Let’s say you’re purchasing a deliverable from a 3rd party. You know what you want, defined the requirements, and don’t really care what the execution looks like, as long as you get the result you need.
A component design,
a structural analysis,
or maybe a circuit board assembly.
Often, you’ll be negotiating a fixed price with the supplier or contractor doing the work. That fixed price will include a schedule and a list of deliverables based on your requirements.
In a perfect world, that should work perfectly!
But what if your requirements change?
What if the schedule slips?
What if you’re not pleased with the results?
What if? What if?
None of those questions are necessarily show stoppers, but they might be depending on how they’re answered (or if they aren’t asked!)
Perhaps you’re both assuming the requirements will never change, so neither party feels the need to discuss that scenario.
But then they do change.
And now you disagree on who should pay for it.
Perhaps you should ask the questions at the beginning whether you think you need to or not!
And perhaps you should be willing to spend a little more time and money in the “proposal phase” to make sure you’re both on the same page.
-Brian Schoolcraft
Comments