Client team has low performances and low technical skills: we always fix their work and now they stop...





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31















I work as a team leader in a team of 6 (2 very senior devs, 1 senior dev, 1 medium level dev, 1 junior dev and 1 senior graphic designer). Our client has his own internal team of 5 (1 architect, 2 senior devs and 2 junior devs).



The performance and the skills of the internal team are extremely low (commits that don’t compile, even tags, merges that break/remove working functionalities and that reach production untested, nonsense questions, months to complete simple changes, etc.) and we are always fixing their poor work. For example:




  • We fixed dozens and dozens of bugs opened in the last year and a half and that were assigned to the internal team, spending less than 30 minutes on each (even in the part of the project we have never worked on before);

  • A project was assigned to the internal team and was estimated at 3 months: after 6 months they admitted they were unable to complete it, so the client assigned it to us. In 6 months they did less than 10% of the required work. In a month and a half we closed this project;

  • We had to spend more than a week to fix a mess in SVN they created


From the beginning of this year, the client more or less bypassed his own team and assigned everything directly to us (in fact our team will soon grow by at least 4 devs). The other team didn’t take it well and are trying to sabotage us; we need them to contact other suppliers because for their internal policy; 2 suppliers cannot speak directly without client mediation and they literally take weeks to simply forward an email. When we need clarifications on code they developed, they are elusive and don’t provide any useful explanation. They didn't give us resources or privileges that we required in order to complete our tasks, etc.



The client is well aware of the situation but he seems he wants to do nothing to solve it. Does anyone who went through a similar situation have some advice on how to solve this problem?









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  • Maybe it will be useful to know the structure of client company. In my field there is a client (IT) who write details about the specifications and which we work with, but also there is a specialist division on client side (for who the software will be) which say "this task should be done, this not" and sort tasks according to priority. This division is authorized "above" both, the client IT and us. Is your client assimilable?

    – Allerleirauh
    20 hours ago








  • 1





    @Allerleirauh client is a big (mainly national) company with more or less 2000 employees. This company has an internal IT department but is not its main focus (about 100 people) My company is multinational with 20000 employees. I work in the IT division. Your client is not assimilable with ours: internal IT decides autonomously the tasks that should be done, at what priority and who will develop them (internally, externally and to which supplier)

    – Elitot Confused
    16 hours ago






  • 12





    Your company has 20,000 people? This is not something you should even attempt to manage yourself, as you are the team leader, not the one actually responsible for the contract. Tell your boss the issue; they will tell you what to do.

    – MineR
    14 hours ago






  • 1





    By "the client is well aware of the situation" do you mean that you, your management, or whoever is in charge of the contract in your company, has communicated with the person or persons in the other company who are in charge of the contract and responsible for approving payment of your company's invoices? From other things you have said, it sounds like you mean "I sent email more than once to the people I normally communicate with on their team". If that's what you really mean, then that's not "the client is well aware of the situation".

    – Makyen
    12 hours ago






  • 2





    The client is giving you additional work. One way to look at it is as a problem; the other way is as sales.

    – John Wu
    6 hours ago


















31















I work as a team leader in a team of 6 (2 very senior devs, 1 senior dev, 1 medium level dev, 1 junior dev and 1 senior graphic designer). Our client has his own internal team of 5 (1 architect, 2 senior devs and 2 junior devs).



The performance and the skills of the internal team are extremely low (commits that don’t compile, even tags, merges that break/remove working functionalities and that reach production untested, nonsense questions, months to complete simple changes, etc.) and we are always fixing their poor work. For example:




  • We fixed dozens and dozens of bugs opened in the last year and a half and that were assigned to the internal team, spending less than 30 minutes on each (even in the part of the project we have never worked on before);

  • A project was assigned to the internal team and was estimated at 3 months: after 6 months they admitted they were unable to complete it, so the client assigned it to us. In 6 months they did less than 10% of the required work. In a month and a half we closed this project;

  • We had to spend more than a week to fix a mess in SVN they created


From the beginning of this year, the client more or less bypassed his own team and assigned everything directly to us (in fact our team will soon grow by at least 4 devs). The other team didn’t take it well and are trying to sabotage us; we need them to contact other suppliers because for their internal policy; 2 suppliers cannot speak directly without client mediation and they literally take weeks to simply forward an email. When we need clarifications on code they developed, they are elusive and don’t provide any useful explanation. They didn't give us resources or privileges that we required in order to complete our tasks, etc.



The client is well aware of the situation but he seems he wants to do nothing to solve it. Does anyone who went through a similar situation have some advice on how to solve this problem?









share









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Elitot Confused is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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  • Maybe it will be useful to know the structure of client company. In my field there is a client (IT) who write details about the specifications and which we work with, but also there is a specialist division on client side (for who the software will be) which say "this task should be done, this not" and sort tasks according to priority. This division is authorized "above" both, the client IT and us. Is your client assimilable?

    – Allerleirauh
    20 hours ago








  • 1





    @Allerleirauh client is a big (mainly national) company with more or less 2000 employees. This company has an internal IT department but is not its main focus (about 100 people) My company is multinational with 20000 employees. I work in the IT division. Your client is not assimilable with ours: internal IT decides autonomously the tasks that should be done, at what priority and who will develop them (internally, externally and to which supplier)

    – Elitot Confused
    16 hours ago






  • 12





    Your company has 20,000 people? This is not something you should even attempt to manage yourself, as you are the team leader, not the one actually responsible for the contract. Tell your boss the issue; they will tell you what to do.

    – MineR
    14 hours ago






  • 1





    By "the client is well aware of the situation" do you mean that you, your management, or whoever is in charge of the contract in your company, has communicated with the person or persons in the other company who are in charge of the contract and responsible for approving payment of your company's invoices? From other things you have said, it sounds like you mean "I sent email more than once to the people I normally communicate with on their team". If that's what you really mean, then that's not "the client is well aware of the situation".

    – Makyen
    12 hours ago






  • 2





    The client is giving you additional work. One way to look at it is as a problem; the other way is as sales.

    – John Wu
    6 hours ago














31












31








31


3






I work as a team leader in a team of 6 (2 very senior devs, 1 senior dev, 1 medium level dev, 1 junior dev and 1 senior graphic designer). Our client has his own internal team of 5 (1 architect, 2 senior devs and 2 junior devs).



The performance and the skills of the internal team are extremely low (commits that don’t compile, even tags, merges that break/remove working functionalities and that reach production untested, nonsense questions, months to complete simple changes, etc.) and we are always fixing their poor work. For example:




  • We fixed dozens and dozens of bugs opened in the last year and a half and that were assigned to the internal team, spending less than 30 minutes on each (even in the part of the project we have never worked on before);

  • A project was assigned to the internal team and was estimated at 3 months: after 6 months they admitted they were unable to complete it, so the client assigned it to us. In 6 months they did less than 10% of the required work. In a month and a half we closed this project;

  • We had to spend more than a week to fix a mess in SVN they created


From the beginning of this year, the client more or less bypassed his own team and assigned everything directly to us (in fact our team will soon grow by at least 4 devs). The other team didn’t take it well and are trying to sabotage us; we need them to contact other suppliers because for their internal policy; 2 suppliers cannot speak directly without client mediation and they literally take weeks to simply forward an email. When we need clarifications on code they developed, they are elusive and don’t provide any useful explanation. They didn't give us resources or privileges that we required in order to complete our tasks, etc.



The client is well aware of the situation but he seems he wants to do nothing to solve it. Does anyone who went through a similar situation have some advice on how to solve this problem?









share









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Elitot Confused is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












I work as a team leader in a team of 6 (2 very senior devs, 1 senior dev, 1 medium level dev, 1 junior dev and 1 senior graphic designer). Our client has his own internal team of 5 (1 architect, 2 senior devs and 2 junior devs).



The performance and the skills of the internal team are extremely low (commits that don’t compile, even tags, merges that break/remove working functionalities and that reach production untested, nonsense questions, months to complete simple changes, etc.) and we are always fixing their poor work. For example:




  • We fixed dozens and dozens of bugs opened in the last year and a half and that were assigned to the internal team, spending less than 30 minutes on each (even in the part of the project we have never worked on before);

  • A project was assigned to the internal team and was estimated at 3 months: after 6 months they admitted they were unable to complete it, so the client assigned it to us. In 6 months they did less than 10% of the required work. In a month and a half we closed this project;

  • We had to spend more than a week to fix a mess in SVN they created


From the beginning of this year, the client more or less bypassed his own team and assigned everything directly to us (in fact our team will soon grow by at least 4 devs). The other team didn’t take it well and are trying to sabotage us; we need them to contact other suppliers because for their internal policy; 2 suppliers cannot speak directly without client mediation and they literally take weeks to simply forward an email. When we need clarifications on code they developed, they are elusive and don’t provide any useful explanation. They didn't give us resources or privileges that we required in order to complete our tasks, etc.



The client is well aware of the situation but he seems he wants to do nothing to solve it. Does anyone who went through a similar situation have some advice on how to solve this problem?







performance clients





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edited 6 hours ago









SeldomNeedy

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asked 21 hours ago









Elitot ConfusedElitot Confused

16425




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Check out our Code of Conduct.













  • Maybe it will be useful to know the structure of client company. In my field there is a client (IT) who write details about the specifications and which we work with, but also there is a specialist division on client side (for who the software will be) which say "this task should be done, this not" and sort tasks according to priority. This division is authorized "above" both, the client IT and us. Is your client assimilable?

    – Allerleirauh
    20 hours ago








  • 1





    @Allerleirauh client is a big (mainly national) company with more or less 2000 employees. This company has an internal IT department but is not its main focus (about 100 people) My company is multinational with 20000 employees. I work in the IT division. Your client is not assimilable with ours: internal IT decides autonomously the tasks that should be done, at what priority and who will develop them (internally, externally and to which supplier)

    – Elitot Confused
    16 hours ago






  • 12





    Your company has 20,000 people? This is not something you should even attempt to manage yourself, as you are the team leader, not the one actually responsible for the contract. Tell your boss the issue; they will tell you what to do.

