with our clients and review the scope document in detail. I've found that this simple communication tactic helps to clear the air and set expectations early on. It's simple and doesn't take a long time. On top of that, we're re-stating what's in a signed document, so there is never any argument about scope. We get it out in the open right away. That's a relief for everyone.

So what are you doing to keep communications flowing with your team, partners, or clients?