One of the audit partners for your firm consults with you on a possible new client....

One of the audit partners for your firm consults with you on a possible new client. What are three things you would want to ask the audit partner (or the potential client) about when considering whether this new client would be a good fit for the firm?

Expert Solution

Below are the qualifying factors that we take into account when choosing clients and projects:

1. Is the customer committed to Agile?

We see this as giving the project the greatest chance of succeeding. Every development project we undertake is Agile. This means that if the customer isn’t committed to Agile, they’re not the right fit.

2. Is their timeframe/budget flexible and realistic?

Sometimes people come in with a misconception about how long their project will take or how much it will cost. This will seriously impact the relationship and outcome of the project. Quality applications and websites cannot be built for hundreds of dollars, or in a matter of days.

3. Are they focused on outcomes not features?

It’s easy to list a bunch of features you think your users will want and need. It’s important to think about the outcomes you are trying to achieve, beyond the features you think are required. This gives the team flexibility to be innovative, and find ways to reach your outcomes that may be different from your preconceived ideas.

4. Is this project the basis for an ongoing relationship?

We love it when customers achieve great outcomes and then come back for more! Clients see success working in an Agile way, and getting the most value out of their projects. This will typically bring them back for more next time they have a project or idea they want to explore, strengthening the relationship. We don’t want to be seen as just a vendor/supplier, we want to be partners.

5. Is the approach customer-centric?

Has this been validated by end users? Finding ways to bring clients closer to their customers gets our wheels spinning. Creating something just because you think it’s going to be awesome (without any validation from people who would use it), not so much.

6. Is the project transactional, innovative or a technical stretch?

We like to challenge ourselves and prefer complex and innovative projects. This keeps our team engaged, and that helps them produce the best possible results.

7. Does the client (and project) align with our Purpose, Vision, and Values?

ekkarill92 answered 1 year ago

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