Poll: In general, how would you rate your clients' project management skills? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "In general, how would you rate your clients' project management skills?".
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| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 02:33
Spanish to English
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In general, not bad.
I have to keep telling the only agency I regularly work with to try to get their clients to agree to the longest possible deadlines, as I can't always drop what I'm doing and accept rush jobs from them. It seems to have sunk in.
As for my regulars, over the years I've managed to convince them of the same thing - that I also have other clients to deal with, so they should always try to factor that in when planning (that's the ones that actually do any planning).
| | | | Marjolein Snippe 
Netherlands
Local time: 02:33
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
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Some are good, some are excellent; clients with poor project management skills do not seem to stick around for very long and I am not sorry to see them go, even if I rarely tell them in so many words that I will not work with them again.
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Good in general, with one exception: a British translation agency I have been working with for a few years which for the last 6 months seems to be biting off more than they can chew: POs are never sent on time and are occasionally wrong, payment of some invoices is late. I’m still giving them the benefit of doubt because work is regular and interesting and they pay my rates…
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| Much variation | Oct 25, 2018 |
Most of my frequent clients (agencies) are highly efficient and always pay on time without fuss - or they wouldn't be my clients.
A few pay promptly but usually seem to be in a state of panic and highly disorganised, send countless additional paragraphs or questions or prevaricate about the price after the job has been delivered. I accept work from those only when I have no other work.
| | | | | Generally good, or I drop them! | Oct 25, 2018 |
It's a privilege, I know, but I tell some clients why I do not wish to work with them, and move on. I tell others what I like about their management, and would not want them to change.
A lot of my clients' affairs are beyond my control, and none of my business anyway, but if they are chaotic, I can't work with them. On the other hand, they like to know when they are appreciated, and it goes both ways!
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 21:33
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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In general, what I see is people with an intermediate level of education/qualification, occupying PM posts with a little training for the basics, but hardly ever able to resolve any issues when they appear. What I see is a senior manager paying low salaries for these people, with the instruction: "if anything wrong happens, you call me".
What they call "Project Managers" are usually "Project Assistants", and there is one single real manager who is doing other things and is called only in c... See more In general, what I see is people with an intermediate level of education/qualification, occupying PM posts with a little training for the basics, but hardly ever able to resolve any issues when they appear. What I see is a senior manager paying low salaries for these people, with the instruction: "if anything wrong happens, you call me".
What they call "Project Managers" are usually "Project Assistants", and there is one single real manager who is doing other things and is called only in case of trouble. ▲ Collapse
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Most of my direct clients leave everything to the last minute, and guess who has to pick up the pieces?
A good PM will stand up to the CEO and tell him to haul his fat arse off the golf course to approve the final draft because the translator needs it!
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I mainly work for international organizations. One of them is absolutely excellent and the others are all very good to excellent.
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