Michael,

I've also got some government clients, and I did not experience the thing you have. But I don't think this is neccesary bad (unless you're really drown into their e-mails)

Government projects always (here in the netherlands) seem to work throug one or two contact persons, which also makes the specifications for you. If you've finnished the program and install it, you often meet the end-users for the very first time. By then it could be that the users perception of the problem domain is slightly different than those written in the specifications.

My personal preference is too meet the end-users also and let them tell their story, so you're able to get a more complete picture of the problem domain.

IOW, I don't think that what you're experiencing is neccesary bad.

Walter,


>Has this ever happened to you? I'm in the process of clarifying specs, by email, with a government client. I sent a list of questions, requesting they address them. I received my answers, only to find that they CC'ed a dozen or so end-users of the application I am to be upgrading, and included my list of questions.
>
>Now, I'm beginning to receive messages from the end-users, providing me with their personalized wish-list, all because my client was gracious enough to provide their end-users with my email address!
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>So, I sent a somewhat not-too-delicate request to my client, asking them to support my desire in keeping the lines of communication to a more official level.
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>Has anyone else ever been in this situation? I know the client was being helpful to their users, by keeping them in the loop, but I thought this was weird.
>
>Michael Reynolds