Collective Wisdom from the Experts 157
A workshop is a very effective tool to provide team members with knowledge
about the most important contract aspects and the change control process.
Hold this training at the very beginning. Alternately, you may want to include
a session about the subject in your internal kick-off meeting agenda. Either
way, you should make sure that every project team member is informed.
Special attention must be given to third parties working for the project, such as
providers, suppliers, or subcontractors. Controlling the client’s access to them
is difficult and delicate, and in some cases they may have an independent busi-
ness relationship with your client. It is not uncommon to see a subcontractor
accept a client’s request, perform it, and send the bill to you, the main contractor.
The best way to deal with this kind of problem is to avoid it. Talk to your pro-
viders and suggest that they inform people involved in your project about the
contractual aspects of your relationship both with them and with the client.
And introduce them to your change control process.
Remember: the success of a project is measured primarily by client satisfac-
tion. The point is not to deny changes, but to control them. All your team
members have to do about this is to detect a potential change and inform you
through your change control process. This allows you to control the relation-
ship with the client and to satisfy their needs without sacrificing time and cost.