Cultural Misunderstanding in Claim Management (Mini-Case Study: 7.3)

Q.  How do you explain the contradiction between the study and the behavior of the Chinese costumer?

It was important to know how to prevent and solve the claims from the beginning to avoid raising the problem later on in the contract. While the Chinese costumer expectations was  to have  the job completed on time within budget and scope, unexpected results arised at the end because of the unclear contract conditions. So, to prevent cultural misunderstanding it was essential to clarify the contract terms and conditions from both sides from the beginning, and no grey zones should be left in terms of the project scope definition and terms. Moreover, progress reporting and  minutes of meetings must be evidenced and reported regularly. Eventually, when analyzing the contract requirements, it is so important to identify the key issues and determine the most appropriate interpretation for it.