During training, your cohort is expected to complete 8 Client projects. These are free to the client and provide an amazing opportunity to utilize our newly taught skills in real-world scenarios. Each project is a week in length, starting on the Monday and presenting on the Friday. This blog will go over some of the dos and don'ts of the initiation phase of a client project.

The initiation phase happens on the Monday, starting with a kick-off call with the client. During this meeting ( whether in-person or online), the client will provide the project background and aims. It is important to define the project requirements and agree on priorities during this call.

DO NOT:

• Do not assume the client knows exactly what they want.
• Do not assume that the client has access/wants you to use data prepping software.
• Do not PROMISE anything

DO:

• Research the client before the week begins
• Listen carefully to the client's introduction and project brief
• Pay attention to any words that the client emphasises to get an idea of their priorities and beliefs.
• Ask lots of questions to narrow down what the client is after and fill in any gaps.
• Prioritise you questioning before the call (some things can be asked in a later call).
• Clarify if anything is unclear
• Check if there are any tools/software that they do not want you to use (e.g. Alteryx)
• Find out which version of Tableau they are using and use this version to create your dashboards.
• Summarize back to the client what you have understood of the task to ensure you are on the same page.

MANDATORY QUESTIONS

• What version of Tableau is the client on?
• What devices will the dashboards be viewed on? (this can affect dashboard size used)
• Does the client have access to Alteryx and/or Tableau Prep
• Does the client have any branding guidelines they could share?
• Does the client have a data dictionary/metric explanations/list of standard calculations that they use?
• When is a good time for a data catch-up call? (this shouold be at the end of the Monday or early on Tuesday)
• When is a good time for a mid-week catch-up?

It is also important to prioritise your questioning as there may not be enough time to go over everything in the kick-off call. Ask yourself:

• What questions do you DEFINITELY want to ask? (see mandatory questions above)

• What might be useful to know if there is time?

• What might be useful to know, but can be asked further down the line or in a subsequent call?

Through your questioning, you are aiming to be able to create a 'user story' that explains what the client is trying to get out of the project.

The basic outline for a user story is:

As a _____________________________

When ____________________________

I want to __________________________

So I can ___________________________

For example, a client could be the CEO of a coffee business, with a user story that goes something like:

As a CEO of a coffee business,

When I explore the dashboard,

I want to see best performing products and states,

So I can plan potential expansions and pitch my company to investors.