Does the following sound like a familiar situation?  You are at a planning meeting for the next Web development project your company is working on.  As is often the case with Website or Web application development, this project is very large, very complex and is taking longer than your team expected.  Because the project is stressful, your team starts to compromise, starts to make excuses why it is taking so long, or why it is so hard.  At the same rate, throughout the project, many new features and functions have been added to the scope of the project.  It seems this development project is taking forever!

Then, there is a pivotal point when a team member – usually someone with high-ranking status – says, “I think these (insert tasks and functions here) can wait until Phase 2.”  YES!  Although no one wants to physically show a sigh of relief, you can almost sense one.  Small smirks start to form on your team members’ faces.  Whew!  

We hear the term Phase 2 a lot at BitWise Solutions in relation to Website development projects and especially in relation to Web application projects.  We are working on very complex Web solutions and a lot of times our clients don’t have the resources to complete all the phases of development at once because of their timeline or budget.  So, in turn, someone will say, “Phase 2” and no one will dispute it.  Of course this helps us focus on key elements of the project; but I argue, is it better to do it all at once?  Is it better to spend the extra time, effort and money to get it right the first time?

If we wait until Phase 2 won’t we end up spending more time, effort, and money?  When we start phase 2, we will have to restart, reengage and spend more time managing.  Instead, it seems like if we did it all at once, we could have saved time and effort by keeping the momentum.  If we have more phases, won’t we spend more time than is necessary in quality assurance after the Website or application has been launched?  Wouldn’t it be better to spend that time looking ahead to see what might be coming and then innovate on the product with minor adjustments instead of entering costly additional phases?

No one wants to dispute Phase 2.  People think that by breaking projects into phases, it will enable the team to focus on the most critical parts of a project and we will complete those tasks so we have something to show.  But I argue, let’s not wait for Phase 2, or 3 or 4.  Let’s get it done all at once.  Let’s spend the extra time, money and effort getting it right the first time.  In my opinion, it will result in a savings at the end.   

Why we fear RFPs

One of the most dreaded acronyms in the web development industry (or any industry for that matter) is “Request For Proposal (RFP).”  We all cringe when we hear this term, especially when it comes from a new business opportunity.  I’ve been at a few firms now and all pledge that “We won’t respond to RFPs any longer.” Unfortunately, sometimes we still can’t afford not to.

Here are a few reasons why we prefer to say “NO” to RFPs:

 No opportunity for relationship building
At BitWise, we value our relationships with clients, probably more than we value our profits.  We know that the relationships we’ve built are our best revenue stream.  And our relationships with our clients are built on trust. They start the day we meet each other – before we embark on projects together. The time spent getting to know a client before we even ask for a signature is invaluable – trust is built here.

The RFP inhibits relationship or trust building. It is cold and sterile and focuses on discovering only 50% of a firm’s capabilities; it cannot capture the other 50%, the personality of the firm. We’re sending our proposal into space
As a new business development manager, the most valuable part of building a relationship with a prospective client is knowing if you should or should not submit them a proposal.  During the sales process you discover a lot about a new client – their personality, their needs, their strategies, their goals, their budgets, etc.  This information is critical for a salesperson.  It enables them to ask the right questions: Do we share the same values in the relationship?  Can we accommodate their needs?  Is their budget sufficient to complete the project?

An RFP does not allow us to answer these questions. We have no idea if our firm will mesh with their business.  We have no idea if we will be able to accomplish their goals.  We are essentially shooting an uneducated proposal into space with no clear direction.  

It handcuffs our creativity and strategic thinking
Anyone who has looked at an RFP knows that (most of the time) you have to follow a set structure in order to respond.  The RFP assumes that it has asked all the right questions and knows all the right answers.  An RFP often times gives you a very limited scope, one which does not allow us to know what the project is going to entail and thus it makes delivery within the timeline, budget, and quality expected near impossible.  The end result is that we almost always look bad in the end when we were handcuffed by the RFP from the beginning.

Our clients value our creativity and strategic approach to web site development.  They look to us to answer the hard questions and create a clear path for them.  We cannot do what we’re best at if we are not allowed to give creative input.  We are experts at what we do, namely Web site design and development and custom web applications.  It really doesn’t make much sense to essentially cut off the advice and input that the expert in the industry has to offer.

 The alternative? 

Find a web site development company who:

·         Seeks to be your business partner, not just a vendor;

·         Cares about your success;

·         Is knowledgeable and creative;

·         Focuses on your business goals and objectives;

·         Doesn’t promise more than they can deliver.

Once you find a web development company that fits you and your business needs, stick with them and don’t ever use the RFP process!

 

Woah! Thirty days flew by. It seems like yesterday I was getting familiar with my “office space” and the Keurig coffee maker. At the same rate, however, I sit here in my slightly modified “office space” with a cup of instantly-made coffee, and I feel like a grizzled, BitWise veteran.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned at BitWise, it is that they expect each employee here to be fully-independent, free-thinking, decision-making, client-pleasing people… within the first week (I’m sure you can imagine Ron and Scott don’t hire dumb people).

I was thrown into the snake pit, but I asked to be thrown into it. So what is it I do here? Well, I’m the Client Relations Manager –the first one at BitWise. My first task was to analyze our internal process of working with clients, completing their projects and launching them. My second task was to make recommendations on how we can make that better. So I spent the first week and a half doing just this. I dove right in and I quickly understood what it is we do here. From an outsider’s view it really isn’t that difficult – we get signatures to complete projects, we complete them, and launch them; all the while keeping the client satisfied. From an insider’s perspective, however, there are about 50 steps in our process, with about 200 other small steps in between.

So I made recommendations on how we can make BitWise even more client-friendly and efficient and we are implementing a lot of those recommendations now. So after all that, what have I been doing? I’ve been learning and absorbing everything I can about what it is we do and what it is our clients do. My job, essentially, is to learn about and know our clients and be a main point of contact during and after their projects. I consult, recommend, listen, hold hands, get my hands dirty, make coffee, make phone calls, send e-mails, review analytics, create strategies, and about 100 other things, on behalf of our clients.

I’ve learned that BitWise is a great place to work with great people and it’s built an incredible reputation in Indiana. I’m proud to work here because I know the service we offer is superb. I’m excited to grow with this company.