Every project manager, procurement officer, or any other type of professional who has major deadlines through the holidays will understand (and probably giggle at) this slideshare showcasing the pain and problems caused by providers and clients being out of sync.

1. :
M
e
pl
eo e
t p er
ec h
oj w
Pr ery
: ev
TO
O
FR
12 Days of Holiday
Project Pains

2. On the first day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
ACME CO.
A product
spec with
no quantity.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATION
QTY: ???

3. On the second day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
Two different due dates
1
DECEMBER
2 3 4 5 6
8
9 10 11 12 13 14
7
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31

4. QTY: ??
????????
????????
????????
..and a product spec
with no quantity.

5. On the third day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
Three missing emails
SEARCH
!
Acme Co Product Requirements
Email not found!
Try contacting the sender.

6. 1
DECEMBER
2 3 4 5 6
8
9 10 11 12 13 14
7
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 Two 31
30 different due dates

7. QTY: ??
????????
????????
????????
..and a product spec
with no quantity.

8. On the fourth day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
Four emergency conference calls
PANIC
PANIC
PANIC
PANIC

9. SEARCH
!
Acme Co Point of Contact
Email not found!
Try contacting the sender.
Three missing emails

10. 1
DECEMBER
2 3 4 5 6
8
9 10 11 12 13 14
7
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Two 31
29 30different due dates

11. QTY:?!?
?!?!?!?!?
!?!?!?!?!
?!?!?!?!?
..and a product spec
with no quantity!

12. On the fifth day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
FIVE POINTS OF CONTACT!

13. Four emergency conference calls
PANIC
PANIC
PANIC
PANIC
Three missing emails
SEARCH
!
Acme Co Point of Contact
Email not found!
Try contacting the sender.
SEARCH
!
Acme Co Point of Contact
Email not found!
Try contacting the sender.
SEARCH
!
Acme Co Point of Contact
Email not found!
Try contacting the sender.
20 24
Two different due dates
QTY: ???
And a product spec with no quantity!

14. On the sixth day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
Six lost attachments
!
Attachment “Acme Co Budget Approval.doc”
and 5 others no longer exist.
Would you like to remove them from the list?
Yes
No

15. Five points of contact
Four emergency conference calls
PANIC
PANIC
PANIC
PANIC
Three drafted but unsent emails
“Oh, I Though I Sent this”
Two different due dates
20 24
and a product spec with no quantity!
QTY: ???

16. On the seventh day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
Seven
wrong
inventories

17. Six lost attachments
!
Five points of contact
Attach
and 5 oment “Acme Co
thers n
o longeBudget Approv
Would
r exist.
al.doc”
you like
to remo
ve them
from th
e list?
Yes
No
Four emergency conference calls
PANIC
PANIC
PANIC
PANIC
Three concerned emails
“HEY, WE HAVEN’T HEARD FROM YOU ABOUT..”
24 QTY
20
:
Two different due dates
..and a product spec with no quantity!
???

18. On the eighth day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
Eight rejected invoices
TOTAL:
$$$
TOTAL:
$$$
INV. #1
INV. #5
TOTAL:
TOTAL:
$$$
$$$
TOTAL:
$$$
$$$
TOTAL:
$$$
$$$
INV. #1
INV. #7
INV. #1
INV. #6
TOTAL:
TOTAL:
INV. #4
INV. #3
INV. #2
INV. #1
TOTAL:
TOTAL:
$$$
$$$
INV. #1
INV. #8
TOTAL:
TOTAL:
$$$
$$$

19. ?
?
?
Seven wrong inventories
:
Y
T
UC
D
Six lost attachments
Q
PANIC
?!”
T
HE
T
RO
P
Five points of contact IS
CK
E
Hconference calls
Four emergency
HE
ET
ER
!
H
Three angry emails
“W
0
2
4
2
PANIC
Attach
and 5 oment “Acme Co
thers n
o longeBudget Approv
Would
r exist.
al.doc”
you like
to remo
ve them
from th
e list?
Yes
No
Two different due dates
PANIC
and a product spec with no quantity!
PANIC

20. On the ninth day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
$
$
$
Nine
lower
bids
$
$
$
$
$
$

21. Eight rejected invoices
PANIC
24
20
QTY
Seven wrong inventories
Six lost attachments
Five points of contact!
PANIC
: ???
oc”
.d
val
?
ist
pro
Ap
el
h
et
mt
dg .
Bu exist
fro
o
m
he
e C er
No
cm long
et
“A o
ov
t n
rem
en
hm hers e to
ac t
Yes
k
Attd 5 o ou li
y
an
ld
ou
W
Four emergency conference calls
PANIC
Three threatening emails !
“If you don’t deliver by deadline, I swear..”
Two different due dates
PANIC
...and a product spec with no freakin’ quantity!

