So you’ve decided to hire a consultant. Here are some important questions you’ll need to know the answers to in order to successfully find and engage with the right consultant:
This might seem like an obvious question, but making sure you take stock of your current assets will help you zero in on the right consultant for the job. Being very clear on what you need and don’t need also helps get the right outcomes and helps prevents scope creep down the line.
This varies greatly, but is obviously an extremely important part of the contract you are making together. Everyone being 100% clear on what the deliverables are - and making sure that it is reflected in a statement of work - helps make your engagement successful for all involved.
We have found that this can be the most important question, especially when you have an ambitious goal that will take time to achieve. Think about how you would report progress to your leadership team or your Board of Directors? Progress may be a formal milestone, or might be more qualitative.
For example, Chelsea Strategies has helped clients win major enterprise partnerships that took a year to secure. But along the way, clients knew we were making progress together because we had defined a compelling business case, received insightful feedback, and were engaging more often and at more senior levels within a prospective partner organization.
In most cases, clients are looking to get the work done as quickly as possible, and having a specialized consultant is a great way to achieve that. But it’s important to be realistic and candid about your timelines so you can achieve them on time and on budget. Your planning will also benefit from the consultants experience solving similar issues for others. This in turn helps with your contingency planning in case anything changes along the way - because something usually does.
When engaging a consultant, you’re signing a contract, and you want to make sure both sides are able to hold up their end. As with a timeline, you may have an ideal budget as well as a slightly larger budget to account for unforeseen circumstances. Make sure the spend is approved before you start.
How closely you work with your consultant may differ for each engagement. But in all cases, they will need feedback and approvals from you along the way. It’s helpful to understand the frequency and milestones where this will be necessary so you can plan your time accordingly or set parameters in advance so your engagement will be successful.
While many people in your company may work with your consultant, each project should have a single point of contact for the consultant. Whether you decide to have the project sponsor, a subject matter expert, or someone else be that point of contact, both internal stakeholders and the consultant should be clear about your point person.
Some of these questions you’ll want to have answers before you even start looking for consultants, others you’ll work out with your consultant of choice. As projects progress, they change and grow, so it’s also important to think about which answers are non-negotiable, and which you’re okay evolving with the project.