How do you share project expectations and feedback with vendors?

Working with vendors is a common and essential part of project leadership, but it can also pose some challenges. How do you ensure that your vendors understand your project goals, deliverables, and standards? How do you provide constructive and timely feedback to help them improve their performance and meet your expectations? In this article, we will share some project leadership communication strategies that can help you share project expectations and feedback with vendors effectively and professionally.

Key takeaways from this article

Clarify expectations:

Before jumping into a project, sit down with your vendors to outline every detail. Having a clear, detailed project charter or statement of work ensures everyone's on the same page about goals and standards.
Gather diverse insights:

Post-project, hold a post-mortem with your team to assess the vendor from all angles. This can uncover critical issues that might not be evident when only a few people provide feedback.

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1 Clarify the scope and requirements

Before you start working with a vendor, you need to define and communicate the scope and requirements of your project clearly and explicitly. This includes the project objectives, deliverables, milestones, timelines, budget, quality criteria, and risks. You can use a project charter, a statement of work, or a contract to document these details and avoid any ambiguity or misunderstanding. You should also discuss with your vendor how you will monitor and report on the project progress, and what are the roles and responsibilities of each party.

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2 Establish regular communication channels

Communication is key to building trust and collaboration with your vendors. You should establish regular communication channels and methods that suit your project needs and preferences. For example, you can use email, phone, video conferencing, or online platforms to communicate with your vendor. You should also set up a communication plan that specifies the frequency, purpose, agenda, and participants of each communication session. For instance, you can have weekly status updates, monthly reviews, or quarterly feedback sessions with your vendor.

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Heila Nel

Project Administrator/Coordinator I effectively & efficiently plan, manage resources, administration and team collaboration to ensure timely delivery of projects, while upholding integrity, transparency and excellence.
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Communication is vital and even though some communication channels have been mentioned, I found that a Vendor will tell you what you want to hear and create a false sense of security. It helps to visit the project and discuss issues while you are looking at the project. It might seem like micromanaging but this is how I have identified risk elements that we have not foreseen.

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3 Provide specific and actionable feedback

Feedback is an important tool to help your vendors improve their performance and align with your project expectations. However, feedback needs to be specific and actionable to be effective. You should provide feedback that is based on facts and evidence, not on opinions or emotions. You should also focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the vendor's work, not on their personality or character. Moreover, you should provide feedback that is timely, relevant, and constructive. You should avoid giving feedback that is too late, too vague, or too negative.

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Heila Nel

Project Administrator/Coordinator I effectively & efficiently plan, manage resources, administration and team collaboration to ensure timely delivery of projects, while upholding integrity, transparency and excellence.
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I have found that financial reports are a shred of great evidence as to how the project is going. One of the deliverables for the project has always been financial statements and the financial spending of the project can help you determine if all is well or if there is something amiss.

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4 Recognize and appreciate good work

While feedback is essential, it should not be the only form of communication you have with your vendors. You should also recognize and appreciate good work when you see it. This can help you motivate and retain your vendors, as well as foster a positive and respectful relationship. You can show your appreciation by saying thank you, giving praise, sending a card or a gift, or providing a bonus or a referral. You should also celebrate the achievements and milestones of your project with your vendors.

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5 Handle issues and conflicts promptly and respectfully

Despite your best efforts, issues and conflicts may arise with your vendors during the project. This can be due to misunderstandings, errors, delays, changes, or disagreements. When this happens, you should handle them promptly and respectfully. You should not ignore or avoid the issues, as they can escalate and damage your project and relationship. You should also not blame or attack the vendor, as this can create defensiveness and resentment. Instead, you should communicate openly and calmly with your vendor, listen to their perspective, identify the root cause of the problem, and work together to find a solution.

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6 Review and evaluate the project outcomes and relationship

At the end of the project, you should review and evaluate the project outcomes and relationship with your vendor. This can help you assess the quality and value of the vendor's work, as well as the strengths and areas of improvement of your communication and collaboration. You can use a project closure report, a survey, or a meeting to conduct this review and evaluation. You should also provide feedback and recognition to your vendor, and discuss any lessons learned or opportunities for future projects.

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Christian Figueroa, MBA, PMP

|| Client Engagement, Project, and Success Specialist: Delivering strategic services to stakeholders and clients || PMP || PSM-II ||PMI-RMP || MSP || Six Sigma Black Belt || Salesforce Certified ||
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You should also have a post-mortem with your team. If you have several stakeholders involved, you're going to want a variety of perspectives to assess the vendor and find any areas of weakness to improve on. I've worked with plenty of vendors who most of my team thought to be good, until a specific team member brought up a critical issue that demonstrated poor character. Reach for feedback.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you share project expectations and feedback with vendors?

1

2

3

4

5

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1 Clarify the scope and requirements

2 Establish regular communication channels

3 Provide specific and actionable feedback

4 Recognize and appreciate good work

5 Handle issues and conflicts promptly and respectfully

6 Review and evaluate the project outcomes and relationship

7 Here’s what else to consider

Project Leadership

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How do you share project expectations and feedback with vendors?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Clarify the scope and requirements

2 Establish regular communication channels

3 Provide specific and actionable feedback

4 Recognize and appreciate good work

5 Handle issues and conflicts promptly and respectfully

6 Review and evaluate the project outcomes and relationship

7 Here’s what else to consider

Project Leadership

Rate this article

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