    – MineR
    14 hours ago






  • 1





    By "the client is well aware of the situation" do you mean that you, your management, or whoever is in charge of the contract in your company, has communicated with the person or persons in the other company who are in charge of the contract and responsible for approving payment of your company's invoices? From other things you have said, it sounds like you mean "I sent email more than once to the people I normally communicate with on their team". If that's what you really mean, then that's not "the client is well aware of the situation".

    – Makyen
    12 hours ago






  • 2





    The client is giving you additional work. One way to look at it is as a problem; the other way is as sales.

    – John Wu
    6 hours ago



















  • Maybe it will be useful to know the structure of client company. In my field there is a client (IT) who write details about the specifications and which we work with, but also there is a specialist division on client side (for who the software will be) which say "this task should be done, this not" and sort tasks according to priority. This division is authorized "above" both, the client IT and us. Is your client assimilable?

    – Allerleirauh
    20 hours ago








  • 1





    @Allerleirauh client is a big (mainly national) company with more or less 2000 employees. This company has an internal IT department but is not its main focus (about 100 people) My company is multinational with 20000 employees. I work in the IT division. Your client is not assimilable with ours: internal IT decides autonomously the tasks that should be done, at what priority and who will develop them (internally, externally and to which supplier)

    – Elitot Confused
    16 hours ago






  • 12





    Your company has 20,000 people? This is not something you should even attempt to manage yourself, as you are the team leader, not the one actually responsible for the contract. Tell your boss the issue; they will tell you what to do.

    – MineR
    14 hours ago






  • 1





    By "the client is well aware of the situation" do you mean that you, your management, or whoever is in charge of the contract in your company, has communicated with the person or persons in the other company who are in charge of the contract and responsible for approving payment of your company's invoices? From other things you have said, it sounds like you mean "I sent email more than once to the people I normally communicate with on their team". If that's what you really mean, then that's not "the client is well aware of the situation".

    – Makyen
    12 hours ago






  • 2





    The client is giving you additional work. One way to look at it is as a problem; the other way is as sales.

    – John Wu
    6 hours ago

















Maybe it will be useful to know the structure of client company. In my field there is a client (IT) who write details about the specifications and which we work with, but also there is a specialist division on client side (for who the software will be) which say "this task should be done, this not" and sort tasks according to priority. This division is authorized "above" both, the client IT and us. Is your client assimilable?

– Allerleirauh
20 hours ago







Maybe it will be useful to know the structure of client company. In my field there is a client (IT) who write details about the specifications and which we work with, but also there is a specialist division on client side (for who the software will be) which say "this task should be done, this not" and sort tasks according to priority. This division is authorized "above" both, the client IT and us. Is your client assimilable?

– Allerleirauh
20 hours ago






1




1





@Allerleirauh client is a big (mainly national) company with more or less 2000 employees. This company has an internal IT department but is not its main focus (about 100 people) My company is multinational with 20000 employees. I work in the IT division. Your client is not assimilable with ours: internal IT decides autonomously the tasks that should be done, at what priority and who will develop them (internally, externally and to which supplier)

– Elitot Confused
16 hours ago





@Allerleirauh client is a big (mainly national) company with more or less 2000 employees. This company has an internal IT department but is not its main focus (about 100 people) My company is multinational with 20000 employees. I work in the IT division. Your client is not assimilable with ours: internal IT decides autonomously the tasks that should be done, at what priority and who will develop them (internally, externally and to which supplier)

– Elitot Confused
16 hours ago




12




12





Your company has 20,000 people? This is not something you should even attempt to manage yourself, as you are the team leader, not the one actually responsible for the contract. Tell your boss the issue; they will tell you what to do.

– MineR
14 hours ago





Your company has 20,000 people? This is not something you should even attempt to manage yourself, as you are the team leader, not the one actually responsible for the contract. Tell your boss the issue; they will tell you what to do.

– MineR
14 hours ago




1




1





By "the client is well aware of the situation" do you mean that you, your management, or whoever is in charge of the contract in your company, has communicated with the person or persons in the other company who are in charge of the contract and responsible for approving payment of your company's invoices? From other things you have said, it sounds like you mean "I sent email more than once to the people I normally communicate with on their team". If that's what you really mean, then that's not "the client is well aware of the situation".

– Makyen
12 hours ago





By "the client is well aware of the situation" do you mean that you, your management, or whoever is in charge of the contract in your company, has communicated with the person or persons in the other company who are in charge of the contract and responsible for approving payment of your company's invoices? From other things you have said, it sounds like you mean "I sent email more than once to the people I normally communicate with on their team". If that's what you really mean, then that's not "the client is well aware of the situation".

– Makyen
12 hours ago




2




2





The client is giving you additional work. One way to look at it is as a problem; the other way is as sales.

– John Wu
6 hours ago





The client is giving you additional work. One way to look at it is as a problem; the other way is as sales.

– John Wu
6 hours ago










10 Answers
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active

oldest

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100














Please don't mislead yourself, you are nothing more than an external contractor to the company. You are NOT part of the company, so there is no legal or moral reason to grant you anything more than you already have. You don't belong to the company, you are not their human resources, you work as a provider-client relationship.



You have been paid, right? There should not be any reason for you to go above the boundary, it's not your company. Please don't be emotional. If you're not given resources, simply ask. If not granted, it's not yours.




Someone that pass through a similar situation has some advice on how to solve this problem?




Simple. Send your invoice to your client for your time.






share|improve this answer





















  • 10





    You are right! However, the poor performance on the client's internal team is making their job harder, so I understand the reason behind the question being posted

    – asdf
    19 hours ago






  • 56





    @asdf so charge for the extra time as they make the job harder...

    – Solar Mike
    19 hours ago






  • 30





    "The client is well aware of the situation" - this is the key factor. If you've made them aware, all that's left to do is send the bill. If they weren't aware, then make them aware... and then send the bill.

    – UKMonkey
    16 hours ago






  • 4





    I don' think this answer is in the best interest of the contractor, at least not if you are interested in working with company in the future. If you cannot get the job done because people in the company obstruct your work, you cannot just redirect the blame. Parts of it will stick.

    – J. Fabian Meier
    16 hours ago






  • 9





    @ElitotConfused Even if you are on a fixed price contract, you still have teh same answer. Make your higher ups aware of the problem. It is between your company's managers and the client company. Your company may pull people to work on other projects/clients. You cannot make the other team do anything.

    – pboss3010
    15 hours ago



















32














This is normal. The client doesn't have a good development team, so they contract some of the work to you. Their development team realise that you are a threat to their jobs so they have no incentive to help you.



Their manager should have been aware that this was going to happen, and there are various things he can do to solve it, but that's not your problem.



Your problem is how to ensure that these delays don't make you look bad to the person paying the bill. Make sure he's aware that there are problems and ask how you can help him.



Maybe he'd like to know about email queries that are unanswered after a week, or maybe he'd like to be CC'd at the start. Maybe he'd like you to fix the other team's bugs and just bill him, but maybe he wants to approve each one.






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  • 2





    Presumably there are formal contacts for the outsource company and the client company. Problems should be escalated to that level. The IT company should give regular feedback from that level. We completely X, and Y. Z will be completed in 3 weeks. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting two weeks for aaa so we do not have an estimated completion date for AAA. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting five weeks fo bbb and so we have stopped work on BBB. and so on. // Short version - Document everything!!!

    – MaxW
    10 hours ago





















18














Email the requests to the client team, and follow up with an email after the amount of time it would have taken you to comply with that request. CC this (nicely worded) reminder to the boss of the client company. They will either ignore it or help you out. If they ignore it, you have the paper trail to prove you are not the ones slowing the project, if they help you, all the better. After some iterations the boss of the client company will think of a way to reduce his spam-load, and give you a quick pass through (Some person just passing along the messages, as your own personal VPN).



In parallel, try to establish a personal relationship with one or more members of the other team. The petty communication outages that they produce are a sign that they harbor personal resentment. This can often be remedied by face-to-face meet ups. I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?'-common ground kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.






share|improve this answer


























  • Knowing the client, they will ignore the spam. We had a lot of chats and meeting with person of that team. Usually they stay on their ideas and we stay on ours. usually again ours proves to be correct and the client knows it (because we use solid proof to demonstrate our ideas)

    – Elitot Confused
    15 hours ago






  • 1





    @ElitotConfused If they ignore the spam, you will have a BS job, but a paid BS job - find the mental place to deal with that, or quit; --- about the meetups: I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?' kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.

    – bukwyrm
    15 hours ago



















9















Client is well aware of the situation but he seems he wants to do
nothing to solve.




So, you've brought this to the attention of the "powers that be" and they're not interested in fixing the problem. I assume that they pay you for all of this "extra" work that you perform? If so, then either continue performing the work and continue getting paid for it or fire the client. There are no other options.






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  • 1





    this is not helpful if for example boss of own company and boss of client insist on this relationship...

    – Allerleirauh
    20 hours ago






  • 2





    @Allerleirauh "there are no other options" may not be helpful but it is the right answer

    – Pierre Arlaud
    16 hours ago






  • 1





    We work on a body rental type of contract. There is no extra pay. the price is fixed at the beginning of the contract.

    – Elitot Confused
    15 hours ago






  • 3





    @ElitotConfused I understand you saying that the cost per hour is fixed, but is the number of hours fixed or the product delivered (or both)? If it is both, you should find a new job. Otherwise, the cost has been increased--either they are paying for more hours (overtime) or they are paying for more hours (because it will take longer to get their product delivered).

