In measuring and qualifying the success of a task order or Project (TO/P), results and their quality matters. Other critical factors follow closely behind, like budget and schedule. Soft factors are sometimes overlooked, yet they often play a substantial role in the mission’s success.
Meet the “easy” button.
“Easy” can, and usually refers to multiple soft TO/P factors, like the ease to
· Do business with the other party.
· Manage contracts with the other party.
· Agree and adjust the scope of work with other parties as needed.
· Collaborate and coordinate timelines, deadlines and payments with the other party.
There is a fine balance between being right, doing things right, and making things right when executing TO/Ps, and the best government contracting experiences depend greatly on this latter group.
To be clear, I’m not talking here about anything that would result in you or your leadership team sporting the latest rave in orange or striped business outfits at Ft. Leavenworth or your local penitentiary. Making things “easy” is a secret sauce that can convert your hungry subcontractor in a TO/P “prime darling” to your KO or COR overnight.
Here are 4 things that we practice at TekMasters to be just that – Easy. We hope others give these a try:
Get to “meeting the specs” and deliver the agreed upon work product early in the project, so that there is time to find upside.
Work the statement of work as a partner, taking care of everyone in the team; but especially the mission.
Track and report your work in the way your prime needs it; not the way you like to.
Facilitate the contracting process and empower your Program Managers to truly take care of the customer without having to escalate and turn everything into a change order.
Results, budget and timeline are table stakes of success. As an aspiring “Prime”, we consistently meet those table stakes with our teammates and customers, and try to make all else as easy as we can. We aim to be a Tier 1 “go-to” prime contractor, consistently and effectively tackling the missions and challenges that are too complex or too difficult for others to even try.
Beyond doing great things with technology and people, we also aim to be the “easy button” that the toughest TO/P missions out there demand.