We failed to review one piece of the project with a customer before proceeding to the next step, not believing it to be necessary since the project was just beginning and actual deliverables were yet to come.

The customer took some time to inspect a deployment model we prepared, because they wanted to understand everything we were going to deploy for them. As a result, we lost several days waiting for feedback. This delay could have been significantly reduced with adequate planning.

The following lessons were learned.

• Always keep the customer updated on your progress, even if you think the piece of work you have completed is not important.
• Demonstrate or review interim outcomes of the project as it progresses, or at least offer this option to your customer.
• Plan for customer review in advance to avoid wasted time.

Reviewing interim project outcomes should secure acceptance of the final deliverables.