Who Should Visit the Client

We compared: the same requirement described by the client and relayed through two layers arrives distorted far too often. So we started having developers join key client conversations directly, and rework dropped visibly.

Three moments developers should attend

Requirement discovery. Hearing the business firsthand, developers can tell courtesy from real pain.

Solution demos. The first reaction to an interface or flow is something developers need to witness themselves.

Post-launch follow-ups. Real complaints and unexpected praise calibrate judgement better than reports.

What to do there

Staying silent is fine; observe and record. The order in which clients click often differs from design assumptions.

Ask about boundary conditions on site: data volume, network environment, who uses it, what happens on error.

Write notes within half a day, while memory is fresh, and send them to the project group.

People who write code should hear problems themselves; no relayed requirement document is as accurate. Visits cost far less than misunderstanding.