    – user3067860
    9 hours ago



















3














Here is what I read:




  • We are great

  • Client not so much

  • They don't like us


Pro-tip, sometimes it better to be liked than right. Who do you want to be friends with more, the boss man, or the workers? Boss man pays the bills so always be his friend. But sometimes it helps to be friends with the workers also.



So instead of "Us" versus "Them", try to make it "We".



Rule #1: BE NICE



I'm sure you are always very professional, but from what you said in your post, I'm doubting you are always nice.



Sometimes a friendly visit to the client, box of donuts/candy/meat-veg tray/ice cream/movie tickets/etc... can go along way. Basically say, "we want to get along, we want to help you, we are on your side."



Rule #2: Be in control



SVN? Really? If I was manager in this situation, I would say, "how can we manage the code better". Does Github let every Joe Haxxor commit their craptastic code the master repo? No. If possible, I'd maintain a separate Git repo, where you can add their contributions as separate pull requests. If they are stuck on SVN, so be it. You can give them your contributions as big single commits. Even if you have to move the code manually, its better than the client team screwing up the repo your team depends on.



Also, like the other posts said, document communications in case you need to CYA.



Good luck!






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    2














    Ask for a regular status meeting with the client (hopefully you have that already but I get the sense that you don't). (NOTE: By regular I mean at least weekly, if not 2-3 times a week. If you can swing it, a stand up every day would be ideal.) During this status meeting, talk about the roadblocks you currently have... list them one by one, what you need, what you are waiting for and from whom, and what the dangers are if the request isn't filled in a timely manner... the project quality will suffer, you will ship late, etc.




    We sent an email last week that we need X from the suppliers and that we would need it within a week in order to not put the project deadline in danger. We are rapidly approaching a week since our request. Do you have any updates on when we might get X? If we don't get it by this Friday, we will have to push back the delivery date by a week.



    We sent an email last week to Jim asking for clarification on the Widget code. We can't proceed until we get that clarification. When can we set up that meeting?




    and so on. Don't be accusatory or emotional, be factual, be clear about what problems this issue is causing or will cause to the project. When you don't get X for 3 weeks and you needed it the next day, no one should be surprised when you state that the delivery date will slip by 3 weeks.



    Once things start looking like you won't ship on the initially agreed upon time, start communicating regularly with the client management. Inform them that the X, Y, and Z delays that you have notified them of are of their teams' doing and will put you past the scheduled timeframe. Any additional work past X date will incur additional at the rate of $Z. (Maybe it's too late to do some of this but you can at least start dropping hints of contract renegotiation due to delays beyond your control and of the client company's making).






    share|improve this answer



















    • 1





      Yup. Status meeting should have the Joe Friday approach. "Just the facts sir..." It is not a place to brainstorm solutions. So the client contact takes a todo to have Joe at client's site respond or to find out when Joe will respond.

      – MaxW
      10 hours ago



















    0














    Document each request, each complaint, and the hours wasted trying to work through the internal team to get the resources you need.



    Right now, the internal team is fighting you because, so far, you have proven more capable of handling the application and are upstaging them - they are retaliating by making things more difficult for you.



    Continue to provide the support you have thus far, and keep your client in the loop about all of these hang-ups. CC them, if you can, so that they are well aware of your attempts to keep things moving.



    Eventually, they will have to confront this issue - but this is not your problem to solve. Your only concern should be getting your own work done, and showing that you are doing everything you can to get the resources for that work.



    So long as you are doing your work to the degree you've described thus far, with the only complications being the internal team, they should have no reason to break off ties with you (though, they may want to consider restructuring that team - but again, this is not your problem to solve).






    share|improve this answer































      0














      So I've read the existing answers and there's more to deal with.




      Send your invoice to your client for your time.




      Correct; however we also now have an employee morale problem on your side; or if we don't we will soon. Whatever cheapish things you can do to keep morale up, it's time to start doing them.



      You may have to approach your customer with something along the lines of "Due to certain problems on your side causing an employee morale problem for us, we have to increase our future rates for you by about 10% so that we can buy perks for the employees." But please, find somebody more diplomatic than I.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 1





        OP is not the boss, so I don't think this answer makes sense for them.

        – user87779
        8 hours ago











      • @user87779: In which case the morale problem will have to propagate upwards until it does reach someone who can act on it.

        – Joshua
        6 hours ago











      • exactly, i agree. So maybe edit the answer to say that, and maybe a way for the OP to help if happen if you think they can.

        – user87779
        6 hours ago













      • @user87779: I don't suppose you could splice an edit in? I've ran out of ability (which is why my rep stays low...)

        – Joshua
        5 hours ago











      • huh, I'm not able to either. I wonder if the question was protected or something weird.

        – user87779
        3 hours ago



















      0














      The customer (here: the client) is always right. As long as the customer pays. So as long as the customer pays for every hour you work, it doesn’t matter if their team is lazy and incompetent. If your job takes three times longer, you get paid three times as much.



      Of course, as long as the customer pays. So you should have a log about anything you asked the client team to do, and when it was delivered, and with ho many bugs. So if the customer doesn’t want to pay, you can show them why things take so long.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 1





        The OP has said they get a fixed amount of money. I don't know exactly what that entails, but in a few other comments they seem to imply they don't get paid more for working longer. That seems crazy to me, but you may know more about situations like that.

        – user87779
        5 hours ago





















      0














      Where is the client internal team located? Is there a possibility that somebody from your team can go to the site where the internal team is located? I have had experiences in the past with teams that were difficult to work with, and I find that the best solution is to just go down and talk with people directly. I have had to spend entire days tracking down information myself from internal teams, just because the communication and initiative was simply not there. There is no need to be abrasive, or confrontational, just show up and get the communication lines established. Find out if they have a weekly meeting and have someone attend it. The bottom line is that the other team is struggling and your work is showing that to everyone. They are defensive for a good reason, so just show up with the attitude of "how can we help each other?". Maybe you can start doing some mentoring, or help them improve their process. You are hired as consultants not just to deliver the project, but to enhance the company/team.






      share|improve this answer








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      Brian Y is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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        10 Answers
        10






        active

        oldest

        votes








        10 Answers
        10






        active

        oldest

        votes









        active

        oldest

        votes






        active

        oldest

        votes









        100














        Please don't mislead yourself, you are nothing more than an external contractor to the company. You are NOT part of the company, so there is no legal or moral reason to grant you anything more than you already have. You don't belong to the company, you are not their human resources, you work as a provider-client relationship.



        You have been paid, right? There should not be any reason for you to go above the boundary, it's not your company. Please don't be emotional. If you're not given resources, simply ask. If not granted, it's not yours.




        Someone that pass through a similar situation has some advice on how to solve this problem?




        Simple. Send your invoice to your client for your time.






        share|improve this answer





















        • 10





          You are right! However, the poor performance on the client's internal team is making their job harder, so I understand the reason behind the question being posted

          – asdf
          19 hours ago






        • 56





          @asdf so charge for the extra time as they make the job harder...

          – Solar Mike
          19 hours ago






        • 30





          "The client is well aware of the situation" - this is the key factor. If you've made them aware, all that's left to do is send the bill. If they weren't aware, then make them aware... and then send the bill.

          – UKMonkey
          16 hours ago






        • 4





          I don' think this answer is in the best interest of the contractor, at least not if you are interested in working with company in the future. If you cannot get the job done because people in the company obstruct your work, you cannot just redirect the blame. Parts of it will stick.

          – J. Fabian Meier
          16 hours ago






        • 9





          @ElitotConfused Even if you are on a fixed price contract, you still have teh same answer. Make your higher ups aware of the problem. It is between your company's managers and the client company. Your company may pull people to work on other projects/clients. You cannot make the other team do anything.

          – pboss3010
          15 hours ago
















        100














        Please don't mislead yourself, you are nothing more than an external contractor to the company. You are NOT part of the company, so there is no legal or moral reason to grant you anything more than you already have. You don't belong to the company, you are not their human resources, you work as a provider-client relationship.



        You have been paid, right? There should not be any reason for you to go above the boundary, it's not your company. Please don't be emotional. If you're not given resources, simply ask. If not granted, it's not yours.




        Someone that pass through a similar situation has some advice on how to solve this problem?




        Simple. Send your invoice to your client for your time.






        share|improve this answer





















        • 10





          You are right! However, the poor performance on the client's internal team is making their job harder, so I understand the reason behind the question being posted

          – asdf
          19 hours ago






        • 56





          @asdf so charge for the extra time as they make the job harder...

          – Solar Mike
          19 hours ago






        • 30





          "The client is well aware of the situation" - this is the key factor. If you've made them aware, all that's left to do is send the bill. If they weren't aware, then make them aware... and then send the bill.

          – UKMonkey
          16 hours ago






        • 4





          I don' think this answer is in the best interest of the contractor, at least not if you are interested in working with company in the future. If you cannot get the job done because people in the company obstruct your work, you cannot just redirect the blame. Parts of it will stick.

          – J. Fabian Meier
          16 hours ago






        • 9





          @ElitotConfused Even if you are on a fixed price contract, you still have teh same answer. Make your higher ups aware of the problem. It is between your company's managers and the client company. Your company may pull people to work on other projects/clients. You cannot make the other team do anything.

          – pboss3010
          15 hours ago














        100












        100








        100







        Please don't mislead yourself, you are nothing more than an external contractor to the company. You are NOT part of the company, so there is no legal or moral reason to grant you anything more than you already have. You don't belong to the company, you are not their human resources, you work as a provider-client relationship.



        You have been paid, right? There should not be any reason for you to go above the boundary, it's not your company. Please don't be emotional. If you're not given resources, simply ask. If not granted, it's not yours.




        Someone that pass through a similar situation has some advice on how to solve this problem?




        Simple. Send your invoice to your client for your time.






        share|improve this answer















        Please don't mislead yourself, you are nothing more than an external contractor to the company. You are NOT part of the company, so there is no legal or moral reason to grant you anything more than you already have. You don't belong to the company, you are not their human resources, you work as a provider-client relationship.



