In this white paper, Rachel Ramenda, Digital Marketing Specialist, emphasizes the challenges of managing projects spanning multiple departments and companies. She highlights the often-overlooked significance of collaborative structures in client-vendor partnerships, the paper underscores the importance of a robust working relationship for successful service and solution delivery.
Please click on the video to the right to learn more about the author, hear her insights on this white paper, and learn what motivated her to write about the collaborative model for client-engagement project management.
To discuss this white paper in detail, please contact Rachel using the information provided at the bottom of the page.
Managing a project across multiple departments within any company is challenging. Doing so across two companies is significantly more difficult, but it is also imperative in developing client-driven, technology-enabled solutions.
Highly successful organizations know that working with an outside vendor offers the potential for saving time and resources. These companies recognize that vendors provide them with experienced subject matter experts dedicated to optimizing systems and producing timely deliverables. However, many organizations overlook the importance of establishing a collaborative structure for client-vendor partnerships.
A robust working relationship between a client and a vendor is paramount to the successful delivery of services and solutions. By inviting the client to share in the project management process, a vendor ensures the services provided reflect up-to-date market demands, both in terms of goals and budgets. Acknowledging the importance of collaboration between the client and the vendor, Vee Healthtek takes a fully collaborative approach to partnerships at every stage of the project management process.
We carefully assess the client’s needs and apply our vast experience in implementing solutions based on knowledge of industry best practices. The result of this collaborative model is a realistic, trackable, and scalable plan between two companies.
When developing a project plan, the first step is to agree on goals. This means identifying an operational or financial outcome to be achieved within a certain timeframe and budget. While this might seem basic, the traditional approach of requesting and gathering proposals often creates a framework in which the client and vendor begin the project on distinctly different paths. Sometimes, the client may start the process with a pre-defined scope, timetable, and fee expectations without consulting the vendor.
In response, the vendor conforms its proposal to these constraints without completing a project analysis or verifying with the client that both organizations are in complete agreement with the project’s goals and expectations.
Not only is this approach non-interactive, but in some cases, dialogue between the organizations may be ineffective, resulting in a disjointed partnership. A plan developed under these conditions risks disappointment on both sides when timelines and deliverables fall short of expectations.
Vee Healthtek’s collaborative project management model mitigates the risk of disconnected client-vendor relationships by developing the project plan jointly and then keeping the client actively engaged throughout the process. Our approach includes following the SMART goals model in our contracts and RFPs and then adhering to our six key collaborative elements of project management to ensure extraordinary outcomes.
According to the SMART system for goal setting, goals must be:
Specific: Goals must be clearly communicated between the partner organizations with absolute specificity.
Measurable: SMART goals must be clearly quantifiable. In order to determine whether a deliverable has been met or a goal has been reached, each step of the process must be associated with a metric. For example, a goal expressed as “maximize new sales leads” does not provide a measurable outcome, whereas “increase new sales leads by ten percent” offers a clear measure of success.
Achievable: A SMART goal must be possible to achieve. If a goal is not attainable, the project will be a disappointment and a waste of time for all involved. Additionally, if a goal seems too far-fetched, both teams will lose motivation and interest in the project.
Relevant: Goals should align with both parties’ long-term objectives, capabilities, and overall values.
Time-bound: SMART goals should be governed by a well-defined timeline as stipulated by both parties in a contract or RFP. The plan must include deadlines for each deliverable leading toward the final goal. Even when timing can be difficult to predict with certainty, there is a benefit to having a visible timetable in setting expectations.
Once a SMART goal has been agreed upon, it is time for the vendor to work with the client to establish a model for collaboration. This plan, like the goal itself, should be as clear and specific as possible. Include the exact dates by which individual tasks should be completed as well as important milestones. The client should be fully involved in the creation of the timeline and the outlining of the project’s expectations. At Vee Healthtek, we adhere to the following steps for successful project completion between organizations:
A vendor must work with its client to create clearly defined action steps. For each deliverable, there may be multiple action steps required. The vendor must carefully plan each stage of the project and communicate with the client about all the necessary action steps.
Each action must be assigned to a person or team that is accountable for seeing the deliverable is made on time. Ownership also means identifying problems, either direct or with dependencies, before these problems affect the timely delivery.
It is crucial that both the client and the vendor recognize which resources, both human and technology-based, are to be dedicated to the project. Timetables and budgets are meaningless unless supported by specific resource allocations.
A cutting-edge solution must overcome the pain points of existing technology and resources. These challenges should be identified and addressed with help from both the client and vendor.
A tracker that includes all deliverables and timetables should be accessible in real-time by the client to ensure progress is being made toward the project in accordance with the stipulated budget and timeline.
The vendor should work with the client to establish a schedule for calls that works for both parties and fits the project at hand. The purpose of these calls is to identify open or unresolved issues and agree on what resources should address them. Additionally, offering a chat option, such as Microsoft Teams or Slack, provides the client with an informal avenue for requesting support or voicing concerns that do not necessitate an entire meeting. This can potentially save hours of time for both parties since messaging is much faster than scheduling an additional call.
By following these six steps for project completion along with the SMART system for goal setting, the client-vendor relationship will be made efficient and effective. With structures for accountability and communication, the client can focus on its daily operations while seeing visible progress on the current project. Above all, the key to formulating a successful plan for both parties is industry-leading expertise. Vee Healthtek’s subject matter experts in healthcare, engineering, and technology have the experience and knowledge to execute the most complex projects with groundbreaking results.
Establishing client-engaged project management requires a significant investment of time and expertise. However, over the course of the project, this investment pays considerable dividends in terms of completeness, productivity, and exceeded expectations. Through this approach, Vee Healthtek builds a true partnership with each client based on a proven history of excellence.
"SMART Goals: A How to Guide." University of California Office of the President,
https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performance-appraisal/How%20to%20write%20SMART%20Goals%20v2.pdf.
