The contract should also state anything that you (and the consultant) want to be made clear as there is no turning back once the contract is signed.
The fees that are involved- How it is broken down.
The responsibilities of the consultant
How performance will be evaluated
Conditions for termination of contract
What To Expect From A Consultant
When you use a consultant, you expect then to perform to their maximum ability (like you would any of your employees). You would also require them to get involved in the issues as much as possible. Here is a list of some of the things you should expect:
A will to work with everyone in the business to help them reach their maximum effectiveness.
A respect for the your business culture and the way it operates.
A commitment to continuously build their own skills/knowledge in your business.
The motivation to determine the best solution to the issues.
Identifying and Relating to the Problem
Although the consultant will know things about your business that you have already told them, they will want to know as much as they can by collecting information themselves. To do this, they may collect information through their own research such as direct observation, staff interviews, business reports and possibly questionnaires.
By doing this, they will identify different views of the problems and develop ideas of how they may approach a solution. After this time, the consultant will present their findings to you and those involved which may bring up new issues to take into concern.
From the analysis that the consultant will have devised, an action plan can then be agreed by everyone involved. Without going into detail of the the action plan, it is important that the it is agreed by everyone otherwise it may not work to its full effectiveness. Remember: the action plan will be written by yourself and the consultant is there to advise solutions that may be considered as alternatives to those suggested. It is all part of an attempt to improve your problem solving ability by learning from the consultant.
It may be that you have employed a number of consultants for different areas of the business so you may have different action plans for each. In which case, you should carefully monitor the implementation of the action plans to make sure that they are carried out properly.
During the Time of the Consultant
Although the consultant will keep you informed of their work, it is important that you find the time to regularly contact the consultant for an update of their progress. This is particularly important if the consultant has made it clear that they work more effectively on their own.
By regularly checking the progress of the consultant, you can determine if they are sticking to the task they were assigned. Should they be losing direction, or even if you decide that work needs to be changed, sort it out as soon as possible.
The consultant may uncover issues that weren't identified during the initial brief and therefore a completely new approach has to be made. In such a case, you have to be sure that yourself, the business, and the consultant has the flexibility of switching tasks at short notice.
Just like you would with any other employee, you should regularly review the performance of the consultant especially if it is a long-term contract. It isn't just a case of recognizing the quality of the consultants work, but also relating it to see if the work is producing progress.
If you are unhappy with the consultant, it could be a result of you finding the wrong person or not making clear the issues you have. You have to appreciate that sometimes consultancy will result in decisions and actions being made that are risky and difficult in order to produce the best progress.
Summary
Consultants can be used not only for those times of problem solving, but also to keep your business pushing forward. Before you use a consultant, you have to be sure that there are no other alternatives for providing a solution as they can be a big responsibility and take time to find.
Finding the right consultant for your specific issue will require careful consideration of your needs, and precise planning as to what to expect from the consultant to ensure a successful outcome. You will have a big advantage in the client/consultant relationship if you produce a brief and take the time to find out the experience and ability of the consultant.
Make crystal clear everything that you expect from the consultant and also be sure that you know what they require from you: remember that they are offering their service so it works both ways.
Give the consultant time to analyze your objectives so that they can understand and relate to them more specifically. Always ensure that they stick to the task involved and that they don't go off at tangents: which often happens.
An important point to remember is to never rely too much on the consultant: they are there to advise and develop your problem solving ability, but the final word will always be from yourself. Keep them in your control and keep a record of their progress. Should they not be to the standard you were hoping for, then you should confront the consultant to sort out the problem without further cost or time.
