And if it's "after the fact"? Don't hesitate to renegotiate a project that has clearly gone outside the original scope of the work--or pull the plug and start over. Duncan has seen projects with requirements that changed over the build cycle to the point where the system was no longer sufficiently flexible to meet the new requirements. In one project, Duncan recalls, the system's internal workings were incomprehensible to the client's staff, and the consultant wound up doing the maintenance. In the end, he says, "it was significantly cheaper to rebuild the system and maintain it internally than to keep paying consultant prices for maintenance."
Of course, good consultants will be just as interested as you are in keeping a project's scope tight, as upcoming engagements will provide an incentive for them to finish your project on schedule.
And while "the end of game should mean you're done," says Siemens' Paul Rightmeyer, "my assignment should also be to identify other areas of potential improvement. I would want that from my partner." He has a good point: If additional cost savings and/or process improvements are within reach, a good consultant will identify some strategies. At that point, you can decide whether to re-engage the consultant's services. Thinking of this stage as separate from your original project can help you keep the project's scope from ballooning uncontrollably.
We invited the 25 consulting companies Gartner dataquest identified as having the highest revenues to tell us all about their business models--everything from the services they offer to their pricing plan, property protection, staffing qualifications and labs. Twelve of the companies responded. we list their answers to help guide you through the hiring process.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
