Eric P. Butts

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Consultants Get Paid For One Thing Only (and it’s not what you think)

Poor planning results in moving targets that are impossible to hit.
Most people who work with management consultants regularly would say consultants get paid to produce a bunch of fancy power point decks that nobody will ever use. Although true in some many cases, that’s not the subject of this post. What clients pay for us for more than anything else is to bring structure and proven methodologies. You could even describe it as a personal assistant on steroids
.

Why? Because we have to keep the projects we work on moving along according to schedule – make sure people meet when they say they’re going to meet and put the right information in front of the right people to make decisions. A good chunk of the time when dealing with clients we’re just helping them do what they’re already doing more efficiently. Not as sexy as redefining a company’s strategic vision but it pays the bills.

Clients crave help of a super-assistant because we live in the cost cutting era with everyone trying to produce more with reduced resources, so our clients are overworked. On top of that,they know nothing drains more money on a project than poor project planning. Aside from the obvious cost implications, if the bad plan involves any sort of re-work, you also really have to monitor team morale. A burned out employee taking flight prior to the end of a project has negative implications for the project and for the firm. On the project, you can bet money the client will be plenty annoyed about having to ramp up a brand new person (I’ve been that new person a couple times now and have been a part of some unpleasant discussions on that topic).

From the firm’s perspective, most spend a ridiculous amount of money on recruitment and training fees for every new person they bring on, so the better you can plan accurately the greater chance you have to manage employee expectations, improve morale, and hopefully reduce attrition.

This all boils down to taking your time, collecting the right info and getting your plan right up front. Everyone will be much happier for it in the long run.

What do you think? Do you frequently find yourself chasing moving targets? What impact does if have on you or your teams?

Comments

  2. It never ceases to amaze how once you bring it up clients don’t generally push back on that structure and accountability but executing it on their own just doesn’t happen. I guess it’s easier to have a clear head and say what needs to be done when it’s not your business. Similar reason that even when lawyers go to court they hire lawyers and why doctors don’t operate on family. Thanks for the comment!

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