by Adewale Adedamola and Mosadoluwa Fasasi
Have you ever been in a situation with a client that you wish you hadn’t entered? Like Jada Smith put it “an entanglement” you wish never happened? If you have ever been caught up in such a situation, it’s not something to experience ever again. If you don’t have the experience, continue reading to prevent ‘the red table’ story.
When you take on a project, you want to make sure that everything runs well. This can only be achieved by asking the right questions. By asking the right questions, you keep yourself in the safe zone on any project because if things go wrong, you take (most of) the heat.
Here are 5 questions to ask your client to ensure you’re on the same page before kick-starting that project.
- What is the purpose of the project?
If you want to do anything, there has to be a reason for it. If you’re taking on a project and you don’t know the reason behind it, that’s a wrong foot to begin with. If your client is not sure about the purpose, don’t rush it. You can give him/her some time to think over it. When he/she has a clear expectation, that’s a good place to begin.
Who are your target audience? What is your mode of appealing to them? Ask your client for products that render the same service s/he would like to render. Ask for what they like and don’t like about the products. These questions give you clear expectations on how best to deliver.
2. What is the budget for the project?
Someone reached out to me to work on a project and I asked for the budget. The reply, for me, was ridiculous. I declined the offer. Discussing the budget is not only to know if you should take on a project or decline, it also helps you to proffer professional advice. Some clients have unrealistic expectations. By offering advice on how best your (prospective) client can go about a project, you build trust and relationship. (whispers) It’s a customer retention hack.
3. What is the project’s deadline?
Ask your client when the project is expected to be completed. Are there milestones to measure the progress? You want to ask all of this. I remember working a 9–5 job and every day, my boss was always looking out for what I was doing and when. This kept on for a while until I suggested having milestones per day. I updated her each time I crossed a milestone and this reduced the constant beeps I got on my phone.
Having an agreed deadline and milestones keep both parties on the same page. You know what is expected to be done and when.
4. How should we communicate feedback?
Remember my 9–5 job story? When I got the job, I never discussed how communication should flow. (I’m using my job as an illustration because basically, your job is also a project.) So, my boss has my hotline. She could call anytime and drop a message anytime and I would just have to reply. You don’t want to be in that shoe.
Iron this out. Communication tools include Discord, Slack, Telegram. To manage feedback, you can use Trello, Airtable, Notion. Make sure you both agree on the tool that works best for both of you.
5. How do we measure success?
Just as it is important for you to be clear on the purpose of the project, it is important to know what the success of a project means. For instance, if you’re on a 100meter dash, your success is determinant when you cross the finish line. The line is what success means. If you don’t cross it, you’ve failed the course.
This applies to your project as well. Have a defined “finish line” and always bear in mind that until it is crossed, the project isn’t successful. It could be to reach a certain number of signups on an app, it could be to gain traffic on a website, it could be anything. Just make sure it is well defined.
It is always important you ask these questions before you start any project. Clear information creates clear expectations which reduces disappointment. Go out there and bag those projects!
You can also sign up for the 2022 Aorthar bootcamp to learn design and some design-prenuer hacks. Click this link: selar.co/jz2h
See you 💚
