|
Planing
- Strategy
and negotiate conflicts when you aren't quite sure
While
devising and implementing a Web strategy, one of the most
challenging aspects of the project is navigating the relationship
with your client, who, for an internal project, is also your
boss or business director. Not only do you have to consider
your position in the hierarchical power structure of the company
and your boss's expectations of you as an employee, but you
also have a vested interest in the final implementation of
the strategy. Unlike a third-party consultant, you'll be around
long after the barnstorming is over, and you might even be
held accountable for the success or failure of the project.
To make sure there aren't too many failure, utilize particular
negotiation tactics and define appropriate times for your
boss to intervene to offer input or final approval.
During
the initial strategic planning phases and brainstorming sessions,
your primary role will be to understand your boss's goals
and vision of the project and then offer a strategic plan
of action. Depending on what type of client your boss most
resembles, he or she might have either specific or general
ideas concerning the architecture, content pieces, and visual
design, and you'll want to offer a solution that addresses
your boss's needs and desires while drawing on your own knowledge
of best practices when it comes to Web strategy. This means
that, throughout the planning and implementation phases, you'll
have to walk a fine line between acquiescing to a superior's
desires and asserting your authority as the Web strategist.
- How
to handle conflict resolution when your boss becomes a difficult
client:
- When
negotiating alternative solutions, focus on the underlying
goal of your boss's proposal. Offer alternatives that still
meet the desired goal.
When demonstrating
why your solution is more viable, focus on bottom-line implications
that matter to decision makers--namely, time and money.
Once you get past the initial discovery phase with your boss,
you'll want to formally delineate the points at which your
boss should be involved in offering feedback and sign-off.
If your boss has a hands-off management style, it's important
to get his or her approval at regular intervals to avoid large-scale
changes at the end of the project implementation. If, on the
other hand, your boss tends to micromanage, you should define
specific points at which input would be useful and valued
in order to streamline the process. You can formalize these
points by drafting a process document that indicates milestones
where final sign-offs are needed.
<<
back
|
