A miscommunication once led to disjointed expectations between the client and our team, breaking trust. To realign, I first collected both teams' perspectives, understanding where we stood. Conducting a gap analysis, we identified discrepancies and presented this to the client, demonstrating our understanding. We then held discovery sessions to dive deeper into issues and build accountability, introducing a shared management tool for transparency. This restored communication, rebuilt trust, and ultimately aligned expectations, showing that even crises can become opportunities for stronger relationships.

Firstly, I would try to acknowledge the gap and expectation of the client, so I can explain the situation and the reasons behind the shortfall. Secondly, I would adjust the existing plans to a realistic version, outlining specific steps and timelines to get the project back on track. Thirdly, I would offer potential solutions to mitigate any immediate impacts and ensure that we learn from the situation to avoid repeat issues. Throughout, I will try to manage the client’s expectations by aligning on the feasible adjustment and ensuing the whole process is transparent.

You are the expert and it’s your job to keep your client expectations realistic. I like using stories to demonstrate how/if things may go wrong if we pursue an adverse course of action. Make sure you have a strong contract or memorandum of expectation that prevents last minute demands or changes in your progress.