Advice from an IT Mercenary

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When conversing with an IT consultant do the following:

1. Be upfront about your expectations and have them documented. Most consultants expect the clients to adhere their own written strategies and rules, but rarely are given expectations from the customer.

2. Have the knowledge of your current environment and have those specifications written down. This will aid the consultant on implementation and should save you some dollars in the discovery process. Many companies have systems that work and are in production, but many more do not have a simple spreadsheet stating those system's specifications.

3. Pay for time in blocks. This will give both company's a better understanding of when the project should completed. This will also be a great way to budget for the project.

4. Get the expectations from the consulting agency. Never leave anything on the table for interpretation. Interpretation usually means the customer will pay more.

5. For larger projects setup weekly meetings. This will ensure that the project is on track and that nothing has been missed. This will also keep everyone in sync what needs to handles.

6. Ask for Resumes from the people who will be working on the project. This should give you a better understanding of the people who will be implementing your project.