Ask the Experts - Why Use a Consultant?

As consultants we’re not necessarily the right people to ask as to why and when to use a consultant, obviously we’re biased.  Therefore if we’re not the expert who is?  If you ask anyone who uses consultants within their organisation, the likelihood is that you will receive information based on their specific experiences - just be aware that this will be dependant on whether the project was well specified, and that the consultant assigned was appropriate.  So to answer the question with a question; who is the expert - the consultant, or the user of consultants?  The consultant will be able to discuss all of their success stories - but will they tell you about the ones that didn’t work out so well?  So it’s probably down to the regular user, and although they may only have limited exposure, they should provide a good insight.

So, providing that you understand that using a consultant is the right decision for you, you now need to decide how they can add significant benefit to your business initiatives.  To do that it is important to understand where and how we see them adding value.  This usually falls into three main areas:-

• to add specialist knowledge and skills where this is not already available within your organisation.  This could be in the form of a tried and tested approach to solving a specific problem, or broader knowledge of a similar or relevant issue.  It may be appropriate to use a consultant to ensure that other suppliers do not overrun a project with their standards.  The experienced consultant will have the confidence to question suppliers, to ensure that they are focused on delivering what is required.

• to supplement your own team.  This could be due to existing commitments within your workforce, or to avoid having to employ additional staff for the duration of a project.  Utilising consultants in and around your already committed current team, can add the required creative spark, and provide the focus required to ensure that a project progresses with momentum.

• to take an objective view of either your current operation or a new initiative before you get too far.  Consultants are typically exposed to many businesses, operations and situations, and therefore can provide an insight into a range of methods to solve an issue.  Using this experience to review plans before they become tasks can help to avoid costly or time-consuming errors.  The experience can be used to steer decisions, provide an insight into likely problems, and give guidance on time-scales and cost.

Understanding what you want the consultant to achieve is key to them delivering successfully.  Pulling together a clear brief to ensure that your consultant’s time is spent productively should demonstrate to you that your requirement for a consultant is the correct one.  Deciding whether the tasks within the brief can be effectively completed with existing resource is a good final check to ensure that there really is a requirement.