Consulting has to be one of the main buzzwords of the 1990s. More and more firms seem to look to hire other firms or individuals to take care of specific needs rather than spend the money hiring actual staff. Some say that what a company can save in NOT paying health benefits or the like as well as NOT having to worry about withholding taxes and the like is very attractive to companies. Let's have a peek at some basic things to know about outsourcing work and bringing in consultants. For the sake of grammar and this article, let's assume you are looking to outsource to someone and that person is female (so I don't have to keep saying he or she).
Who makes the best consultant?
While this may sound like typical resume/interview fodder, the best consultant's most important quality is communication skills. If she is working for you on a temporary basis, she does not have the opportunity to know your company inside and out. She will have to pick up the way you choose to do business from preliminary meetings, conversations, or correspondence. If she is not able to adopt and adapt, you may find that you have major problems getting the project done.
This goes for you too! If you cannot clearly define your expectations and needs, then you shouldn't bother complaining about or judging your consultants or potential workers. I check on how I'm doing by taking a potential job and having my current trusted staff price and spec it out. Then I give it, as an example, to the new or potential worker. I look for what questions each person asks to try to establish how well each understands the project and how well I'm presenting it. I also look at the pricing they quote, and I also look at whether or not they give their own feedback, ideas, and input on what might make the project better.
Deb's Tale
Earlier this year, I was looking to outsource some database work since my staff have been overloaded. I stumbled upon a company we'll call "A" who claimed to specialise in everything I needed. I even met personally with the president/owner, and got a good impression. I started sending him things I needed estimated to see how he'd respond, and I also sent them to my top NT guru who's been programming for me for years. I repeatedly found that "A" wanted almost 10 times the money my current worker wanted AND he seemed to either not understand what I wanted or he disregarded it. I would ask him for a simple ASP thing that used no Java or Cold Fusion, and he'd come back with a high price that included Java, Cold Fusion, and of course a server to host Cold Fusion. The way I tell my story makes it obvious that he was not the right company to outsource to, but as this unfolded slowly over e-mail mostly, it wasn't obvious until around 6 weeks into it when I couldn't get a straight or logical answer from him.
