Rather than wander through the forest re-engineering how to make fire in a vacuum, your management strategy for reaching project goals includes adding the temporary, directed and pivotal expertise of industry experience and leading minds. But now that you’ve got them on board, how do you maximize your company involvement and the consultant’s know-how?
Here are 10 rules for making your consulting experience successful.
- Make one point of contract across the entire organization responsible for consultant spending and validation. This will eliminate potential smoke screens.
- You define the issues, perhaps with some consultant support, without relying solely on the consultant’s opinions.
- Have your execs create all of the metrics and measures for the project goal. Control the scope and document of all baseline values. Be specific about what will be used to measure performance.
- Educate and onboard correctly. Make sure the entire team knows how to manage consultants and the expectations of working with them. Clear lines of who does what are critical here, as is a profound sense of shared goals and team responsibility.
- Double-check the project team to ensure it includes the best internal employees, selected for competencies, personality and relevancy.
- Fill each role with those who have the actual required skills, commitment, duration and participation level in the project.
- The company negotiates the consulting contract with the consulting firm to ensure the company has the appropriate duration and performance expectations for the consulting firm.
- Retain a strong role in project management while utilizing the consulting firm’s advice. Validate results with independent groups.
- Manage consultants as if they were a member of the internal team, someday they might be.
- Employees and consultants capture lessons learned as a project team. Share that knowledge with the greater group.
A seasoned and professional consulting team makes all the difference in your outcomes. Consultant Specialists, Inc. can give you the leg up you need to succeed on this project and many more to come through our relationships with high-quality talent and industry leadership. We will work with your current need with an eye on the big picture. Contact us today!