Thursday, May 10, 2012
Mural Project: Post-Mortem Analysis
When painting a mural for someone, it is usually a simple transaction with few people involved. However, in the following instance, communication was lacking and the project was not a success. I was commissioned to paint a mural on an outside wall of the Japanese restaurant. The owner, however, speaks Korean only, so I was communicating with the manager who spoke Korean and English. Not only was there a language barrier, but the cultural barrier was unpredictable since I had not worked with Korean people in a business sense. Things that are a given or assumed, or just ways of thinking are so different, that nothing was ever agreed upon. Have a middle man was not helpful either. I would consider myself the project manager with one other person working with me on the mural. However, the manager was involved in decision making as well as the owner and his wife. When it was all said and done, the wife was the real decision maker, who I never spoke to. So, no effective communication was happening. As the project manager, I needed to make ALL agreements clear on paper. Writing a statement of work would have been helpful instead of just writing up a proposal and a bill.
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Hello Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a great example of the importance of communication. In your case not only was there a language barrier but the real decision maker, a key stakeholder, was not part of any conversations you had to determine requirements. If the requirements stated to you had been documented and signed off by all parties then you would have had proof of the agreed upon deliverables. A great lesson learned, thanks again.
Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteHaving a background in art, I can really appreciate your experience. It always seems difficult to me to put a price on something that often has subjective value. Add in the fact that you were having to deal with a language barrier and the situation becomes even more confusing. I agree that a statement of work could have proved very helpful in your case. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lindsey
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a very difficult situation to be put into.Its very hard working with someone and there is a huge language barrier which makes communication very hard. I agree; It would hae definetly been helpful to have a plan in place to know how to proceed with the project to make it successful.