Project Negotiation Skills: Strategy and Tactics
This online engineering PDH course is presented in two distinct segments: an introduction to fundamental negotiation skills and tactics and then the second will examine the nature of a client-vendor relationship in a project. The intent of this two part package is to help the student develop a more effective interaction with project team members as well as vendors." It begins with a look at the major working styles that may be involved in negotiations and how to approach the negotiation from the viewpoint of the other side's interests and utilize tactics appropriate for each type. Then it explores the fundamentals of negotiations to identify the skills and concepts that apply in any kind of project setting. Finally, it identifies what a successful relationship with a service or product vendor would look like and how we can establish it on any project. It also includes suggestions for a Request for Information (RFI), a Request for Proposal (RFP), and developing measurements for subjective "fuzzy" topics. (Note: this course does do not discuss developing or negotiating contracts, risk management, nor provide legal advice. Those topics are beyond the scope of this work.)
Many people think that negotiations is about being the cleverest participant and getting the most from the other participants. Unfortunately, too many fail to realize that signing a contract is only the beginning of the relationship and if a participant feels they gave up too much, they have the life of the contract to recover those losses. Instead of staring a relationship with one participant having a "get even" hidden agenda, it is easier to structure a fair relationship from the beginning because the long term gains are always greater.
This P.Eng. continuing education course is intended to provide you with the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Identify the four major working styles they will encounter on a project
- Identify their own personal working style
- Take a flexible approach to deal with the different working style types that would be on a project
- Adapt their negotiation tactics to negotiate more effectively with styles unlike their own
- View the negotiation through the eyes of the other side
- Develop an overall strategy for the upcoming negotiation
- Select tactics for use in the negotiation that will support the selected strategy
- Negotiate more confidently
- Preserve good will even if you cannot reach agreement
- Deal effectively with unexpected situations in a negotiation where you do not have preparation time
- Ask questions that help you develop your strategy
- Stay on track and not get distracted
- Use outside standards to reduce the potential for conflict
- Recognize and deal with disruptive tactics from the other side
- Use a variety of ways to close a negotiation and get agreement
- Understand the value of "interests" and the danger of "positions" when constructing a negotiation strategy
- Define what a successful outcome looks like from your perspective and theirs
- Clarify their perception of the traditional client-vendor relationship from the client's viewpoint
- Clarify their perception of the traditional client-vendor relationship from the vendor's viewpoint
- Re-evaluate the "customer is always right" concept
- Understand who influences the width of the performance gap between commitment and compliance within a client-vendor relationship
- Develop a relationship framework that will influence their counterpart positively toward the commitment side of the performance gap
- Understand who controls where the vendor works within the performance gap between commitment and compliance
- Learn why and how the relationship between the leader and work performer impacts work productivity
- Know the five components of motivation important to a vendor
- Learn how to include these five elements in a client-vendor relationship
- Learn how these motivational components relate to a successful client-vendor relationship
- Understand how viewing a vendor from a new perspective may have a profound impact on their eventual relationship
- Understand what vendors typically look for in a relationship with a client
- Determine what the counterpart seeks in a successful relationship
- Know what are the most typical complaints about vendors
- Know what are the most common complaints about clients
- Identify the characteristics of a relationship with a vendor that would best satisfy a client
- Construct the foundation for a successful relationship with a vendor
- Learn what key phrases to add to RFIs and RFPs to alert potential vendors that a client is considering a non-traditional relationship
- Develop an easy-to-use and fair evaluation system for subjective or "fuzzy" topics that are traditionally difficult to measure
In this professional engineering CEU course, you need to review the document titled, "Project Negotiation Skills: Strategy and Tactics".
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