Big or Small?

In your deliberations, you'll probably also ask if size matters. Sure, but bigger isn't always better. If you're dealing with Joe's Consulting Services, for example, Joe might not have the resources to provide expertise in the area you need. But plenty of smaller houses have devoted considerable resources to specialties and dealing well with various project areas. Our survey ("Meet the Consultants") finds that while small consulting firms tend to specialize, the 25 biggest firms tackle almost everything. In this case, specialization can work to everyone's benefit--after all, your goal in engaging a consultant is to hitch to some seriously deep knowledge.

Sample Cost Worksheets for Active Directory Rollout Click here to enlarge

A small firm may be more responsive and professional than a big one. Your best indicator is the scope of work the consultant outlines. If the scope looks half-baked, the consulting firm probably isn't taking you seriously: Your small engagement may be serving as an outsourcing "fishing trip" by an organization that does both consulting and outsourcing. One public-sector organization described to us how it issued a detailed RFI, and a small consulting house, Activ-e (now Neoware Technology Group), responded with a detailed, well-thought-out scope of work. IBM, in contrast, responded with what the organization said amounted to "give us money, we'll do stuff." The small house got the engagement and delivered the goods.

Protecting The Jewels

If you use consultants for strategic moves, you're putting some of your most precious assets in the hands of a consultant, whether it's technical assets like the design of your network or a business asset like customer data. This is another reason to keep your staff involved. Even if staffers are unwilling to second-guess the experts, they are vitally important in pointing out potential site-specific snafus, much as your family doctor's records point out your medical history before the heart surgeon grabs the scalpel.

Similarly, employees should be on the lookout for business-process or contractual errors. "Many times people have a point person to deal with consultants," says Siemens' Paul Rightmeyer. What if there's no point person? Are there consultants who consult about consulting? Compass America's Kopeck says his company never proposes it, but companies frequently request this service.

Even after you've done your homework, hiring a consultant still requires a leap of faith. How do you know you're in good hands? Truth is, you don't. The best you can hope for is to hedge against disaster. While the largest consultants provide insurance or bond, and some go so far as to use an encrypted store for customer data, the human element means you have no absolute guarantees. Instead, rely on advisable courses of actions, good references and probable outcomes.

Jonathan Feldman is chief technical manager of the Chatham County government in Savannah, Ga., and a Network Computing contributing editor. Send your comments on these articles to him at jf@feldman.org.