        You have been paid, right? There should not be any reason for you to go above the boundary, it's not your company. Please don't be emotional. If you're not given resources, simply ask. If not granted, it's not yours.




        Someone that pass through a similar situation has some advice on how to solve this problem?




        Simple. Send your invoice to your client for your time.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited 13 hours ago









        AndreiROM

        46k23108178




        46k23108178










        answered 20 hours ago









        SmallChessSmallChess

        1,3785924




        1,3785924








        • 10





          You are right! However, the poor performance on the client's internal team is making their job harder, so I understand the reason behind the question being posted

          – asdf
          19 hours ago






        • 56





          @asdf so charge for the extra time as they make the job harder...

          – Solar Mike
          19 hours ago






        • 30





          "The client is well aware of the situation" - this is the key factor. If you've made them aware, all that's left to do is send the bill. If they weren't aware, then make them aware... and then send the bill.

          – UKMonkey
          16 hours ago






        • 4





          I don' think this answer is in the best interest of the contractor, at least not if you are interested in working with company in the future. If you cannot get the job done because people in the company obstruct your work, you cannot just redirect the blame. Parts of it will stick.

          – J. Fabian Meier
          16 hours ago






        • 9





          @ElitotConfused Even if you are on a fixed price contract, you still have teh same answer. Make your higher ups aware of the problem. It is between your company's managers and the client company. Your company may pull people to work on other projects/clients. You cannot make the other team do anything.

          – pboss3010
          15 hours ago














        • 10





          You are right! However, the poor performance on the client's internal team is making their job harder, so I understand the reason behind the question being posted

          – asdf
          19 hours ago






        • 56





          @asdf so charge for the extra time as they make the job harder...

          – Solar Mike
          19 hours ago






        • 30





          "The client is well aware of the situation" - this is the key factor. If you've made them aware, all that's left to do is send the bill. If they weren't aware, then make them aware... and then send the bill.

          – UKMonkey
          16 hours ago






        • 4





          I don' think this answer is in the best interest of the contractor, at least not if you are interested in working with company in the future. If you cannot get the job done because people in the company obstruct your work, you cannot just redirect the blame. Parts of it will stick.

          – J. Fabian Meier
          16 hours ago






        • 9





          @ElitotConfused Even if you are on a fixed price contract, you still have teh same answer. Make your higher ups aware of the problem. It is between your company's managers and the client company. Your company may pull people to work on other projects/clients. You cannot make the other team do anything.

          – pboss3010
          15 hours ago








        10




        10





        You are right! However, the poor performance on the client's internal team is making their job harder, so I understand the reason behind the question being posted

        – asdf
        19 hours ago





        You are right! However, the poor performance on the client's internal team is making their job harder, so I understand the reason behind the question being posted

        – asdf
        19 hours ago




        56




        56





        @asdf so charge for the extra time as they make the job harder...

        – Solar Mike
        19 hours ago





        @asdf so charge for the extra time as they make the job harder...

        – Solar Mike
        19 hours ago




        30




        30





        "The client is well aware of the situation" - this is the key factor. If you've made them aware, all that's left to do is send the bill. If they weren't aware, then make them aware... and then send the bill.

        – UKMonkey
        16 hours ago





        "The client is well aware of the situation" - this is the key factor. If you've made them aware, all that's left to do is send the bill. If they weren't aware, then make them aware... and then send the bill.

        – UKMonkey
        16 hours ago




        4




        4





        I don' think this answer is in the best interest of the contractor, at least not if you are interested in working with company in the future. If you cannot get the job done because people in the company obstruct your work, you cannot just redirect the blame. Parts of it will stick.

        – J. Fabian Meier
        16 hours ago





        I don' think this answer is in the best interest of the contractor, at least not if you are interested in working with company in the future. If you cannot get the job done because people in the company obstruct your work, you cannot just redirect the blame. Parts of it will stick.

        – J. Fabian Meier
        16 hours ago




        9




        9





        @ElitotConfused Even if you are on a fixed price contract, you still have teh same answer. Make your higher ups aware of the problem. It is between your company's managers and the client company. Your company may pull people to work on other projects/clients. You cannot make the other team do anything.

        – pboss3010
        15 hours ago





        @ElitotConfused Even if you are on a fixed price contract, you still have teh same answer. Make your higher ups aware of the problem. It is between your company's managers and the client company. Your company may pull people to work on other projects/clients. You cannot make the other team do anything.

        – pboss3010
        15 hours ago













        32














        This is normal. The client doesn't have a good development team, so they contract some of the work to you. Their development team realise that you are a threat to their jobs so they have no incentive to help you.



        Their manager should have been aware that this was going to happen, and there are various things he can do to solve it, but that's not your problem.



        Your problem is how to ensure that these delays don't make you look bad to the person paying the bill. Make sure he's aware that there are problems and ask how you can help him.



        Maybe he'd like to know about email queries that are unanswered after a week, or maybe he'd like to be CC'd at the start. Maybe he'd like you to fix the other team's bugs and just bill him, but maybe he wants to approve each one.






        share|improve this answer



















        • 2





          Presumably there are formal contacts for the outsource company and the client company. Problems should be escalated to that level. The IT company should give regular feedback from that level. We completely X, and Y. Z will be completed in 3 weeks. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting two weeks for aaa so we do not have an estimated completion date for AAA. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting five weeks fo bbb and so we have stopped work on BBB. and so on. // Short version - Document everything!!!

          – MaxW
          10 hours ago


















        32














        This is normal. The client doesn't have a good development team, so they contract some of the work to you. Their development team realise that you are a threat to their jobs so they have no incentive to help you.



        Their manager should have been aware that this was going to happen, and there are various things he can do to solve it, but that's not your problem.



        Your problem is how to ensure that these delays don't make you look bad to the person paying the bill. Make sure he's aware that there are problems and ask how you can help him.



        Maybe he'd like to know about email queries that are unanswered after a week, or maybe he'd like to be CC'd at the start. Maybe he'd like you to fix the other team's bugs and just bill him, but maybe he wants to approve each one.






        share|improve this answer



















        • 2





          Presumably there are formal contacts for the outsource company and the client company. Problems should be escalated to that level. The IT company should give regular feedback from that level. We completely X, and Y. Z will be completed in 3 weeks. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting two weeks for aaa so we do not have an estimated completion date for AAA. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting five weeks fo bbb and so we have stopped work on BBB. and so on. // Short version - Document everything!!!

          – MaxW
          10 hours ago
















        32












        32








        32







        This is normal. The client doesn't have a good development team, so they contract some of the work to you. Their development team realise that you are a threat to their jobs so they have no incentive to help you.



        Their manager should have been aware that this was going to happen, and there are various things he can do to solve it, but that's not your problem.



        Your problem is how to ensure that these delays don't make you look bad to the person paying the bill. Make sure he's aware that there are problems and ask how you can help him.



        Maybe he'd like to know about email queries that are unanswered after a week, or maybe he'd like to be CC'd at the start. Maybe he'd like you to fix the other team's bugs and just bill him, but maybe he wants to approve each one.






        share|improve this answer













        This is normal. The client doesn't have a good development team, so they contract some of the work to you. Their development team realise that you are a threat to their jobs so they have no incentive to help you.



        Their manager should have been aware that this was going to happen, and there are various things he can do to solve it, but that's not your problem.



        Your problem is how to ensure that these delays don't make you look bad to the person paying the bill. Make sure he's aware that there are problems and ask how you can help him.



        Maybe he'd like to know about email queries that are unanswered after a week, or maybe he'd like to be CC'd at the start. Maybe he'd like you to fix the other team's bugs and just bill him, but maybe he wants to approve each one.







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 15 hours ago









        Robin BennettRobin Bennett

        35115




        35115








        • 2





          Presumably there are formal contacts for the outsource company and the client company. Problems should be escalated to that level. The IT company should give regular feedback from that level. We completely X, and Y. Z will be completed in 3 weeks. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting two weeks for aaa so we do not have an estimated completion date for AAA. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting five weeks fo bbb and so we have stopped work on BBB. and so on. // Short version - Document everything!!!

          – MaxW
          10 hours ago
















        • 2





          Presumably there are formal contacts for the outsource company and the client company. Problems should be escalated to that level. The IT company should give regular feedback from that level. We completely X, and Y. Z will be completed in 3 weeks. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting two weeks for aaa so we do not have an estimated completion date for AAA. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting five weeks fo bbb and so we have stopped work on BBB. and so on. // Short version - Document everything!!!

          – MaxW
          10 hours ago










        2




        2





        Presumably there are formal contacts for the outsource company and the client company. Problems should be escalated to that level. The IT company should give regular feedback from that level. We completely X, and Y. Z will be completed in 3 weeks. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting two weeks for aaa so we do not have an estimated completion date for AAA. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting five weeks fo bbb and so we have stopped work on BBB. and so on. // Short version - Document everything!!!

        – MaxW
        10 hours ago







        Presumably there are formal contacts for the outsource company and the client company. Problems should be escalated to that level. The IT company should give regular feedback from that level. We completely X, and Y. Z will be completed in 3 weeks. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting two weeks for aaa so we do not have an estimated completion date for AAA. "Elitot Confused" has been waiting five weeks fo bbb and so we have stopped work on BBB. and so on. // Short version - Document everything!!!

        – MaxW
        10 hours ago













        18














        Email the requests to the client team, and follow up with an email after the amount of time it would have taken you to comply with that request. CC this (nicely worded) reminder to the boss of the client company. They will either ignore it or help you out. If they ignore it, you have the paper trail to prove you are not the ones slowing the project, if they help you, all the better. After some iterations the boss of the client company will think of a way to reduce his spam-load, and give you a quick pass through (Some person just passing along the messages, as your own personal VPN).



