Practical CSM Framework: Phases 1 and 2

Activities performed by the CSM prior to meeting customer stakeholders to build trust and minimize errors.

Phase 1: Preparation

Understanding the customer's problem, required vs. desired outcomes, major milestones, and impacted business functions.

The Initiative

Understanding the bill of materials (BOM), solution components, implementation status, and promised outcomes.

The Solution

Researching corporate mission, market position, value proposition, and strategic objectives.

The Business

Identifying decision-makers, reporting lines, personal KPIs, and preferred communication styles.

The Stakeholders

Reviewing contract details, sales history, past pilots/trials, and current relationship sentiment.

The Engagement

Internal Colleagues, Internal Systems, the Internet, and the Customer.

Priority order for gathering information

States of information: Accurate enough, Not accurate enough, Missing, Unknown.

Information States

Outputs include documented research in the central repository, identified information gaps, and an initial Success Plan.

Outputs of Phase 1

Focus on meeting the customer and formalizing the CSM role and engagement plan.

Phase 2: Commitment

Relationship building, gaining alignment on outcomes, and obtaining formal commitment to the success plan.

Key Objectives of Phase 2

The primary customer contact responsible for the initiative.

The Senior Project Lead (SPL)

Formalizes the CSM-customer relationship, documenting work to be done and expected results.

The Success Contract

Strategies including Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and using Management Matrices for effective communication.

Stakeholder Management Strategies