2. Discussion
Current Strategies
● “Do you do weekly client check-ins?”
● “Do you do internal check-ins?”
● “Do you keep a spreadsheet of activity?”
● “Differences between remote v. on-site?”
Time spent: 5-7 minutes
3. Primarily for people stepping into leadership
roles.
Is it applicable for our work?
Yes!
Source Material
4. The nature of client work means that we are
often asked to step into new and unfamiliar
companies and industries and are asked to deliver
results quickly. Even on a team of one, our clients
can be looking to us as design expertise
The tools presented here are some good
strategies for getting caught up to speed,
understanding underlying goals, and structuring
your communication with clients.
Source Material
5. Why is this important?
1. Repeat Business
2. Condensed Timelines
3. Our own mental health
7. “The President gets
100 days to prove
himself. You get 90.”
-- Michael D. Watkins
2. Condensed Timelines
8. The reality is, with agency work, our
window is often even shorter.
😬
2. Condensed Timelines
9. 90% of HR professionals list transitions as the most stressful time in a
person’s career.
Even in longer UXAAS engagements, in a lot of ways, we are always in
transition.
Having systems in place reduces the mental load of having to reinvent the
client-communication wheel.
3. Our own mental health
10. The Timeline and Key Concepts
Day 1
Plan Your
Conversations
Evaluate The
Situation
Secure Early
Wins
Day ??
12. Discussion
Conversation Preparation
● What conversations do you always have with new clients?
● How do you structure them?
● What are we trying to get out of these early conversations?
Time spent: 5-7 minutes
16. Evaluate Situation:
Match Strategy with Diagnosis (STARS)
Kurt Vonnegut had what he called a “Master
Thesis,” 8 types of stories that all the world’s
stories fit into.
The First 90 Days says there’s only 5 types of
companies that you can be hired to work for.
17. 1. Start-Up
Assembling capabilities (people, financing, and technology) to get a new business or initiative off the
ground)
2. Turnaround
Saving a business or initiative widely acknowledged to be in serious trouble
3. Accelerated Growth
Managing a rapidly expanding business
4. Realignment
Re-energizing a previously successful organization that now faces problems
5. Sustaining Success
Preserving the vitality of a successful organization and taking it to the next level
Types of Clients (STARS)
18. 1. What are some recent EU Clients?
2. How do they fit in the STARS categories?
3. Are there any that don’t? How would we define them?
Types of Clients (STARS)
Time spent: 5-7 minutes
20. Getting Momentum
1. Why is this important?
2. Current methodology?
a. Understand criteria for success
b. Map out existing product landscape, stakeholders etc.
3. Look for easy wins and tie them with a bigger goal
21. 1. Is this important?
2. How are you currently doing this/are you?
3. What are some roadblocks in these early conversations?
Discussion
Time spent: 5-7 minutes
23. First 90 Days (Timeline)
● What can we do over those 90 days?
● What can be shortened if the engagement is shortened. Etc
○ Would the framework need to be different between Project-based, UXAAS and Partnership?
● Is there ever a project where this is not worth it?
○ Types of projects
○ Project lengths
Time spent: 5-7 minutes
24. 10 copies at the SF library
And a downloadable audiobook
available via your library and
Hoopla!
Want to know More?
25. Navarre has been working on his
own framework for client
management!
He’ll be presenting his framework,
Setting Up For Success (working
title) soon!
In the meantime, if you want to
know more, please reach out!
Want to know More?
Be concrete - asking about current. Timebox it to 10 minutes?
NOT CLEAR
DEFINE “Momentum” and “Early Wins?” ---- maybe
“Let’s just follow PM’s requirements” without looking at overall goals, might be pointless. To have early wins, we have to understand their critera for success.
