Vendors are demanding more work on a tight deadline. How will you navigate this challenging situation?

This might involve a thorough review of the contract terms to ensure the requests are within scope. Taking this approach allows you to make informed decisions, ensuring that you address their needs while protecting your project’s integrity and avoiding unnecessary scope creep.

An urgent meeting between the key-players from the vendor and the customer sides, to listen, assess the situation and overcome the delay reasons and come out with a recovery plan. (A daily follow-up to take place till the kick-off) Especially, if the delay is any of the following reason; 1. Due to less resources, or resources/Project Manager with less competency. 2. Due to bad planning and progress tracking mechanism. 3. Due to no clear Roles & Responsibilities. Other delay are out of the vendor foreseen planning; A) Delay in the worldwide supply chain. B) New mandate regulation, or injected process by a governmental entity which prolong the process.

"Efficiency is doing better what is already being done," said Peter Drucker. When vendors demand more work on a tight deadline, prioritizing tasks is essential to navigate the situation effectively. In my experience, start by clearly identifying the most critical tasks that will deliver the highest value and impact within the limited timeframe. Communicate with your vendors to align on priorities and adjust expectations where necessary. A common mistake is trying to tackle everything at once, which can lead to rushed, lower-quality outcomes. By prioritizing tasks, you ensure that the most important work is completed to a high standard, even under pressure.

Focus on high-impact tasks that align with key project goals, while postponing non-essential requests. This prioritization helps manage tight deadlines more effectively while ensuring essential deliverables remain on track. Engaging vendors in this decision-making process also fosters collaboration, making it easier to find solutions that work for both parties.

Express your concerns clearly and use data, such as contract terms and project timelines, to support your stance. Be firm yet collaborative, focusing on mutually beneficial solutions. Offer alternatives, such as extending deadlines or adjusting the scope, that balance both parties’ needs. Effective negotiation can lead to better outcomes without compromising relationships.

Leverage this goodwill by discussing your needs transparently and collaboratively. Vendors who feel valued and appreciated are often more flexible in offering solutions, such as reprioritizing tasks or expediting deliveries, helping you meet urgent project demands without compromising quality or timelines.

Streamlining communication by using centralized platforms, refining project management workflows, and automating repetitive tasks are key strategies. Implementing tools like project management software, real-time chat apps, and automated reporting systems can enhance efficiency. By cutting down on unnecessary steps and improving collaboration, your team can better handle vendor demands and meet critical deadlines without sacrificing quality.

Monitoring is very important, to ensure that the project plan is executable. Also, Monitoring will allow to raise flag for any delay or challenge in the project. Monitoring will give a flag for both teams (Vendor and client sides) on the project importance. Monitoring will ensure that the project is always on top of the project stakeholders agenda. Also, it is important to meetup in the monitoring follow-up with the project team, this will boost the team morale.

Regularly track how adjustments impact the project timeline, quality of work, and team productivity. Use project management tools to keep tabs on milestones, deliverables, and resource allocation. Schedule frequent check-ins to assess whether the current approach is effective or if further tweaks are needed. Close monitoring ensures you can swiftly address any issues, keeping the project on course despite heightened demands.