Chapter 18: Customer Relationships


Overview

Every project has an internal or external customer who is relying on project fulfillment. Most external customers have a financial investment in the project effort. Internal customers often seek greater operational effectiveness and efficiency as a result of the product or service delivered by the project effort. Along with these considerations of revenue and efficiency, the third common element of the project-business equation is customer satisfaction. These elements need to be managed from both a business and a project management perspective. To the extent that the PMO is responsible for project-business integration, managing customer relationships within the project management environment is an important element of the PMO's efforts.

Most customers will have some level of participation in project activities. At a minimum they will initiate a request for the project effort and execute the associated project contract or agreement. Some customers will be more involved than others in project performance and project management oversight. Any level of customer involvement in the project effort warrants that the PMO also be involved in managing those customer relationships.

This PMO function addresses the essentials of managing customer relationships, and most prescribed activities can be applied to both internal and external customers. However, there will be a distinct inclination toward the external business customer who has an investment commitment to one or more project efforts conducted by the relevant organization. To that end, the PMO should evaluate internal project management customer relationships and then translate as much of the prescribed customer relationship management approach as possible for internal use.

This "customer relationships" function enables the PMO to:

  • Establish customer relationship practices within the project management environment

  • Develop guidance for managing the business aspects of customer projects

  • Conduct customer satisfaction measurements related to project performance

These activities can be designed and developed in conjunction with the introduction of an overall customer relationship management (CRM) system within the relevant organization, or they can be developed and implemented solely within the project management environment. In either case, these activities will always be in collaboration with relevant managers and other participants in the business environment.




The Complete Project Management Office Handbook
The Complete Project Management Office Handbook, Second Edition (ESI International Project Management Series)
ISBN: 1420046802
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 158

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