Some – and by “some,” I mean “a lot” – of clients believe that when junior consultants are working on their projects, they are not getting the full value for which they are paying. They think there is a sort of bait-and-switch going on, and that junior consultants cannot possibly bring the same professionalism and results that a senior consultant can. To this I say, “Nonsense!” You actually want junior consultants working on your project. Here’s why.
You know how the Internet can make an expert of nearly anyone? A shaky economy can make a consultant out of nearly any retiree or out-of-work businessperson. Virtually anyone can call themselves a consultant and hang out a shingle. They might even land a few jobs – but hopefully not on your project! Let’s take a look at three quick and effective ways to hire a bad consultant so you can run in the opposite direction.
It seems like an easy enough question to answer. Projects are unsuccessful when they don’t work, when they don’t produce the outcome that was desired. Perhaps they are deemed unsuccessful if they are behind schedule and over-budget. But a project’s success, or lack thereof, cannot be measured by a calendar or calculator alone. You can deliver on time and on budget and still not be successful.
We have all heard that some people cannot “see the forest for the trees.” We become so consumed with details that we can’t see the big picture. But we need people who can see the forest, and those who can see the trees. We need those who can narrow in, and those who can zoom out. We need people to look at technicalities, and those who can look at softer issues. A narrow, limited project approach creates unsustainability. Taking a multi-dimensional approach to projects, and reviews, is essential so we don’t lose sight of what’s important, or of the details that will help us get there.
We have a habit of getting in our own way, don’t we? David Courtney Boyle, author and economist, writes, “[T]he human factor is regarded as a pernicious source of error. People mess things up. They get ill, have tantrums, and they make the most humungous mistakes.” You simply can’t quantify people. There will always be uncertainty; we don’t know how they understand, how they interpret, what their levels of fear or comfort are. People are a project’s biggest obstacle. But as Boyle adds, “human beings are also the only real source of success and the only source of genuine change.” Project reviews allow us to continually check on teams, to take their pulse – and hopefully prevent a few tantrums all around.
