Esther Harris
With the national procurement framework for public services about to be announced, and the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) demanding better procurement and management of suppliers, it is more important than ever that public managers master how to get the best out of their management consultants.
Advisors set out their top tips below:
1 Are consultants definitely the answer to my problem?
Consultants offer a structured approach, new ways of doing things and a focus on delivery. Ask yourself: is that going to provide what I need? Nik Davis from N2 Consulting said: "Consultants offer a fresh perspective for a short term hit, typically no more than three to six months per project." If you need someone to integrate themselves for longer, a skilled interim manager or full-time employee might suit you better.
2 Know what you want to achieve
It sounds obvious but it is impossible for even the best consultants to do a good job if they don't have a clear idea of your end goals. What exactly is it that needs fixing? Dom Moorhouse of Moorhouse Consulting suggests: "If you can't articulate what you want, commission a feasibility study which will help define the work."
3 Build a sizable chunk of work
Shape and tie together tasks so that you have an attractive package of work for consultants to bid for. Remove the work that can be easily carried out by your team or farmed out to less skilled contractors. Your 'dream team' won't bid for or be deployed on an engagement that is perceived as small or unimportant.
4 Craft attractive roles
Good consultants have a wide choice of engagements, so help your prospective consultant's resource manager assemble his best team by making the roles appealing. Moorhouse says: "Craft a group of roles that will suit both experienced and junior consultants so you get a mix of talent working alongside you who can strategise, innovate – and roll their sleeves up and graft when the need arises.'
5 Target those who will value working with you
Carefully select the type of consulting firm you invite to tender. Make sure that the work will be high on their list of priorities. Do you need the broader service offering of a 'Big Five' firm? Or the niche expertise of a specialist? Talk to other departments that use consultants and learn about their experiences. Contact the relevant industry bodies, such as the Management Consultancy Association and Institute of Business Consulting, who can advise which suppliers may be best for your particular needs.
6 Check for chemistry
Always make sure you meet your consulting team before you appoint them. You may have been offered a fantastic solution and a group of people that wow you on paper but unless they are on your wavelength, you are unlikely to get a result. "You'll be taking these people deep in to the murky corners of your business, so trust your intuition and look for someone who gets you talking straightaway," says Davis.
7 Is your dream team really your dream team?
At the selection interview direct your questions to the most junior member of the consulting team. You will get a good indication about whether you have been offered your dream team, plus if you don't get the answers you want you can always ask the firm to offer you people with different or advanced skills or experience.
8 Location, location, location
You are spending a lot of money on consultants to do important work, so don't place them on their own in a broom cupboard. Make sure they are on-site, part of your team, and have the right access to people and information from day one.
9 The art of clientship
As a customer it is your responsibility to make sure there is one person accountable for the consultant's work, and that this person has the authority, time, knowledge, and passion to help them succeed. Calvert Markham of Elevation Learning said: "The most successful client/consultant projects have the ongoing interest and commitment of top management– even when the going gets tough."
10 Making your consultant redundant
In an ideal world, your team will learn the consultants' skills so that next time you can do the job yourselves. Create small joint consultant/client groups so the consultants can provide on the job training for internal staff, and in return your team can provide the local knowledge necessary to make things happen.
Esther Harris is a freelance business adviser
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