[webproducers] Re: how to persuade management that deliveringquality improves business???

Without attempting to answer this comprehensively or definitively, in 
my work and experience, leading by example makes a big difference. If 
I under-promise and over-deliver on whatever my job happens to be, 
people start paying closer attention to me and giving me more 
authority. Works like a charm, but it takes
- stamina -- to be able to say "no" to scope creep, etc. wherever you 
encounter it;
- confidence -- that your plan will succeed and that you know you're 
doing the right thing; and
- good communication (always laced with empathy) -- so that you are 
100% certain that the customer knows exactly what you're 
(under)promising and what is eventually (over)delivered... so that 
they can thank you for it and come back for more. (A customer could 
be a paying client, an account manager or executive, or anyone in 
your organization who is a direct beneficiary of the product/project.)

Then *after a laudable success* and *off-line*, you can point out to 
your client what actually transpired, and s/he becomes educated. I 
think this is most appropriate for account managers and executives, 
as opposed to paying clients -- in other words, those clients who may 
share praise with you or may at some point rest on your laurels. It's 
bottom-up persuasion through demonstration as opposed to rhetoric.

My 2 cents

Ruth

>it seems to me that the web industry is in desperate need of a radical
>shift in mind set towards delivering quality.  as someone else mentioned,
>deliver quality and work will continue to flow in the doors.  to me,
>delivering quality means to "under-promise and over-deliver".  this concept
>seems to be lost on many senior managers and account managers.  my guess is
>that this is because these folks just don't know better.  that sounds
>harsh, but i can't think of any other rational explanation.  how does one
>begin to persuade these people that delivering quality improves business?
>
>
>Duane Douglas
>Web Developer
>mailto:ddouglas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
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-- 
..............................................................
Ruth Kaufman
212.828.6386 (home)
917.623.7423 (mobile)
ruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://ruthkaufman.com
..............................................................
__________________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe send a blank message with unsubscribe in the subject to 
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Questions and comments are welcome just e-mail me, morry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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