choosing a consultant
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W A Y S W I N !to
ChoosingAConsultant:
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TheodoreRoosevelt
Hire people who gettheir hands dirty.1
In technology consulting, the work is
usually done by somebody else.
Theres a glaring disconnect between
the people who consult and the people
who execute. The consultants don't
often get their hands dirty.
Dont buy it.
When consultants and technologists
are in separate organizations, there
are many hand-offs. Thats when the
ball gets dropped.
A business plan divorced from the
realities of execution can be loaded
with impractical assumptions that
have to be unwound then re-wound
which costs time and money.
The better way? Hire technology-
trained consultants who work
hand-in-hand, day-by-day with the
IT people who wire the project so
strategy translates directly into act
Its the shortest path to
advantage.
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If you fail to planyou plan to fail.
Anon.
2
Demand aroadmap.
Consultants are good at producing
reports. Thats not what most clients
want. They want a roadmap.
A report tells you where to go. A
roadmap shows you how to get there.
Its a work plan with paths, durations,
and milestones. It can start
tomorrow.
Are roadmaps strategic enough?
Absolutely.
Thats the starting point.
Conceptual thinking only goes so far
in the messy work of aligning IT with
your business. Moving forward
requires finely-detailed momentum.
Ask for the roadmap.
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FrankScully
Dont be wowedby big.3
Theres an old saying: You cant get
fired for hiring
You know the rest.
But are the largest consulting firms
always the best choice? Can they
possibly do everything better? Is the
price worth it?
The largest companies are very good.
But you can often achieve
significantly better value, equal
talent, and faster, more practical
results with consultants who are
closer to the ground.
Innovation happens at the edge.
Talent moves around. Cost-efficiency
matters. And growing firms have
more at stake so they try to hit the
ball out of the park every time.
Those are four good reasons not to
be wowed by big.
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The important
thing is not tostop questioning.
AlbertEinstein
4
Work withspecialists.
There are generalist consultants. And
there are specialists.
It makes sense to work with firms
organized around specialists.
Smart people succeeding every day
in your domain can cut to the chase.
Take banking. Why work with a
generalist in finance when your
problem is credit card transaction
risk? Talking to the credit card risk
consultant leads to a more
meaningful conversation.
Likewise with software packages.
Likewise with some specific part of
your value chain. Or almost any othe
challenge short of total enterprise
restructuring.
Start with a specialist, dont end up
with one.
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J. K. Galbraith
Avoidblack boxes.5
A black box is a consulting solution
dropped from the sky onto your
organization. It has no windows. Its
as rigid as a brick. It gets done to you
not with you.
You dont want one of those.
Black boxes are efficient for the
consulting organization. Often sold
by senior people then implemented
by juniors, they are unpacked the
same way every time without much
customer interference.
The downsides, of course, are many.
Black boxes ignore uniqueness. The
path might not be exactly right. And
your people probably want to do
more than just sit back and watch.
Theres a better way. Work with a firm
where senior advisors custom fit
every solution to your situation
even the smaller, less glamorous job
then work with you, not in spite of
you.
Customization. Transparency.
Collaboration. Flexibility.
You can have it all. But not in a black
box.
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The greatest of all
gifts is the power to
estimate things at
their true worth. La
Rochefoucauld
6
Dont paythrough the nose.
Lets get it on the table. Excessive
fees are a sore spot these days.
Theres a lot of fee-fatigue in
technology consulting.
Many CIOs find themselves holding
their noses while writing the check.
Part of the problem is having to feed
the pyramid top-heavy consulting
organizations with armies of
heavy-hitters to support.
And service levels frequently dont
live up to the promise. A common
cost overrun is re-doing work
because the strategy doesnt hold up
in reality.
So wheres the real value? In smaller
firms, staffed by hungrier specialists
with more offshore talent, and much
better prices.
Much better.
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RalphWaldo Emerson
See cost-cuttingas a virtue.7
At a time when most companies are
being told to cut costs to the bone,
wouldnt you want a consultant that
has cost-cutting in its DNA?
Of course.
But among consulting firms,
especially the largest ones,
cost-cutting is not commonly a
strength.
Unless you come from IT
outsourcing.
In outsourcing, cost-reduction is
religion. Its a major part of the job.
You become extremely adept at
finding efficiencies. In fact, you areoften compensated based on the fat
you trim and the performance you
drive.
Consultants steeped in the
cost-reduction ethic are gold. When
they also happen to be outstanding
strategists, they are platinum.
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If you talk to a man in a
language he understands,
that goes to his head. If youtalk to him in his language,
that goes to his heart.
NelsonMandela
8
Look forallegiance.
Its rare that consultants work for the CIO.
If that sounds crazy, its not. There are
few consulting firms of any size that
make the CIOs agenda their main
concern.
The largest firms are constituted to aim
higher on the food chain. The smallest
firms dont have what it takes to both
guide and run a major CIO-sponsored
initiative.
In the middle is the sweet spot of true
partnership.
What does it take?
A 100% commitment to the CIOs agend
of aligning business and technology an
the focused, pragmatic insights to make
happen.
Demonstrated staying power. Sitting
beside the CIO, not across from him/her.
And staying with the work, not
disappearing after the sale.
The willingness to listen not just
prescribe.
And deep technology roots, so you spea
a common language.
It comes down to investment. A true
partner is invested in the relationship.
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Its rare that consultants work for the CIO.
If that sounds crazy, its not. There are few consulting firms of any size thatmake the CIOs agenda their main concern.
The largest firms are constituted to aim higher on the food chain. The smallestfirms dont have what it takes to both guide and run a major CIO-sponsoredinitiative.
In the middle is the sweet spot of true partnership.
What does it take?
A 100% commitment to the CIOs agenda of aligning business and technology and the focused, pragmatic insights to make it happen.
Demonstrated staying power. Sitting beside the CIO, not across from him/her.And staying with the work, not disappearing after the sale.
The willingness to listen not just prescribe.
A d d t h l t k l
VictoryWinning should feel victorious whenyour consultants join you in the battle,knee-deep in your issues, ready (and
equipped) to do whatever it takes.
Cognizant Business Consulting ishelping CIOs feel exactly that wayevery day. Victorious.
Please call us to find out how we aredifferent and what more we can do foryou.
World Headquarters:500 Frank W. Burr Blvd.
Teaneck, NJ 07666 USA
Phone: +1 201 801 0233
Fax:+1 201 801 0243
Toll free: +1 888 937 3277
Email:[email protected]
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London SW1Y 4SP UK
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7321 4888
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7321 4890
Email:[email protected]
www.cognizant.com