In several years doing requirements gathering, I have dealt with users of all ages, cultures, ideologies, and, of course, personalities.  Some are nicer to work with than others, but you have to find ways to work together with all of them in order to make each project succeed.

Over the years, I have identified five types of users,

• The Undecided
• Mr Busy
• Big Chicken
• Ms Not
• The Abusive

There are probably many more types of users but these are the ones I have battled … er, I mean … work with the most.  Obviously, not all users fall into these categories, otherwise I would have gone crazy (or crazier, as the case might be).  In fact, most of the time I have worked with very good people who love to collaborate and work as a team.

THEM USERS

Ah, the users!  I love them, because otherwise there would not be projects for me to work on.  But they can be difficult to work with.  To deal with this reality, I have learned to be flexible and adapt to individual styles of users.

Sometimes you have to give in a little to get the information you need to make the project a success.

The ability to work with different kinds of people is very important, sometimes even more important than technical knowledge.

I will describe the five user types and how I have learned to deal with them for the good of the project and teamwork.

THE UNDECIDED

This type doesn’t know what he wants.  It is extremely difficult to get the information you really need from them.  He usually has difficulty describing his needs and tends to confuse others easily.

How to work with The Undecided,

• Ask questions to confirm what they want; it is good to ask the same question in several different way
• Use visual aids, such as flowcharts, use cases, design a draft—use these to confirm that you’re both on the same page

 MR  BUSY

This person always has a busy schedule.  This makes it very difficult to nail him down for a meeting.  Unfortunately, oftentimes this is the case with the project owner.

Difficult, isn’t it? But it happens.

How to work with Mr Busy,

• Be gentle with him
• If he cannot give you the time you need in the project, ask them to assign you someone who knows the process, able to resolve issues and make, most importantly, someone who can make decisions
• Keep him informed at all times of the agreements reached and the progress of the project

Be sure to have his approval, if he cannot attend all meetings, it is important that he buys into whatever agreements have been made during these meetings.

BIG CHICKEN

I do not like this label, but … he’s earned it.

He is normally friendly, believes in your work and follows your leadership.  The problem is that he then contributes very little and avoids making commitments at all costs.

If anything is unclear, or doesn’t turn out as he hoped for, he is going to point the finger at you. Even when it relates to something that he proposed!
However, he is a “nice guy,” and when things turned out well, he’ll be the first to say "thanks, things are going well!”

For example, during a sprint demo, the conversation may go like this,

Big Chicken’s behavior leaves the rest of the team baffled and feeling more than a little betrayed.

How to deal with Big Chicken,

• With intelligence and grace
• Avoid starting an argument
• Focus on finding solutions
• Get your agreements in writing

You can always follow up a meeting with Big Chicken with an email summarizing what you all agreed to.  Make it clear in the email that this is the operating agreement unless somebody objects also by email.

MS NOT

This type of person refuses to change or, at least, is very afraid of change.  She has key information but refuses to provide it because she doesn’t want the status quo to change.  It would seem that she’d rather see the project fail but in most cases, that’s not true and it is more the case of fear of change.

How to deal with Ms Not,

• With understanding—all of us have, at some point, been resistant to change
• Explain the need for change and how it will benefit her
• Ask a bunch of questions to make her think, then give her time to think it over, let it percolate
• Encourage participation by describing her leadership opportunities in the project

THE ABUSIVE

For some reason, Abusive tries to be "funny" but saying inappropriate comments.  He is insolent and always very negative.

I understand that this type is insolent with everyone, not just me, but that still does not give him the right to push me into doing my job.

How to deal with The Abusive,

• Be patient
• Calm down and don’t react to his tirades
• Explain to him, calmly, what you need and why you need it
• Be firm and make it clear that you are not going to walk away empty handed

Many times this behavior is a cover for the insecurity of not really knowing what this user wants out of a particular project.  Be ready to make suggestions that will get him going.  Because this user is so negative, he will usually react with "no, I don’t think we need that but we’ll need …" or "that’s not as high priority as …"  In either case, you’ll get your requirements out of him.

IN CONCLUSION …

If you have run into these types, too, hopefully the tips will help. However, this is not a formula that guarantees success.

For that you need to be flexible and always look for ways to maintain good communication.  This oftentimes requires you to give more of yourself, but it is worth it if it helps you get projects done on time and even manage to help people turn around and learn to collaborate.

In the end, when the project is done and the results are in, people will thank you for your leadership.  Even The Undecided, Mr Busy, Big Chicken, Ms Not and The Abusive.