        In parallel, try to establish a personal relationship with one or more members of the other team. The petty communication outages that they produce are a sign that they harbor personal resentment. This can often be remedied by face-to-face meet ups. I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?'-common ground kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.






        share|improve this answer


























        • Knowing the client, they will ignore the spam. We had a lot of chats and meeting with person of that team. Usually they stay on their ideas and we stay on ours. usually again ours proves to be correct and the client knows it (because we use solid proof to demonstrate our ideas)

          – Elitot Confused
          15 hours ago






        • 1





          @ElitotConfused If they ignore the spam, you will have a BS job, but a paid BS job - find the mental place to deal with that, or quit; --- about the meetups: I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?' kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.

          – bukwyrm
          15 hours ago
















        18














        Email the requests to the client team, and follow up with an email after the amount of time it would have taken you to comply with that request. CC this (nicely worded) reminder to the boss of the client company. They will either ignore it or help you out. If they ignore it, you have the paper trail to prove you are not the ones slowing the project, if they help you, all the better. After some iterations the boss of the client company will think of a way to reduce his spam-load, and give you a quick pass through (Some person just passing along the messages, as your own personal VPN).



        In parallel, try to establish a personal relationship with one or more members of the other team. The petty communication outages that they produce are a sign that they harbor personal resentment. This can often be remedied by face-to-face meet ups. I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?'-common ground kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.






        share|improve this answer


























        • Knowing the client, they will ignore the spam. We had a lot of chats and meeting with person of that team. Usually they stay on their ideas and we stay on ours. usually again ours proves to be correct and the client knows it (because we use solid proof to demonstrate our ideas)

          – Elitot Confused
          15 hours ago






        • 1





          @ElitotConfused If they ignore the spam, you will have a BS job, but a paid BS job - find the mental place to deal with that, or quit; --- about the meetups: I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?' kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.

          – bukwyrm
          15 hours ago














        18












        18








        18







        Email the requests to the client team, and follow up with an email after the amount of time it would have taken you to comply with that request. CC this (nicely worded) reminder to the boss of the client company. They will either ignore it or help you out. If they ignore it, you have the paper trail to prove you are not the ones slowing the project, if they help you, all the better. After some iterations the boss of the client company will think of a way to reduce his spam-load, and give you a quick pass through (Some person just passing along the messages, as your own personal VPN).



        In parallel, try to establish a personal relationship with one or more members of the other team. The petty communication outages that they produce are a sign that they harbor personal resentment. This can often be remedied by face-to-face meet ups. I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?'-common ground kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.






        share|improve this answer















        Email the requests to the client team, and follow up with an email after the amount of time it would have taken you to comply with that request. CC this (nicely worded) reminder to the boss of the client company. They will either ignore it or help you out. If they ignore it, you have the paper trail to prove you are not the ones slowing the project, if they help you, all the better. After some iterations the boss of the client company will think of a way to reduce his spam-load, and give you a quick pass through (Some person just passing along the messages, as your own personal VPN).



        In parallel, try to establish a personal relationship with one or more members of the other team. The petty communication outages that they produce are a sign that they harbor personal resentment. This can often be remedied by face-to-face meet ups. I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?'-common ground kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited 15 hours ago

























        answered 19 hours ago









        bukwyrmbukwyrm

        62838




        62838













        • Knowing the client, they will ignore the spam. We had a lot of chats and meeting with person of that team. Usually they stay on their ideas and we stay on ours. usually again ours proves to be correct and the client knows it (because we use solid proof to demonstrate our ideas)

          – Elitot Confused
          15 hours ago






        • 1





          @ElitotConfused If they ignore the spam, you will have a BS job, but a paid BS job - find the mental place to deal with that, or quit; --- about the meetups: I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?' kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.

          – bukwyrm
          15 hours ago



















        • Knowing the client, they will ignore the spam. We had a lot of chats and meeting with person of that team. Usually they stay on their ideas and we stay on ours. usually again ours proves to be correct and the client knows it (because we use solid proof to demonstrate our ideas)

          – Elitot Confused
          15 hours ago






        • 1





          @ElitotConfused If they ignore the spam, you will have a BS job, but a paid BS job - find the mental place to deal with that, or quit; --- about the meetups: I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?' kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.

          – bukwyrm
          15 hours ago

















        Knowing the client, they will ignore the spam. We had a lot of chats and meeting with person of that team. Usually they stay on their ideas and we stay on ours. usually again ours proves to be correct and the client knows it (because we use solid proof to demonstrate our ideas)

        – Elitot Confused
        15 hours ago





        Knowing the client, they will ignore the spam. We had a lot of chats and meeting with person of that team. Usually they stay on their ideas and we stay on ours. usually again ours proves to be correct and the client knows it (because we use solid proof to demonstrate our ideas)

        – Elitot Confused
        15 hours ago




        1




        1





        @ElitotConfused If they ignore the spam, you will have a BS job, but a paid BS job - find the mental place to deal with that, or quit; --- about the meetups: I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?' kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.

        – bukwyrm
        15 hours ago





        @ElitotConfused If they ignore the spam, you will have a BS job, but a paid BS job - find the mental place to deal with that, or quit; --- about the meetups: I stress personal relationships. Not the 'let's implement X'-kind of conversation, but the 'public transport sure sucks, huh?' kind of conversation. Let them see the humans in your bunch of know-it-alls , and try yourself to see the humans in their bunch of nitwits.

        – bukwyrm
        15 hours ago











        9















        Client is well aware of the situation but he seems he wants to do
        nothing to solve.




        So, you've brought this to the attention of the "powers that be" and they're not interested in fixing the problem. I assume that they pay you for all of this "extra" work that you perform? If so, then either continue performing the work and continue getting paid for it or fire the client. There are no other options.






        share|improve this answer



















        • 1





          this is not helpful if for example boss of own company and boss of client insist on this relationship...

          – Allerleirauh
          20 hours ago






        • 2





          @Allerleirauh "there are no other options" may not be helpful but it is the right answer

          – Pierre Arlaud
          16 hours ago






        • 1





          We work on a body rental type of contract. There is no extra pay. the price is fixed at the beginning of the contract.

          – Elitot Confused
          15 hours ago






        • 3





          @ElitotConfused I understand you saying that the cost per hour is fixed, but is the number of hours fixed or the product delivered (or both)? If it is both, you should find a new job. Otherwise, the cost has been increased--either they are paying for more hours (overtime) or they are paying for more hours (because it will take longer to get their product delivered).

          – user3067860
          9 hours ago
















        9















        Client is well aware of the situation but he seems he wants to do
        nothing to solve.




        So, you've brought this to the attention of the "powers that be" and they're not interested in fixing the problem. I assume that they pay you for all of this "extra" work that you perform? If so, then either continue performing the work and continue getting paid for it or fire the client. There are no other options.






        share|improve this answer



















        • 1





          this is not helpful if for example boss of own company and boss of client insist on this relationship...

          – Allerleirauh
          20 hours ago






        • 2





          @Allerleirauh "there are no other options" may not be helpful but it is the right answer

          – Pierre Arlaud
          16 hours ago






        • 1





          We work on a body rental type of contract. There is no extra pay. the price is fixed at the beginning of the contract.

          – Elitot Confused
          15 hours ago






        • 3





          @ElitotConfused I understand you saying that the cost per hour is fixed, but is the number of hours fixed or the product delivered (or both)? If it is both, you should find a new job. Otherwise, the cost has been increased--either they are paying for more hours (overtime) or they are paying for more hours (because it will take longer to get their product delivered).

          – user3067860
          9 hours ago














        9












        9








        9








        Client is well aware of the situation but he seems he wants to do
        nothing to solve.




        So, you've brought this to the attention of the "powers that be" and they're not interested in fixing the problem. I assume that they pay you for all of this "extra" work that you perform? If so, then either continue performing the work and continue getting paid for it or fire the client. There are no other options.






        share|improve this answer














        Client is well aware of the situation but he seems he wants to do
        nothing to solve.




        So, you've brought this to the attention of the "powers that be" and they're not interested in fixing the problem. I assume that they pay you for all of this "extra" work that you perform? If so, then either continue performing the work and continue getting paid for it or fire the client. There are no other options.







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 20 hours ago









        joeqwertyjoeqwerty

        2,364516




        2,364516








        • 1





          this is not helpful if for example boss of own company and boss of client insist on this relationship...

          – Allerleirauh
          20 hours ago






        • 2





          @Allerleirauh "there are no other options" may not be helpful but it is the right answer

          – Pierre Arlaud
          16 hours ago






        • 1





          We work on a body rental type of contract. There is no extra pay. the price is fixed at the beginning of the contract.

          – Elitot Confused
          15 hours ago






        • 3





          @ElitotConfused I understand you saying that the cost per hour is fixed, but is the number of hours fixed or the product delivered (or both)? If it is both, you should find a new job. Otherwise, the cost has been increased--either they are paying for more hours (overtime) or they are paying for more hours (because it will take longer to get their product delivered).

          – user3067860
          9 hours ago














        • 1





          this is not helpful if for example boss of own company and boss of client insist on this relationship...

          – Allerleirauh
          20 hours ago






        • 2





          @Allerleirauh "there are no other options" may not be helpful but it is the right answer

          – Pierre Arlaud
          16 hours ago






        • 1





          We work on a body rental type of contract. There is no extra pay. the price is fixed at the beginning of the contract.

          – Elitot Confused
          15 hours ago






        • 3





          @ElitotConfused I understand you saying that the cost per hour is fixed, but is the number of hours fixed or the product delivered (or both)? If it is both, you should find a new job. Otherwise, the cost has been increased--either they are paying for more hours (overtime) or they are paying for more hours (because it will take longer to get their product delivered).

          – user3067860
          9 hours ago








        1




        1





        this is not helpful if for example boss of own company and boss of client insist on this relationship...

