Far too often there exists a chasm between the client paying for and the developer working on a particular project. One party has a longterm vision; a vision that will ultimately impact his/her financial future. The other party has a much closer view of the project, which creates the risk of getting tunnel visioned. The client worries about when the project will be completed; the developer worries about how the project will be completed. When this happens, communication becomes difficult and frustration builds. How can this be avoided?

At Highgroove, we know that there is no replacement for good communication. This perhaps requires a bit more work from our clients than they might initially anticipate, but by maintaining frequent contact, we prevent frustration and confusion from creeping into the process. By keeping our clients actively involved (i.e. forcing them to accept/reject stories in Pivotal Tracker), they know exactly where the project stands and what work remains. This helps the project stay on track and gives us, the developers, quick feedback about whether or not the work being done is acceptable.

When we are able to maintain this level of communication with our clients, we can develop a comfortable working relationship that allows us to honestly question features or approaches that would complicate projects and potentially delay launching. At Highgroove, we earnestly want our clients’ projects to succeed. We hope that our clients choose us not for only our technical skill, but our dedication to giving them the best version of their vision. By striving to cultivate a successful working relationship, we go beyond maintaining happy clients: we promote successful enterprises.