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January 18, 2003
Constant Noise
I had a couple experiences this week where I found out that something that was supposed to have been done (by a vendor) hadn't gotten done. This isn't surprising, it happens all the time with people and vendors, but it is frustrating and embarrassing every time it happens.
It's especially frustrating when I am the one who is responsible internally, but I have to rely on someone external to resolve the problem. When my needs are competing against other customers', it usually means that every couple of months, things boil to an loud, embarrassing moment for us and the vendor, after which we get some results for a while, until things start building to the next boiling point.
This process seems so non-productive. Rather than encourage the vendor and improve our relationship, it seems to make things worse on both sides. Granted, there are always times when relationships need to be "reset", but if the more complicated issues can't get resolved in a positive way, you're both soon going to be looking for easier people to get along with.
Fortunately, most vendors seem to be able to deal with the more common issues that come up in a relationship. It's the oddities, the things that only come up once in a while, but usually are far more significant than the day-to-day problems. How to make sure these issues get attention, get moved along, get the priority you need, and ultimately get resolved to your satisfaction?
I think that a more effective method might be that of " constant noise ". Rather than being loud every few months, would there be a way that I could maintain a subtle, persistent noise level that would keep these issues in the forefront? I hate to nag, is there a more positive way to create this constant noise? And can I keep the noise from blending into the background or being selectively filtered?
One method I am going to try is the running issues list and status meeting. With some vendors this has to be more frequent than others, and I hate to add any more meetings than necessary. But keeping the focus on the issues on a regular basis, and exchanging status information about them in person or electronically, might be an effective way to create constant noise and avoid another quarterly lecture.
Posted by pete at January 18, 2003 8:08 PM