Let’s Work (Well) Together

Working with a consultant or contractor (emphasis intended on “with”) can be a really great experience, it can be a disaster, or some shade in between. Just like anything else, there are a number of factors that play into the success or failure of an engagement, and both parties (emphasis intended on “both”) have a responsibility and stake in this success or failure. Consultants aren’t silver bullets, magical solutions, or some other unicorn-type entity, because those things simply don’t exist. But if you partner with the right one, in the right way, you may wind up feeling that way!

Having been an actual digital commerce practitioner for over 14 years, and a consultant for six, I’ve been on both sides of the relationship. Along the way I’ve learned some important things about what can set a client-consultant relationship up to be successful and beneficial for both parties.

As a client you should:

• Know your budget. Not setting and agreeing to a budget up front, as well as payment terms, can cause issues for both parties and jeopardize your project. If you need to “sell” the project internally before you can get budget approval, be transparent with the consultant regarding that fact.
  
  
• Understand the problem you are trying to solve. Consultants can be much more effective and efficient if they’re focused on a specific problem or business challenge. Establish what you’re solving for at the outset, and create a formal RFP for the project outlining the project requirements and specific desired outcome. This will help guide the consultant’s fees and scope of work involved.
  
  
• Avoid scope creep. Once you agree on the scope of the engagement, and the related fee, keep in mind that if things come up that are outside of the scope of the original agreement there will likely be additional cost based on a change order to the contract. Scope creep also diverts the consultant’s attention to solving the original issue, and can affect the project timeline.
  
  
• Know your company culture and workstyle. Hiring a consultant is similar to hiring an employee in many ways, and good consultants consider themselves an extension of your team. Having worked with many different companies, they are generally very flexible as well. If there are any corporate culture ground rules that need to be established (for example time on site and travel and commuting expense coverage), it’s best to get these understood and agreed to during the contract process.
  
  
• Be clear about your expectations for the engagement. How frequently do you want updates, and how would you like them? Are there specific formats in which you prefer to see the information? What is your preferred mode of communication? Is there a hard timeline for the project based on other business factors? Do you want to be cc’d on all email communications to the extended project team? Keep in mind that things like formal presentations and frequent updates take time and can suck up a lot of your budget. To borrow a concept from the world of advertising, being efficient with a consultant’s time can ensure that most of your budget is allocated to “working dollars”.
  
  
• Assign a main point of contact. For every project there needs to be someone who is designated as the main point of contact, and that person may or may not be the project’s sponsor. They are generally the first line of defense when the consultant has questions, and has the institutional knowledge to either answer them or point them to the person who can best assist.
  
  
• Provide access to all key stakeholders. In most instances, the project will involve input or help in some way from more functional areas than just that of the project sponsor. This is especially true in ecommerce. Make a list of all of all key personnel, including their roles, areas of responsibility, and contact information. Of course, these team members should be informed of the project ahead of time, and how they may be required to participate.
  
  
• Projects are never “set it and forget it”. A successful client/consultant relationship is a partnership. Whether the consultant is on-site or working remotely, updates, check-ins, and frequent (meaningful) communications are critical to success. As a client, you should expect at any given time to be able to get a meaningful project status, and a seasoned consultant will not waste your time with piecemeal requests and questions.

Client/consultant relationships are truly a two-way street.