        – Allerleirauh
        20 hours ago





        this is not helpful if for example boss of own company and boss of client insist on this relationship...

        – Allerleirauh
        20 hours ago




        2




        2





        @Allerleirauh "there are no other options" may not be helpful but it is the right answer

        – Pierre Arlaud
        16 hours ago





        @Allerleirauh "there are no other options" may not be helpful but it is the right answer

        – Pierre Arlaud
        16 hours ago




        1




        1





        We work on a body rental type of contract. There is no extra pay. the price is fixed at the beginning of the contract.

        – Elitot Confused
        15 hours ago





        We work on a body rental type of contract. There is no extra pay. the price is fixed at the beginning of the contract.

        – Elitot Confused
        15 hours ago




        3




        3





        @ElitotConfused I understand you saying that the cost per hour is fixed, but is the number of hours fixed or the product delivered (or both)? If it is both, you should find a new job. Otherwise, the cost has been increased--either they are paying for more hours (overtime) or they are paying for more hours (because it will take longer to get their product delivered).

        – user3067860
        9 hours ago





        @ElitotConfused I understand you saying that the cost per hour is fixed, but is the number of hours fixed or the product delivered (or both)? If it is both, you should find a new job. Otherwise, the cost has been increased--either they are paying for more hours (overtime) or they are paying for more hours (because it will take longer to get their product delivered).

        – user3067860
        9 hours ago











        3














        Here is what I read:




        • We are great

        • Client not so much

        • They don't like us


        Pro-tip, sometimes it better to be liked than right. Who do you want to be friends with more, the boss man, or the workers? Boss man pays the bills so always be his friend. But sometimes it helps to be friends with the workers also.



        So instead of "Us" versus "Them", try to make it "We".



        Rule #1: BE NICE



        I'm sure you are always very professional, but from what you said in your post, I'm doubting you are always nice.



        Sometimes a friendly visit to the client, box of donuts/candy/meat-veg tray/ice cream/movie tickets/etc... can go along way. Basically say, "we want to get along, we want to help you, we are on your side."



        Rule #2: Be in control



        SVN? Really? If I was manager in this situation, I would say, "how can we manage the code better". Does Github let every Joe Haxxor commit their craptastic code the master repo? No. If possible, I'd maintain a separate Git repo, where you can add their contributions as separate pull requests. If they are stuck on SVN, so be it. You can give them your contributions as big single commits. Even if you have to move the code manually, its better than the client team screwing up the repo your team depends on.



        Also, like the other posts said, document communications in case you need to CYA.



        Good luck!






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        Turtle1363 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.

























          3














          Here is what I read:




          • We are great

          • Client not so much

          • They don't like us


          Pro-tip, sometimes it better to be liked than right. Who do you want to be friends with more, the boss man, or the workers? Boss man pays the bills so always be his friend. But sometimes it helps to be friends with the workers also.



          So instead of "Us" versus "Them", try to make it "We".



          Rule #1: BE NICE



          I'm sure you are always very professional, but from what you said in your post, I'm doubting you are always nice.



          Sometimes a friendly visit to the client, box of donuts/candy/meat-veg tray/ice cream/movie tickets/etc... can go along way. Basically say, "we want to get along, we want to help you, we are on your side."



          Rule #2: Be in control



          SVN? Really? If I was manager in this situation, I would say, "how can we manage the code better". Does Github let every Joe Haxxor commit their craptastic code the master repo? No. If possible, I'd maintain a separate Git repo, where you can add their contributions as separate pull requests. If they are stuck on SVN, so be it. You can give them your contributions as big single commits. Even if you have to move the code manually, its better than the client team screwing up the repo your team depends on.



          Also, like the other posts said, document communications in case you need to CYA.



          Good luck!






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          Turtle1363 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.























            3












            3








            3







            Here is what I read:




            • We are great

            • Client not so much

            • They don't like us


            Pro-tip, sometimes it better to be liked than right. Who do you want to be friends with more, the boss man, or the workers? Boss man pays the bills so always be his friend. But sometimes it helps to be friends with the workers also.



            So instead of "Us" versus "Them", try to make it "We".



            Rule #1: BE NICE



            I'm sure you are always very professional, but from what you said in your post, I'm doubting you are always nice.



            Sometimes a friendly visit to the client, box of donuts/candy/meat-veg tray/ice cream/movie tickets/etc... can go along way. Basically say, "we want to get along, we want to help you, we are on your side."



            Rule #2: Be in control



            SVN? Really? If I was manager in this situation, I would say, "how can we manage the code better". Does Github let every Joe Haxxor commit their craptastic code the master repo? No. If possible, I'd maintain a separate Git repo, where you can add their contributions as separate pull requests. If they are stuck on SVN, so be it. You can give them your contributions as big single commits. Even if you have to move the code manually, its better than the client team screwing up the repo your team depends on.



            Also, like the other posts said, document communications in case you need to CYA.



            Good luck!






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            Turtle1363 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.










            Here is what I read:




            • We are great

            • Client not so much

            • They don't like us


            Pro-tip, sometimes it better to be liked than right. Who do you want to be friends with more, the boss man, or the workers? Boss man pays the bills so always be his friend. But sometimes it helps to be friends with the workers also.



            So instead of "Us" versus "Them", try to make it "We".



            Rule #1: BE NICE



            I'm sure you are always very professional, but from what you said in your post, I'm doubting you are always nice.



            Sometimes a friendly visit to the client, box of donuts/candy/meat-veg tray/ice cream/movie tickets/etc... can go along way. Basically say, "we want to get along, we want to help you, we are on your side."



            Rule #2: Be in control



            SVN? Really? If I was manager in this situation, I would say, "how can we manage the code better". Does Github let every Joe Haxxor commit their craptastic code the master repo? No. If possible, I'd maintain a separate Git repo, where you can add their contributions as separate pull requests. If they are stuck on SVN, so be it. You can give them your contributions as big single commits. Even if you have to move the code manually, its better than the client team screwing up the repo your team depends on.



            Also, like the other posts said, document communications in case you need to CYA.



            Good luck!







            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            Turtle1363 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer






            New contributor




            Turtle1363 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            answered 6 hours ago









            Turtle1363Turtle1363

            1313




            1313




            New contributor




            Turtle1363 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





            New contributor





            Turtle1363 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            Turtle1363 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.























                2














                Ask for a regular status meeting with the client (hopefully you have that already but I get the sense that you don't). (NOTE: By regular I mean at least weekly, if not 2-3 times a week. If you can swing it, a stand up every day would be ideal.) During this status meeting, talk about the roadblocks you currently have... list them one by one, what you need, what you are waiting for and from whom, and what the dangers are if the request isn't filled in a timely manner... the project quality will suffer, you will ship late, etc.




                We sent an email last week that we need X from the suppliers and that we would need it within a week in order to not put the project deadline in danger. We are rapidly approaching a week since our request. Do you have any updates on when we might get X? If we don't get it by this Friday, we will have to push back the delivery date by a week.



                We sent an email last week to Jim asking for clarification on the Widget code. We can't proceed until we get that clarification. When can we set up that meeting?




                and so on. Don't be accusatory or emotional, be factual, be clear about what problems this issue is causing or will cause to the project. When you don't get X for 3 weeks and you needed it the next day, no one should be surprised when you state that the delivery date will slip by 3 weeks.



                Once things start looking like you won't ship on the initially agreed upon time, start communicating regularly with the client management. Inform them that the X, Y, and Z delays that you have notified them of are of their teams' doing and will put you past the scheduled timeframe. Any additional work past X date will incur additional at the rate of $Z. (Maybe it's too late to do some of this but you can at least start dropping hints of contract renegotiation due to delays beyond your control and of the client company's making).






                share|improve this answer



















                • 1





                  Yup. Status meeting should have the Joe Friday approach. "Just the facts sir..." It is not a place to brainstorm solutions. So the client contact takes a todo to have Joe at client's site respond or to find out when Joe will respond.

                  – MaxW
                  10 hours ago
















                2














                Ask for a regular status meeting with the client (hopefully you have that already but I get the sense that you don't). (NOTE: By regular I mean at least weekly, if not 2-3 times a week. If you can swing it, a stand up every day would be ideal.) During this status meeting, talk about the roadblocks you currently have... list them one by one, what you need, what you are waiting for and from whom, and what the dangers are if the request isn't filled in a timely manner... the project quality will suffer, you will ship late, etc.




                We sent an email last week that we need X from the suppliers and that we would need it within a week in order to not put the project deadline in danger. We are rapidly approaching a week since our request. Do you have any updates on when we might get X? If we don't get it by this Friday, we will have to push back the delivery date by a week.



                We sent an email last week to Jim asking for clarification on the Widget code. We can't proceed until we get that clarification. When can we set up that meeting?




                and so on. Don't be accusatory or emotional, be factual, be clear about what problems this issue is causing or will cause to the project. When you don't get X for 3 weeks and you needed it the next day, no one should be surprised when you state that the delivery date will slip by 3 weeks.



                Once things start looking like you won't ship on the initially agreed upon time, start communicating regularly with the client management. Inform them that the X, Y, and Z delays that you have notified them of are of their teams' doing and will put you past the scheduled timeframe. Any additional work past X date will incur additional at the rate of $Z. (Maybe it's too late to do some of this but you can at least start dropping hints of contract renegotiation due to delays beyond your control and of the client company's making).






                share|improve this answer



















                • 1





                  Yup. Status meeting should have the Joe Friday approach. "Just the facts sir..." It is not a place to brainstorm solutions. So the client contact takes a todo to have Joe at client's site respond or to find out when Joe will respond.

                  – MaxW
                  10 hours ago














                2












                2








                2







                Ask for a regular status meeting with the client (hopefully you have that already but I get the sense that you don't). (NOTE: By regular I mean at least weekly, if not 2-3 times a week. If you can swing it, a stand up every day would be ideal.) During this status meeting, talk about the roadblocks you currently have... list them one by one, what you need, what you are waiting for and from whom, and what the dangers are if the request isn't filled in a timely manner... the project quality will suffer, you will ship late, etc.




