As any project manager knows, as a project progresses, the client asks more questions about the status, expected benefits, and budget. Managing what your clients expect and actually delivering a project that matches up with what they want/need is a very difficult task. Often times, as a client’s budget increases, so do their expectations, and who can blame them. It is your job as the project manager to make sure that the project stays on budget, but that the client receives the value he was promised from the beginning.
If you aren’t careful, there can, and will be, a disconnect between the delivered value of the project and the perceived value from the client. Often times this is caused by a shift in project scope and in the end, the client sees something different than was originally planned and must now be assured that what he has in his hand was worth the money he paid for it.
A good way to do this is with regularly scheduled updates. If your client is constantly kept in the loop as to the status of their project, budget, and deliverables; there will be fewer questions once the project is completed and at the very minimum, you have documentation to cover all of the steps of the project.
Keeping your client assured and on board with the project is the best way to manage their expectations when it comes to the project.