[Sigia-l] Project Management Issue

[Casey Malcolm]

I would very much appreciate hearing from consultants on how they work with
clients to determine project plans and budget.  An initial "discovery" phase
that uncovers project requirements and scope will undoubtedly enable one to
develop a more realistic project schedule and budget.

I'm sure that many of you have been at one time or another been pressured by
a client to give a fixed project cost prior to any meaningful project
scoping.  How are you handing this type of situation and how do you
structure project billing?  Are you giving clients a preliminary project
schedule and budget with the caveat that it will be adjusted after your
discovery activities or do you provide a project schedule and budget only
after you've had a chance to explore requirements?  If it's the latter, how
do you help clients understand that it's in their best interest to work this
way and how do you bill clients for this activity?

Any insights or recommendations will be much appreciated!

Casey Malcolm