Before Meeting the Client

• Established a team meeting with members in a location easily accessible to all.
• Obtained contact information and set up a centralized means of communication.
• Discussed schedules to understand availability for future team and client meetings.
• Discussed skills and experiences grasp what is possible within this team environment.
• Understood limitations members have such as time constraints, commute, hardware, etc.
• Laid down what each member wishes to gain from this experience or skills they wish to learn during the semester.
• Read the capstone paperwork, ensured the capstone is aware of the client and the group.
• Discussed any knowledge of the client, researched anything that is public information on them or their company to understand possibilities in the contract.
• Prepared questions for the upcoming client meeting, as well as a formalized understanding of schedules, limitations, expectations and skills.

Meeting the Client

• Established contact with client and means of communication for the future, accounting for the style of meeting (virtual or physical), the frequency and the possibility of text communication.
• Discussed the project the client is wanting to have created during the semester, divided into:
  • Expectations of the project and an understanding of the finished product.
  • Timelines and Milestones to be reached.
  • Deliverables needed for the finished product.
  • Limitations for the team in both hardware and software.
• Understood the client’s position for assistance if they are offering any, from technical experience to software acquisition.
• Noted the scope of the project within the twelve weeks given to ensure that it is possible.
• Checked for any uncertainties within that initial meeting that both parties understand could not be fleshed out perfectly within the initial meeting and made note of them.
• Solidified future expectations of the project once handed over to the client for better understanding deliverables and approaching workflow of documentation and assets.
• Discussed possible restrictions/’blockers’ that team members may experience during development.
• Drafted a deliverable list that contains (in explicit language):
  • The envisioned final project itself – what it is expected to look like and contain.
  • The requirements of the projects fulfillment (features, assets, conditions) – draft a deliverable list outlining these requirements as well.
  • The project’s final submission format.
  • Documentation pertaining to the specific project style and needs.
  • Legal documentation outlining the licenses and asset acquisition locations.
  • Milestone requirements if necessary – dates not required but encouraged.
• Solidified methods of communication and set up the next client meeting for discussions on progress, milestones, and future limitations.

Development of the Project

• A detailed method of client contact to every team member and outlined each client and team meeting approach to plan for them.
• Established possibilities that may require contacting the client outside of the standard communication times.
• Understood the relationship between the client and the team to be professional and to avoid casual conversations that do not coincide with the project.
• Scheduled formal and informal team meetings to give updates on team member progress and allow for members to work together on the project if necessary.
• Recognized team preferences for workflow and meeting styles, established early to avoid frustration.
• Established the limitations in skills and experiences now that the client meeting has solidified their necessity.
• Designated an individual (permanently or on a meeting basis) to take notes of the formal meeting minutes to ensure paper trail and keep on task.
• Guaranteed every team member has access to the deliverable list to avoid confusion.

Circumstantial Development Possibilities

• Assigned project manager for the team to coordinate meetings, organize future meetings and be the elected speaker at client meetings.
• Scheduled research and learning periods for team members learning new skill sets for the project.
• Established meeting times with the client for the assistance that they are able to offer.

Contact Capstone Representative If…

• Client wished for team to purchase software or hardware without discussing with capstone prior to the request.
• Client or Team Member did not appear for allotted meetings with team, nor communicated their absence and has been silent upon repeated communication attempts.
• New features have been added to the deliverable list without team knowledge or consent after the initial draft of the list and are now expected parts of the deliverable list. Client repeatedly will not budge even after a meeting occurred to discuss these new features.
• Client wished to discuss future capstone involvement with the team past the semester’s completion, either through beginning a second project or externally.
• Client and team relations become strained due to numerous factors to the point of communication breakdown.