We will deliver the Statement of Work (SoW) by Monday. However, there can be further delay if we cannot receive the estimates.
We can Go-Live as per the plan, assuming there are no further issues.
We can hand over the product to the Support team if the Developers complete the documentation.
Did you see a pattern in the above statements?
The second half of each statement is a disclaimer. The disclaimer helps the Delivery team, and vendors protect from the hard questions if they cannot deliver as planned.
At the same time, the disclaimers can be an excuse to allow slippage. They can be one other reason to get lazy. These delays add fast to the overall project and put pressure on the budget.
They are also an easy way to get off the hook.
If we pay attention, we deal with many disclaimers daily. None of these disclaimers are helping us.
So, consider ways of engagement where the vendors commit without disclaimers! It is going to be a win-win for all parties involved.