                We sent an email last week that we need X from the suppliers and that we would need it within a week in order to not put the project deadline in danger. We are rapidly approaching a week since our request. Do you have any updates on when we might get X? If we don't get it by this Friday, we will have to push back the delivery date by a week.



                We sent an email last week to Jim asking for clarification on the Widget code. We can't proceed until we get that clarification. When can we set up that meeting?




                and so on. Don't be accusatory or emotional, be factual, be clear about what problems this issue is causing or will cause to the project. When you don't get X for 3 weeks and you needed it the next day, no one should be surprised when you state that the delivery date will slip by 3 weeks.



                Once things start looking like you won't ship on the initially agreed upon time, start communicating regularly with the client management. Inform them that the X, Y, and Z delays that you have notified them of are of their teams' doing and will put you past the scheduled timeframe. Any additional work past X date will incur additional at the rate of $Z. (Maybe it's too late to do some of this but you can at least start dropping hints of contract renegotiation due to delays beyond your control and of the client company's making).






                share|improve this answer













                Ask for a regular status meeting with the client (hopefully you have that already but I get the sense that you don't). (NOTE: By regular I mean at least weekly, if not 2-3 times a week. If you can swing it, a stand up every day would be ideal.) During this status meeting, talk about the roadblocks you currently have... list them one by one, what you need, what you are waiting for and from whom, and what the dangers are if the request isn't filled in a timely manner... the project quality will suffer, you will ship late, etc.




                We sent an email last week that we need X from the suppliers and that we would need it within a week in order to not put the project deadline in danger. We are rapidly approaching a week since our request. Do you have any updates on when we might get X? If we don't get it by this Friday, we will have to push back the delivery date by a week.



                We sent an email last week to Jim asking for clarification on the Widget code. We can't proceed until we get that clarification. When can we set up that meeting?




                and so on. Don't be accusatory or emotional, be factual, be clear about what problems this issue is causing or will cause to the project. When you don't get X for 3 weeks and you needed it the next day, no one should be surprised when you state that the delivery date will slip by 3 weeks.



                Once things start looking like you won't ship on the initially agreed upon time, start communicating regularly with the client management. Inform them that the X, Y, and Z delays that you have notified them of are of their teams' doing and will put you past the scheduled timeframe. Any additional work past X date will incur additional at the rate of $Z. (Maybe it's too late to do some of this but you can at least start dropping hints of contract renegotiation due to delays beyond your control and of the client company's making).







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered 12 hours ago









                JeffCJeffC

                1,6271513




                1,6271513








                • 1





                  Yup. Status meeting should have the Joe Friday approach. "Just the facts sir..." It is not a place to brainstorm solutions. So the client contact takes a todo to have Joe at client's site respond or to find out when Joe will respond.

                  – MaxW
                  10 hours ago














                • 1





                  Yup. Status meeting should have the Joe Friday approach. "Just the facts sir..." It is not a place to brainstorm solutions. So the client contact takes a todo to have Joe at client's site respond or to find out when Joe will respond.

                  – MaxW
                  10 hours ago








                1




                1





                Yup. Status meeting should have the Joe Friday approach. "Just the facts sir..." It is not a place to brainstorm solutions. So the client contact takes a todo to have Joe at client's site respond or to find out when Joe will respond.

                – MaxW
                10 hours ago





                Yup. Status meeting should have the Joe Friday approach. "Just the facts sir..." It is not a place to brainstorm solutions. So the client contact takes a todo to have Joe at client's site respond or to find out when Joe will respond.

                – MaxW
                10 hours ago











                0














                Document each request, each complaint, and the hours wasted trying to work through the internal team to get the resources you need.



                Right now, the internal team is fighting you because, so far, you have proven more capable of handling the application and are upstaging them - they are retaliating by making things more difficult for you.



                Continue to provide the support you have thus far, and keep your client in the loop about all of these hang-ups. CC them, if you can, so that they are well aware of your attempts to keep things moving.



                Eventually, they will have to confront this issue - but this is not your problem to solve. Your only concern should be getting your own work done, and showing that you are doing everything you can to get the resources for that work.



                So long as you are doing your work to the degree you've described thus far, with the only complications being the internal team, they should have no reason to break off ties with you (though, they may want to consider restructuring that team - but again, this is not your problem to solve).






                share|improve this answer




























                  0














                  Document each request, each complaint, and the hours wasted trying to work through the internal team to get the resources you need.



                  Right now, the internal team is fighting you because, so far, you have proven more capable of handling the application and are upstaging them - they are retaliating by making things more difficult for you.



                  Continue to provide the support you have thus far, and keep your client in the loop about all of these hang-ups. CC them, if you can, so that they are well aware of your attempts to keep things moving.



                  Eventually, they will have to confront this issue - but this is not your problem to solve. Your only concern should be getting your own work done, and showing that you are doing everything you can to get the resources for that work.



                  So long as you are doing your work to the degree you've described thus far, with the only complications being the internal team, they should have no reason to break off ties with you (though, they may want to consider restructuring that team - but again, this is not your problem to solve).






                  share|improve this answer


























                    0












                    0








                    0







                    Document each request, each complaint, and the hours wasted trying to work through the internal team to get the resources you need.



                    Right now, the internal team is fighting you because, so far, you have proven more capable of handling the application and are upstaging them - they are retaliating by making things more difficult for you.



                    Continue to provide the support you have thus far, and keep your client in the loop about all of these hang-ups. CC them, if you can, so that they are well aware of your attempts to keep things moving.



                    Eventually, they will have to confront this issue - but this is not your problem to solve. Your only concern should be getting your own work done, and showing that you are doing everything you can to get the resources for that work.



                    So long as you are doing your work to the degree you've described thus far, with the only complications being the internal team, they should have no reason to break off ties with you (though, they may want to consider restructuring that team - but again, this is not your problem to solve).






                    share|improve this answer













                    Document each request, each complaint, and the hours wasted trying to work through the internal team to get the resources you need.



                    Right now, the internal team is fighting you because, so far, you have proven more capable of handling the application and are upstaging them - they are retaliating by making things more difficult for you.



                    Continue to provide the support you have thus far, and keep your client in the loop about all of these hang-ups. CC them, if you can, so that they are well aware of your attempts to keep things moving.



                    Eventually, they will have to confront this issue - but this is not your problem to solve. Your only concern should be getting your own work done, and showing that you are doing everything you can to get the resources for that work.



                    So long as you are doing your work to the degree you've described thus far, with the only complications being the internal team, they should have no reason to break off ties with you (though, they may want to consider restructuring that team - but again, this is not your problem to solve).







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered 12 hours ago









                    ZibbobzZibbobz

                    7,12952656




                    7,12952656























                        0














                        So I've read the existing answers and there's more to deal with.




                        Send your invoice to your client for your time.




                        Correct; however we also now have an employee morale problem on your side; or if we don't we will soon. Whatever cheapish things you can do to keep morale up, it's time to start doing them.



                        You may have to approach your customer with something along the lines of "Due to certain problems on your side causing an employee morale problem for us, we have to increase our future rates for you by about 10% so that we can buy perks for the employees." But please, find somebody more diplomatic than I.






                        share|improve this answer



















                        • 1





                          OP is not the boss, so I don't think this answer makes sense for them.

                          – user87779
                          8 hours ago











                        • @user87779: In which case the morale problem will have to propagate upwards until it does reach someone who can act on it.

                          – Joshua
                          6 hours ago











                        • exactly, i agree. So maybe edit the answer to say that, and maybe a way for the OP to help if happen if you think they can.

                          – user87779
                          6 hours ago













                        • @user87779: I don't suppose you could splice an edit in? I've ran out of ability (which is why my rep stays low...)

                          – Joshua
                          5 hours ago











                        • huh, I'm not able to either. I wonder if the question was protected or something weird.

                          – user87779
                          3 hours ago
















                        0














                        So I've read the existing answers and there's more to deal with.




                        Send your invoice to your client for your time.




                        Correct; however we also now have an employee morale problem on your side; or if we don't we will soon. Whatever cheapish things you can do to keep morale up, it's time to start doing them.



                        You may have to approach your customer with something along the lines of "Due to certain problems on your side causing an employee morale problem for us, we have to increase our future rates for you by about 10% so that we can buy perks for the employees." But please, find somebody more diplomatic than I.






                        share|improve this answer



















                        • 1





                          OP is not the boss, so I don't think this answer makes sense for them.

                          – user87779
                          8 hours ago











                        • @user87779: In which case the morale problem will have to propagate upwards until it does reach someone who can act on it.

                          – Joshua
                          6 hours ago











                        • exactly, i agree. So maybe edit the answer to say that, and maybe a way for the OP to help if happen if you think they can.

                          – user87779
                          6 hours ago













                        • @user87779: I don't suppose you could splice an edit in? I've ran out of ability (which is why my rep stays low...)

                          – Joshua
                          5 hours ago











                        • huh, I'm not able to either. I wonder if the question was protected or something weird.

                          – user87779
                          3 hours ago














                        0












                        0








                        0







                        So I've read the existing answers and there's more to deal with.




                        Send your invoice to your client for your time.




                        Correct; however we also now have an employee morale problem on your side; or if we don't we will soon. Whatever cheapish things you can do to keep morale up, it's time to start doing them.



                        You may have to approach your customer with something along the lines of "Due to certain problems on your side causing an employee morale problem for us, we have to increase our future rates for you by about 10% so that we can buy perks for the employees." But please, find somebody more diplomatic than I.






                        share|improve this answer













                        So I've read the existing answers and there's more to deal with.




                        Send your invoice to your client for your time.




