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Selling UML based stuff/ideas to customer

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  • C Offline
    C Offline
    code_wiz
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Hi, I have an interesting question - somebody asked me how i would describe the design thoughts that i currently have in UML diagrams, to my customer? How would a lead technical manager/consultant do this? The customer wants to know the high level design of the solution based on the UML diagrams he has with him, but note that the customer cannot understand UML. I know - it has to be more than a simple english" layman description.

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    • C code_wiz

      Hi, I have an interesting question - somebody asked me how i would describe the design thoughts that i currently have in UML diagrams, to my customer? How would a lead technical manager/consultant do this? The customer wants to know the high level design of the solution based on the UML diagrams he has with him, but note that the customer cannot understand UML. I know - it has to be more than a simple english" layman description.

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      S Offline
      snailflying
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      sofa~! 初学者!

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      • C code_wiz

        Hi, I have an interesting question - somebody asked me how i would describe the design thoughts that i currently have in UML diagrams, to my customer? How would a lead technical manager/consultant do this? The customer wants to know the high level design of the solution based on the UML diagrams he has with him, but note that the customer cannot understand UML. I know - it has to be more than a simple english" layman description.

        P Offline
        P Offline
        peterchen
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        Counterquestion: Why should you? If the client requests it, likely he isn't confident you will build what he needs. In this case, it would be useless to explain the design, rather, discuss it's strengths and limitations. What can be done, what can be added, what can be changed at what cost? If th client wants to know whether you are up to the job, and working on it, explain your implementation plan: when are you going to implement what, when do you have milestones that your client can check etc. If you want to impress the client, don't show him a UML chart. If it's to simple he'll wonder if he pays to much, if it's to complex he wonders if you artificially inflate the project and he pays to much. Show a functionality/UI prototype (sketches are fine, if it#s an executable make it look sufficiently crippled)


        Some of us walk the memory lane, others plummet into a rabbit hole
        Tree in C# || Fold With Us! || sighist

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        • C code_wiz

          Hi, I have an interesting question - somebody asked me how i would describe the design thoughts that i currently have in UML diagrams, to my customer? How would a lead technical manager/consultant do this? The customer wants to know the high level design of the solution based on the UML diagrams he has with him, but note that the customer cannot understand UML. I know - it has to be more than a simple english" layman description.

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          E Offline
          El Corazon
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          code_wiz wrote:

          The customer wants to know the high level design of the solution based on the UML diagrams he has with him, but note that the customer cannot understand UML.

          The customer can always understand flow. Rather than focus on explaining UML and all the details of the design, focus on the flow and interdependancy of the design through the UML diagrams. Generally speaking a fully laid out UML design is higher level than most customers need. Yes they do need a high level design because they need to understand what you are doing for them. I generally share mind-maps at that level. Almost everyone can understand an "outline" and a mind-map is simply a circular outline. http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page[^] A mind map does not necessarily show flow and interdependancy, it shows a break down of ideas gradually getting finer in detail. But that is easier for most people to understand. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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          • C code_wiz

            Hi, I have an interesting question - somebody asked me how i would describe the design thoughts that i currently have in UML diagrams, to my customer? How would a lead technical manager/consultant do this? The customer wants to know the high level design of the solution based on the UML diagrams he has with him, but note that the customer cannot understand UML. I know - it has to be more than a simple english" layman description.

            S Offline
            S Offline
            Shog9 0
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            code_wiz wrote:

            The customer wants to know the high level design of the solution based on the UML diagrams he has with him, but note that the customer cannot understand UML.

            "The customer wants to know the high level design of the solution based on the Swahili descriptions he has with him, but note that the customer cannot understand Swahili." Solution: Translate high level design into something the customer understands. Tell him a story about your solution, everyone loves a good story. Of course, if you don't actually have a workable solution, speaking in a language he understands is gonna make that pretty obvious, so you might want to stall by pointing at your UML diagrams and talking about the massive infrastructure you've nearly completed work on that will make this all possible.

            Now taking suggestions for the next release of CPhog...

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