Failed cooperation between provider and customer in the project business sometimes has a dramatic impact on project success. In two studies, Florian Kopshoff (Technical University of Dortmund) shows what can go wrong in project collaboration and quantifies the influence of conflicts on project success.
In his analyses, the author does not focus on the internal project management of the provider company, but instead takes a closer look at customer behavior and how this is handled.
One result: in particular, the client’s non-goal-oriented influence on the solution itself can have a massive impact on success. If clients send their strategy consultant the desired strategic recommendations at the same time, or if entrepreneurs dictate components to the commissioned mechanical engineer that paralyze the conveyor belt, there is a risk. Even in less serious cases, a loss of earnings is foreseeable.
If it is not possible to resolve these and other conflicts in the cooperation, then profits shrink, timelines collapse and customer satisfaction with the result decreases.
Kopshoff has summarized some of his findings for the Federal Association of German Management Consultants (BDU):
https://www.bdu.de/media/351898/studie_kundenkompetenz-im-projekt_unidortmundundbdu.pdf
The book on this topic will soon be available from Springer Gabler in the series “Angewandte Marketingforschung”.
www.springer.com
