11.1 Time for withdrawal

To choose the right moment for withdrawal is often difficult, but a wrong decision can spoil a good relationship and jeopardize the success of the project.

Planning for withdrawal

Some assignments may be terminated too early, for example if:

●the consultant’s work on the project could not be completed;

●the client overestimated his or her capability to finish the project without having been sufficiently trained for it;

●the client’s budget does not permit the job to be finished;

●the consultant is in a hurry to start another assignment.

Instances of assignments that finish later than necessary are also frequent. This may happen if:

●the consultant embarks on a technically difficult project without making sure that the client is properly trained to take it over;

●the job is vaguely defined, and new problems are discovered in the course of the assignment;

●the consultant tries to stay longer than necessary.