22. On the tenth day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
FINISH!
DETOUR
--->
CHANGE
AHEAD
Ten
unexpected
change
orders!

23. $
Nine lower bids
$
PANIC
Eight rejected invoices
24
20
QTY
$
Seven wrong inventories
Six lost attachments
$
Five points of contact
PANIC
: ???
$
c”
.do
al
rov
?
ist
pp
el
tA
h
ge
mt
ud st.
fro
o Br exi
m
e C ge
the
No
Acm lon
ve
o
t “ no
n
em
me rs
or
ach othe
et
Yes
lik
Attd 5
ou
n
y
a
ld
ou
W
Four emergency conference calls
PANIC
Three bitter emails
$
! $
“I KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.”
Two different due dates
$
..and a product spec still$ without a quantity!
PANIC

24. On the eleventh day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
Eleven missing samples
HAVE
SEEN YOU
TH
PROD ESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
HAVE
SEEN YOU
T
PROD HESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
CO
ACME
NOG
EGG
HAVE
SEEN YOU
T
PROD HESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
CO
ACME
NOG
EGG
CO
ACME
NOG
EGG
HAVE
SEEN YOU
T
PROD HESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
CO
CME
A
G
GNO
EG

25. $
$
Ten unexpected change orders
Nine lower bids
$
CHANGE
PANIC
24
20
Seven wrong inventories
AHEAD
$
AHEAD
QTY
AHEAD
Eight rejected invoices
CHANGE
CHANGE
: ???
$
CHANGE
Six lost attachments
CHANGE
AHEAD
Five points of contact
PANIC
AHEAD
c”
.do
al
rov
?
ist
pp
el
tA
h
ge
mt
ud st.
fro
o Br exi
m
e C ge
the
No
Acm lon
ve
o
t “ no
n
em
me rs
or
ach othe
et
Yes
lik
Attd 5
ou
n
y
a
ld
ou
W
CHANGE
Four emergency conference calls
CHANGE
AHEAD
PANIC
$
Three desperate emails ! $
“DEAR GOD PLEASE GET THIS ORDER DONE!”
Two different due dates
CHANGE
AHEAD
AHEAD
CHANGE
AHEAD
CHANGE
AHEAD
..and a product spec still without a quantity!
$
$
PANIC

26. On the twelfth day of Christmas
my client gave to me:
Twelve crazy deadlines

27. $
Eleven missing samples$
HAVE
SEEN YOU
TH
PROD ESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
CO
ACME
NOG
EGG
CHANGE
24
20
AHEAD
Ten unexpected change orders
CHANGE
PANIC
HAVE
SEEN YOU
TH
PROD ESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
CO
ACME
NOG
EGG
Nine lower bids
$
HAVE
SEEN YOU
TH
PROD ESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
CO
ACME
NOG
EGG
QTY
AHEAD
Eight rejected invoices
CHANGE
Seven wrong inventories
$
HAVE
SEEN YOU
TH
PROD ESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
CO
ACME
NOG
EGG
AHEAD
HAVE
SEEN YOU
TH
PROD ESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
Six lost attachments
CO
ACME
NOG
EGG
CHANGE
Five points of contact
AHEAD
HAVE
SEEN YOU
TH
PROD ESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
CO
ACME
NOG
EGG
: ???
CHANGE
PANIC
AHEAD
”
doc
l.
ova
r
t?
lis
App
he
et .
g
mt
ud st
fro
o Br exi
C
m
me ge
the
No
“Ac o lon move
nt s n
e
re
hm er
to
tac oth
ke
Yes
li
At d 5
n
you
a
uld
Wo
CHANGE
Four emergency conference calls
CHANGE
AHEAD
PANIC
$
HAVE
SEEN YOU
TH
PROD ESE
SAMP UCT
LES?
$
! $
Three hysterical emails
HELP! HELP! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!
Two different due dates
CHANGE
AHEAD
AHEAD
CHANGE
AHEAD
CHANGE
AHEAD
$
..and a product spec that never had a quantity!
$
PANIC
C
ACME
NO
EGG

28. Save yourself 11 days (and your sanity too).
Get Noosh today
and easily manage
your projects from
concept to delivery.