Friends,
You've decided to hire a consultant to help you with your project. Now it's
time to get the right person for your job. Here are the questions to ask in
a handy checklist form.
- What role will the consultant fulfill?
- Do you have executive and sponsorship support for your project?
- If not, is the consultant expected to develop that support?
- Do you want a consultant from a large firm or an independent consultant?
(This could impact project resources, because independent consultants often
use resources from a client's enterprise. This person can be replaced
without loss of resources, whereas it might be more difficult to replace a
consultant from within a big consultant firm because of the draw on
resources that person has).
-What skill sets and value does the consultant offer?
- How would a consultant handle a given hypothetical scenario?
- Is the consultant free from any influences or associations that might
affect his decisions and project advice?
- Would the consultant have any potential conflicts of interest if s/he did
work for your company?
- Is the consultant bound by confidentiality agreements from another
company?
- Does the consultant need to sign a confidentiality agreement before
working on your project?
- What experience does the consultant have dealing with similar projects to
what you have in mind?
- Does the consultant have a pertinent business and knowledge base for your
project?
- Will the consultant stand up to management and tell the truth, even if it
is something no one wants to hear?
Dear friends wishing you all the best to choose a very useful consultant
when you need one!!
