While I started my career in the learning and performance industry as a trainee consultant, I now work as a Training Manager in an internal role in a pharmaceutical company. In fact, I have worked as a Consultant for approx. 7 years and as a Manager for about 5 years. Therefore I know both sides of the story, so to speak!

As part of the client organization, it can sometimes be tempting to lay the blame for delay and lack of quality on the Agency. The Agency, eager for a long-standing business relationship, will usually not bother to refute the charge, but such misunderstandings can negatively color the expectations on both sides for any future projects.

My project philosophy is based on an adage from the cosmetic industry: “No animals were hurt in the making of this product”. If you are delivering a great training program but burning bridges with project stakeholders and agencies in the process of doing so, the project cannot be defined as a ‘success’.

When acquiring the services of an external agency, specific procurement policies of each organization must be followed. After selecting the Agency with the help of my Procurement team, I often work with the following principles in both short and long term.

In the short term, the principles help me manage the Agency successfully and ensure that they deliver quality work on time. The principles also help us build up a long-term relationship with the Agency.

1. Explain your business goals: Not just for the project at hand, but your long-term vision. This will add value to the current project.
2. Assign a dedicated manager: Assign a single point of contact on either side: Client organization and Agency.
3. Put everything in writing: Meeting minutes, archived e-mails, documents saved as pdfs, approvals recorded in e-mails, etc.
4. Request progress reports: Set up weekly meetings and a regular frequency of reports from the Agency.
5. Plan in advance: Forecast delays in advance- even if they are assumptions. Create a team of two- you and the Agency PM who work together without secrets!
6. Train vendors to meet your needs: If you have a specific working style, coach the Agency to work in accordance. Be vocal about your/ the stakeholder’s needs.
7. Avoid the blame game: Guard your language- don’t lay blame (even if there is reason to).

  • Try and find a resolution first- any misses can be discussed in the project-end lessons learned session.
  • Don’t lay internal shortcomings on the Agency!
  • Help the Agency, if you can, within professional boundaries.
  • Provide clear, objective, feedback.
  • Don’t act superior/ patronizing.
  • Don’t try to win every fight.
  • Don’t make it personal.

8. Be reasonable: Familiarize yourself with the Agency’s working style as well.

  • Don’t withhold information.
  • If you are working with multiple agencies, treat them equally.
  • Acknowledge technical, cost, and time limitations. If you can’t complete the project in 3 weeks, chances are the Agency can’t either!
  • Know when to stop expecting more.

9. Do your research: Use social media to research and vet your Agency team members. Do they have the adequate experience? Have they received any negative recommendations?

10. Push for value-added services: 

  • If the Agency is creating the project timeline using MSProject, request them to add your internal timelines to the plan. That way, you don’t have to create a separate timeline!
    If the Agency is setting up a folder structure/ file naming convention, request them to create equivalents that you can use.
  • Request them for generic troubleshooting tips that you can use for other projects as well.
  • If you gave them special benefits on a previous project, call in the favour.

11. Short-term: Evaluate Vendors for each project: Track Cost comparisons (with other vendors)

  • Estimate to Completion time-cost ratio
  • Issue-Resolution
  • First response time
  • Quality and completion of first response
  • Time-to-close an issue
  • Trending Open Issues

12. Long-term (after 3-4 projects): Create a Balanced Scorecard with the following parameters.

  • Relationship
  • Cost Management
  • Quality
  • Delivery

13. Keep in touch with your organization’s procurement team! Keep them updated, even after the contract is signed. Provide them feedback on the Agencies, it helps them to benchmark globally across the organization and across Agencies. Note: If there is a scope change, Procurement has to be involved immediately.