                        Correct; however we also now have an employee morale problem on your side; or if we don't we will soon. Whatever cheapish things you can do to keep morale up, it's time to start doing them.



                        You may have to approach your customer with something along the lines of "Due to certain problems on your side causing an employee morale problem for us, we have to increase our future rates for you by about 10% so that we can buy perks for the employees." But please, find somebody more diplomatic than I.







                        share|improve this answer












                        share|improve this answer



                        share|improve this answer










                        answered 12 hours ago









                        JoshuaJoshua

                        525412




                        525412








                        • 1





                          OP is not the boss, so I don't think this answer makes sense for them.

                          – user87779
                          8 hours ago











                        • @user87779: In which case the morale problem will have to propagate upwards until it does reach someone who can act on it.

                          – Joshua
                          6 hours ago











                        • exactly, i agree. So maybe edit the answer to say that, and maybe a way for the OP to help if happen if you think they can.

                          – user87779
                          6 hours ago













                        • @user87779: I don't suppose you could splice an edit in? I've ran out of ability (which is why my rep stays low...)

                          – Joshua
                          5 hours ago











                        • huh, I'm not able to either. I wonder if the question was protected or something weird.

                          – user87779
                          3 hours ago














                        • 1





                          OP is not the boss, so I don't think this answer makes sense for them.

                          – user87779
                          8 hours ago











                        • @user87779: In which case the morale problem will have to propagate upwards until it does reach someone who can act on it.

                          – Joshua
                          6 hours ago











                        • exactly, i agree. So maybe edit the answer to say that, and maybe a way for the OP to help if happen if you think they can.

                          – user87779
                          6 hours ago













                        • @user87779: I don't suppose you could splice an edit in? I've ran out of ability (which is why my rep stays low...)

                          – Joshua
                          5 hours ago











                        • huh, I'm not able to either. I wonder if the question was protected or something weird.

                          – user87779
                          3 hours ago








                        1




                        1





                        OP is not the boss, so I don't think this answer makes sense for them.

                        – user87779
                        8 hours ago





                        OP is not the boss, so I don't think this answer makes sense for them.

                        – user87779
                        8 hours ago













                        @user87779: In which case the morale problem will have to propagate upwards until it does reach someone who can act on it.

                        – Joshua
                        6 hours ago





                        @user87779: In which case the morale problem will have to propagate upwards until it does reach someone who can act on it.

                        – Joshua
                        6 hours ago













                        exactly, i agree. So maybe edit the answer to say that, and maybe a way for the OP to help if happen if you think they can.

                        – user87779
                        6 hours ago







                        exactly, i agree. So maybe edit the answer to say that, and maybe a way for the OP to help if happen if you think they can.

                        – user87779
                        6 hours ago















                        @user87779: I don't suppose you could splice an edit in? I've ran out of ability (which is why my rep stays low...)

                        – Joshua
                        5 hours ago





                        @user87779: I don't suppose you could splice an edit in? I've ran out of ability (which is why my rep stays low...)

                        – Joshua
                        5 hours ago













                        huh, I'm not able to either. I wonder if the question was protected or something weird.

                        – user87779
                        3 hours ago





                        huh, I'm not able to either. I wonder if the question was protected or something weird.

                        – user87779
                        3 hours ago











                        0














                        The customer (here: the client) is always right. As long as the customer pays. So as long as the customer pays for every hour you work, it doesn’t matter if their team is lazy and incompetent. If your job takes three times longer, you get paid three times as much.



                        Of course, as long as the customer pays. So you should have a log about anything you asked the client team to do, and when it was delivered, and with ho many bugs. So if the customer doesn’t want to pay, you can show them why things take so long.






                        share|improve this answer



















                        • 1





                          The OP has said they get a fixed amount of money. I don't know exactly what that entails, but in a few other comments they seem to imply they don't get paid more for working longer. That seems crazy to me, but you may know more about situations like that.

                          – user87779
                          5 hours ago


















                        0














                        The customer (here: the client) is always right. As long as the customer pays. So as long as the customer pays for every hour you work, it doesn’t matter if their team is lazy and incompetent. If your job takes three times longer, you get paid three times as much.



                        Of course, as long as the customer pays. So you should have a log about anything you asked the client team to do, and when it was delivered, and with ho many bugs. So if the customer doesn’t want to pay, you can show them why things take so long.






                        share|improve this answer



















                        • 1





                          The OP has said they get a fixed amount of money. I don't know exactly what that entails, but in a few other comments they seem to imply they don't get paid more for working longer. That seems crazy to me, but you may know more about situations like that.

                          – user87779
                          5 hours ago
















                        0












                        0








                        0







                        The customer (here: the client) is always right. As long as the customer pays. So as long as the customer pays for every hour you work, it doesn’t matter if their team is lazy and incompetent. If your job takes three times longer, you get paid three times as much.



                        Of course, as long as the customer pays. So you should have a log about anything you asked the client team to do, and when it was delivered, and with ho many bugs. So if the customer doesn’t want to pay, you can show them why things take so long.






                        share|improve this answer













                        The customer (here: the client) is always right. As long as the customer pays. So as long as the customer pays for every hour you work, it doesn’t matter if their team is lazy and incompetent. If your job takes three times longer, you get paid three times as much.



                        Of course, as long as the customer pays. So you should have a log about anything you asked the client team to do, and when it was delivered, and with ho many bugs. So if the customer doesn’t want to pay, you can show them why things take so long.







                        share|improve this answer












                        share|improve this answer



                        share|improve this answer










                        answered 6 hours ago









                        gnasher729gnasher729

                        90.9k41161285




                        90.9k41161285








                        • 1





                          The OP has said they get a fixed amount of money. I don't know exactly what that entails, but in a few other comments they seem to imply they don't get paid more for working longer. That seems crazy to me, but you may know more about situations like that.

                          – user87779
                          5 hours ago
















                        • 1





                          The OP has said they get a fixed amount of money. I don't know exactly what that entails, but in a few other comments they seem to imply they don't get paid more for working longer. That seems crazy to me, but you may know more about situations like that.

                          – user87779
                          5 hours ago










                        1




                        1





                        The OP has said they get a fixed amount of money. I don't know exactly what that entails, but in a few other comments they seem to imply they don't get paid more for working longer. That seems crazy to me, but you may know more about situations like that.

                        – user87779
                        5 hours ago







                        The OP has said they get a fixed amount of money. I don't know exactly what that entails, but in a few other comments they seem to imply they don't get paid more for working longer. That seems crazy to me, but you may know more about situations like that.

                        – user87779
                        5 hours ago













                        0














                        Where is the client internal team located? Is there a possibility that somebody from your team can go to the site where the internal team is located? I have had experiences in the past with teams that were difficult to work with, and I find that the best solution is to just go down and talk with people directly. I have had to spend entire days tracking down information myself from internal teams, just because the communication and initiative was simply not there. There is no need to be abrasive, or confrontational, just show up and get the communication lines established. Find out if they have a weekly meeting and have someone attend it. The bottom line is that the other team is struggling and your work is showing that to everyone. They are defensive for a good reason, so just show up with the attitude of "how can we help each other?". Maybe you can start doing some mentoring, or help them improve their process. You are hired as consultants not just to deliver the project, but to enhance the company/team.






                        share|improve this answer








                        New contributor




                        Brian Y is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                        Check out our Code of Conduct.

























                          0














                          Where is the client internal team located? Is there a possibility that somebody from your team can go to the site where the internal team is located? I have had experiences in the past with teams that were difficult to work with, and I find that the best solution is to just go down and talk with people directly. I have had to spend entire days tracking down information myself from internal teams, just because the communication and initiative was simply not there. There is no need to be abrasive, or confrontational, just show up and get the communication lines established. Find out if they have a weekly meeting and have someone attend it. The bottom line is that the other team is struggling and your work is showing that to everyone. They are defensive for a good reason, so just show up with the attitude of "how can we help each other?". Maybe you can start doing some mentoring, or help them improve their process. You are hired as consultants not just to deliver the project, but to enhance the company/team.






                          share|improve this answer








                          New contributor




                          Brian Y is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                          Check out our Code of Conduct.























                            0












                            0








                            0







                            Where is the client internal team located? Is there a possibility that somebody from your team can go to the site where the internal team is located? I have had experiences in the past with teams that were difficult to work with, and I find that the best solution is to just go down and talk with people directly. I have had to spend entire days tracking down information myself from internal teams, just because the communication and initiative was simply not there. There is no need to be abrasive, or confrontational, just show up and get the communication lines established. Find out if they have a weekly meeting and have someone attend it. The bottom line is that the other team is struggling and your work is showing that to everyone. They are defensive for a good reason, so just show up with the attitude of "how can we help each other?". Maybe you can start doing some mentoring, or help them improve their process. You are hired as consultants not just to deliver the project, but to enhance the company/team.






                            share|improve this answer








                            New contributor




                            Brian Y is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.










                            Where is the client internal team located? Is there a possibility that somebody from your team can go to the site where the internal team is located? I have had experiences in the past with teams that were difficult to work with, and I find that the best solution is to just go down and talk with people directly. I have had to spend entire days tracking down information myself from internal teams, just because the communication and initiative was simply not there. There is no need to be abrasive, or confrontational, just show up and get the communication lines established. Find out if they have a weekly meeting and have someone attend it. The bottom line is that the other team is struggling and your work is showing that to everyone. They are defensive for a good reason, so just show up with the attitude of "how can we help each other?". Maybe you can start doing some mentoring, or help them improve their process. You are hired as consultants not just to deliver the project, but to enhance the company/team.







                            share|improve this answer








                            New contributor




                            Brian Y is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.









                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer






                            New contributor




                            Brian Y is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.









                            answered 5 hours ago









                            Brian YBrian Y

                            1011




                            1011




                            New contributor




                            Brian Y is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.





                            New contributor





                            Brian Y is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.






                            Brian Y is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.






















                                Elitot Confused is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










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