If you've ever tried to run a project with a client and found yourself drowning in email threads, lost files, or mismatched expectations, you're not alone. Even with the best tools, client collaboration can get messy fast. This guide is for anyone who needs to keep projects moving—without pretending everything is perfect or getting stuck in endless status meetings.
Baton's project timelines promise to make client collaboration less painful. But there's a right way (and a wrong way) to use them. Here’s what actually works in the real world, what to skip, and how to avoid the usual headaches.
1. Get Your Own House in Order First
Before you invite a client into your Baton timeline, make sure the basics are covered. The worst client experience is joining a workspace that looks like a junk drawer.
- Set up a simple, logical project structure. Don’t overthink it. A project should have clear phases or milestones, not a spaghetti mess of random tasks.
- Clean up old tasks and drafts. Clients don’t need to see your half-baked ideas or last quarter’s experiments.
- Double-check deadlines. If you’re not serious about the dates in the timeline, neither will your client be. Pad them if you must, but don’t treat them like suggestions.
Pro tip: Assign an internal "owner" for each phase before you add client folks. That way, if questions come up, your team knows who jumps in.
2. Invite Clients—But Set Expectations
Inviting a client into Baton is easy. Getting them to actually use it, and use it properly, is another story.
- Send a quick explainer email before the invite. Don’t assume the invite email will make sense. Spell out what they’ll see, why it matters, and what you expect them to do.
- Clarify what’s required from them—and what’s optional. Make it crystal clear which tasks need their input or approval, and which ones they can ignore.
- Use roles and permissions wisely. Limit what clients can change or delete. It’s not about distrust; it’s about protecting the process (and your sanity).
What to skip: Don’t dump your entire internal workflow onto the client. They don’t need to see every micro-task. Show them only what’s relevant to their role.
3. Build the Timeline With the Client, Not For Them
It’s tempting to hand over a polished, locked-in timeline and say, “Here’s the plan.” But clients spot a railroad job a mile away, and they’ll just ignore it if it doesn’t fit their reality.
- Start with a draft, not a finished product. Use your kickoff call to walk through the timeline together. Ask where things look off, or where dependencies are missing.
- Highlight key decision points and dependencies. Make it obvious where you’ll need their input or sign-off.
- Agree on what “done” means for each phase. Fuzzy tasks lead to arguments down the road.
Honest take: More collaboration up front saves way more time than you’ll spend fixing miscommunication later.
4. Make Updates Visible and Useful
If your timeline looks like it hasn’t been touched in weeks, clients will either panic or stop checking it altogether.
- Update status regularly—don’t fudge progress. If you’re behind, say so. Most clients can handle the truth better than radio silence.
- Use comments for context, not novels. Baton’s comment threads are handy for quick updates or questions, but nobody wants to read a manifesto.
- Tag people when you need their attention. Rely on notifications, not hope, to get responses.
What doesn’t work: Using the timeline as a dumping ground for every possible scenario or edge case. Keep it focused. If something is truly at risk, mark it as such—don’t hide it in a sea of “maybe” tasks.
5. Make Deadlines Real (and Stick to Them)
Nothing kills trust faster than a timeline full of missed dates. Baton makes it easy to set deadlines, but it’s up to you to keep them honest.
- Negotiate deadlines with the client, not at them. If something’s not realistic, say so—before it becomes a problem.
- Set reminders for upcoming tasks and reviews. Use Baton’s notification features to prompt action before things slip.
- Buffer where you know things get stuck. Some steps (legal review, approvals) always take longer than people admit. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
Pro tip: If you do have to push a deadline, update it in Baton and mention it in your next client call. Surprises are worse than slips.
6. Keep Communication Out in the Open
You might be tempted to handle “touchy” topics over email or in private calls. But if it’s relevant to the timeline, keep it in Baton. That way, there’s a record—and less “he said, she said” later.
- Use Baton’s comment threads for all timeline-related questions or clarifications. You’ll thank yourself later when you need to check what actually happened.
- Pin important updates or decisions. Make it easy for anyone (client or team) to catch up without digging.
- Discourage side threads. If someone tries to move the conversation to email, gently nudge them back to Baton.
Honest take: Not everything needs to be in writing, but err on the side of transparency. It saves time and headaches.
7. Review and Adjust—Don’t Set and Forget
Projects rarely go exactly as planned. The best teams treat the timeline as a living document, not a contract set in stone.
- Schedule regular check-ins to review progress. Use these to adjust timelines, clarify blockers, and reset expectations.
- Archive or close out completed phases. Keep the timeline tidy—nobody wants to scroll through ancient history.
- Ask for feedback on the process, not just the project. What’s working? What’s annoying? Use this to improve your next project.
What to skip: Don’t get bogged down in post-mortems for every little slip. Focus on what will actually make the next collaboration smoother.
A Few Real-World Gotchas (And How to Avoid Them)
Even with Baton, collaboration isn’t magic. Here are a few things to watch out for:
- Clients who never log in: Assign someone on their side as the “point person” and hold them accountable. If they refuse, keep sending concise email digests with key asks.
- Endless scope creep: Lock the scope at the start, and require a timeline update (with sign-off) for any new requests.
- Timeline bloat: If you find yourself tracking every five-minute task, zoom out. Focus on major milestones and true dependencies.
- Over-notification fatigue: Baton’s reminders are helpful—until they’re not. Tailor notifications so people don’t tune them out.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
At the end of the day, the best way to collaborate with clients using Baton is to keep things as clear and simple as possible. Don’t try to build the “perfect” timeline from day one. Start small, pay attention to what actually gets used, and tweak as you go.
The real win isn’t in having a beautiful Gantt chart—it’s in getting the work done, together, with fewer surprises. Use Baton to keep everyone honest, informed, and moving forward. That’s what actually matters.