10 war stories you (probably)

won’t see on Slideshare

Eric Reiss

Smashing Conference

June 14, 2017

New York, USA

1 slot

10 stories

20 slides

30 suggestions

40 minutes

Caveat

� Tweet and blog with discretion

� Highlight the the generic lessons,

not the gory details

� Don’t betray my confidence

(I have the memory of an elephant)

What to do when the client doesn’t care

(a story from the public sector)

“What shade of lipstick can you put on our pig?”

Nota bene

� Do something quick and easy that makes your

client look good

(show that positive change is not impossible)

� Seek a true champion within the organization

� If you’re going to be a whore, make sure the

money is really, really good

How to get screwed in one easy lesson

(a story from the airline industry)

“Would you consider a no cure, no pay agreement?”

Nota bene

� Don’t let your enthusiasm get the better of you

� Always maintain control of the “cure”

(and make sure the “cure” is well-defined)

� Ensure you establish your rights to the “cure” if

the client gives your work to someone else for

execution

(and be prepared to sue)

How to avoid meetings from hell

(a story from the financial sector)

“Who called this stupid meeting?”

“Who are you guys?”

“Why am I here?”

Nota bene

� Write out a clear agenda and make sure

everyone gets it prior to the meeting

(hold the client-side organizer hostage)

� List your expected outcomes / decisions

� Provide short background documents if

necessary

The truth behind social-media marketing

(a story about B2B)

“But social media is free…”

Nota bene

� Don’t be greedy and accept a project unless

proper internal resources have been allocated

� Understand that social media are not marketing

tools, they are communications devices

� Focus on communications goals, not projects

(and don’t be seduced by false metrics)

What to do when the key decision-maker leaves

the team a week before the contract is signed

(a story from the private sector)

“BTW, I’m no longer in charge of this project…”

Nota bene

� Make sure the new person knows that you

know they are calling the shots

(Don’t threaten, be supportive)

� Find out what the new person has in terms of

personal goals and hidden agendas

(and find out why the other guy left/got fired)

� Avoid talking about legacy decisions

(even when the new leader is clearly looking for

a scapegoat)

What to watch out for when dealing with bureaucrats

(a story about charities and NGOs)

“Oh, the contract is just a formality…”

Nota bene

� A contract is always a contract

� Cover Your Ass.

Get something in writing from the client (an e-

mail, for example) that shows they understand

the true backstory and are gaming their system

� Be wary of contracts that appear after you’ve

started the work

How to give clues to clueless clients

(a story about B2B)

“We want the best damned site in our industry.

Can we have it Thursday?”

Nota bene

� Try and put the project into a familiar perspective(e.g. print: compare preparation needs and budgets with those for their annual report)

� Show how a proper development process works(e.g. www.fatdux.com/how/our-process)

� See if there is a link to an internal process(e.g. LEAN – muda, muri, mura)

muda = elimination of fluctuation (e.g. quality)

muri = eliminating unreasonable work (planning)

mura = reactive elimination of causes

How to avoid “deliverables creep”

(a story from the private sector)

“You didn’t deliver what you promised…”

Nota bene

� Don’t be vague just to get the contract.

Vague proposal language will return to

bite you in the ass.

� Make sure you specify your deliverables – and

that the client understands exactly what you

mean (not everyone has the same definition of

stuff, e.g. wireframes)

� Always be prepared to give more than you

planned on giving.

What to do when the CEO pulls rank

(a story from the industrial sector)

“My wife says links should be blue…”

Nota bene

� Pick your fights with care. Don’t waste time

discussing the home page if you can win on stuff like

better forms design.

� In a battle with the CEO’s spouse, statistics will lose

� Get the CEO to choose between their personal

business success and their spouse

(“You might become more profitable if you…”)

How to read between blurry lines

(a story from the private sector)

“But your proposal doesn’t contain all the stuff

we want but didn’t ask for.”

Nota bene

� Find out how you got on the short list

(probably because you are qualified)

� Don’t spend too much time proving your

qualifications. Instead, show that you can think

outside whatever box you’ve been given.

� Show folks success, not just process

(People don’t want a drill, they want a hole.)

You can (usually) find Eric at:

The FatDUX Group ApS

Strandøre 15

DK-2100 Copenhagen

Denmark

www.fatdux.com

Office: (+45) 39 29 07 07

Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44

er@fatdux.com

skype: ericreiss

twitter: @elreiss