Your client's feedback clashes with the R&D team's direction. How do you navigate this conflicting terrain?

When you're dealing with different opinions from clients and your R&D team, it's important to handle the situation step by step. First, objectively look at the reasons for the conflict by understanding both sides. Listen to both sides, encourage open dialogue to uncover concerns and motivations. Then, get both parties together for a chat where they can share their thoughts and find common ground. Aim to find a solution that takes in the valuable client feedback while also matching the strategic goals and capabilities of your R&D team. By being transparent, empathetic, and willing to compromise, you can effectively deal with conflicting feedback and move forward positively.

Focus the requirement and out come, First, I would thoroughly understand both perspectives through discussions. Facilitating open communication with key stakeholders ensures concerns are clearly expressed. Emphasizing common goals like delivering a high-quality product aligns objectives. With the R&D team, I’d evaluate the feasibility and impact of the client's feedback on the project timeline, budget, and technical constraints. If partially feasible, I’d propose compromises or alternatives. Documenting and sharing changes with the client for approval keeps everyone aligned. Establishing a continuous feedback loop maintains updates and proactive conflict resolution, balancing client needs and R&D vision for a successful outcome.

First, facilitate a meeting to understand the client’s concerns and objectives thoroughly. Then, bring the team together to discuss these insights and find common ground. Present a revised plan that incorporates critical client feedback while maintaining your innovative approach. This collaborative effort will help realign your goals, satisfy the client, and strengthen the team’s commitment to the project.

It's imperative to review the client's specific requirements and technical requirements and the feasibility on priority. This can be done by arranging a meeting with client, to enable subsequent feasibility review and brainstorming sessions with the internal core R&D team. The understanding and arrival of objective milestones should be shared with customer with clear joint meeting minutes.

Customer requirements once got cleared, the subjective and objective requirements as suggested by client should be converted as technical requirements and milestones. The team should constantly update with the customer on regular basis with the emphasis on the objective and direction of the project. Transparency, collaborative research and discussions aids clarity and keeps customer in loop and eliminates any loss in focus and later stage disagreements. Each achieved milestone should be updated with customer which enhances better visibility and spontaneous feedback received can be incorporated in next submission.

Feedback from the customer should be evaluated religiously for feasibility. Objective evidences and feedback based on that should be analyzed for improvement feasibility. Subjective inferences should be noted for technical validation and feasibility analysis. Necessary acceptable feasible design and process corrections should be discussed, proposed and get it approved. Corresponding relevant change management shall be discussed and proposed to customer for approval. Once the team discussion is finalized after feasibility review, customer should be intimated on the observed facts on feasibility. With the prepared feasibility report shared for approval, customer can thus be made to understand feasible and few not feasible suggestions.