Unexpected benefits

I had a meeting today with someone who wanted an update on a particular aspect of my current project.

I think they came to the meeting with the view that we would have paid lip service to their area of interest. When they left there were phrases such as "centre of excellence", "example to other areas" and "we should tell people about this in our advertising." In case you're unsure about how to interpret this reaction, it was exceptionally positive.

I'd love to take the credit but actually it's all down to the hard work of other folk on the team. Anyway, all of this doesn't explain the unexpected benefits.

We had been having problems on another part of the project, problems that are now partly resolved but we're still reeling from the impact. We were experiencing a blockage (sounds very gastro I know, sorry) and there didn't seem to be very effective lines of communication.

I think this communication blockage may just have cleared. The gentleman who was so impressed by our efforts has a personal reason to be interested in our work. He also happens to be the perfect contact to resolve these issues. He is the ideal project laxative, in the nicest possible way.