A critical vendor has failed to deliver and your go-live is at risk. Walk me through your response.
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Assess the impact on the critical path and go-live
- Engage the vendor for root cause and recovery plan
- Use contract terms appropriately
- Activate contingency or alternative options
- Keep sponsor informed and make decisions quickly
Model answer
First I would assess the impact: which deliverables are affected, whether they are on the critical path, and how much the go-live date is really at risk. Then I would meet the vendor quickly, at a senior level if needed, to understand the root cause and get a credible recovery plan with dates. I would check the contract for obligations, service levels and penalties, and use them fairly to keep the vendor focused, without destroying a relationship we still need. In parallel I would look at contingency options, such as partial delivery, a temporary workaround, another supplier, or moving some scope to a later release. I would inform the sponsor early with the facts and options and agree a decision. After the crisis, I would review vendor management so warning signs are caught earlier next time.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed hard round and get scored on every answer.
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