Bad news travels first
Clients forgive delays. They don't forgive finding out late.
The worst week in a client relationship isn't the one where something breaks. It's the one where the client learns we knew and waited. Delays are survivable. Surprises aren't.
The 24-hour rule
If something will move a date, a budget or the scope, the client hears within one working day. Not with a fix. With the facts, and when they'll hear from us next.
Silence is also a status update. Just a bad one.
What the first message covers
What happened, in plain words
What it affects: date, cost or scope
What we're doing next, and when we'll report back
Problem first, plan second
The first message describes the problem. The second offers options and their trade-offs. Mixing the two makes people defensive and decisions slow. Let the client react before asking them to choose.
What we watch
Signal Target Why Time to tell the client Under 1 working day Trust is decided in the first hours Issues the client found first Zero They should never be ahead of us Options per escalation At least two Partners offer choices, not ultimatums
A tiny example
Our Friday status report has one section that is never left out, even on quiet weeks:
Risks this week
- None new. Carried: API rate limits (monitoring, no impact yet)
Writing "none" every week makes it easy to write something the week it matters.
The awkward call is cheap. The postponed one never is.