IT Success!: Towards a New Model for Information Technology

3.5. When standard client–vendor relationships pose problems

In general, a standard contractual client–vendor relationship for a process begins to pose problems when a vendor has difficultly understanding just what you, the customer, really want, which makes it difficult to get a quote and a delivery date. This would occur when one or more of the following conditions are met:

• It is not easy for you to visualize the outcome because it does not necessarily form part of your everyday life.

• The level of ambiguity in the specifications is sufficiently high for them to be open to interpretation.

• The vendor finds it difficult to translate your specifications into costs and schedules, which means that he cannot produce an accurate quote and delivery date. Indeed, without further investment of time and resources on both his part and yours, he might not even be sure of what technology or materials he will be using.

• Your reasons for acquiring the product or service, and hence the underlying specifications, are essentially moving targets. It is therefore likely that you will change your mind once the vendor starts working.

• The level of joint expertise is sufficiently high for neither of you to be able to do the job without ongoing input from the other.

For these reasons, the vendor will require ongoing clarifications concerning ambiguous and changing requirements. The joint expertise provided by each of you will introduce additional requirements and constraints, which will further influence the ...