So you are a consultant. Now what?

barb butrym

Quite Involved in Discussions
so you are a consultant, now what?


Ok after visiting a couple other sites and reading posts about consultants and advisors, and adding my notes about trainers, I see there is much confusion in the world about what these people do out there..each consultant has a niche and calls themself what they will. Even Quality Engineers are different from place to place.

Lets discuss job descriptions and see if we can standardize some terms...if only for ourselves here on this forum.... and for kicks and giggles.

What is a consultant? Describe the involvement (role, methods, etc) with a typical ISO 9000 implementation from start to finish.

How does that role correlate to the $$$ charged?

What can the client expect when he deciedes to call in a consultant?

What does the client need to know, and how can he tell which consultant (method)is best for him?

I will now go away and contemplate this, Put on my consultants cap, and return later this evening to provide a response. Anyone else?
 

Marc

Fully vaccinated are you?
Leader
You lied. You didn't come back this evening.

But - it's late/early and I have to hit the pillow for a few. I'll put my 10 cents in shortly.
 

Marc

Fully vaccinated are you?
Leader
You said:

"Ok after visiting a couple other sites and reading posts about consultants and advisors..."

Do give us a list of the other sites you visit so we can check them out...
 

barb butrym

Quite Involved in Discussions
sorry...I did come back but I was too hot to come up with a good answer..<LOL>...I was beginning to think no one was listening anyway.

I didn't mean sites...i meant topics...here...again I'm sorry.
 

barb butrym

Quite Involved in Discussions
I will pickone option....

1st step is a Gap analysis.....report the results and do an awareness training showing what is required how to meet the requirements of each element. (trainer role)

2nd step is work with each element team/owner to set the policies, make any needed improvements,direct them in writing the procedures, etc (facilitator role)

3rd step is train the auditors (trainer again)

4th step is proof reader

5th step....preassessment (auditor role)

6th step prep for "real' audit (coach role)

day of audit (observer)

CA response (facilitator again)

Step 2 is where the difference in fee comes in to play......the involvement here is variable. I charge heavy for my poor typing skills to discourage it..BUT it doesn't seem to work <LOL>

Am I a consultant or Advisor?
 

Marc

Fully vaccinated are you?
Leader
A consultant is a piano teacher. The goal is to teach the client how to play on their own. A good piano teacher does a good job. A bad piano teacher can cause irrepairable (spelling...) harm.

Costs? Fees? Mine range from US$50/Hr to US$1500 a day. So many considerations. How many days? Local or travel? International? Size of company? Systems complexity?

The client's first problem is to decide what s/he needs/wants. What is goal. Financial position/expectations. Clients should expect in large part what they communicate that they need/want to the consultant.

I guess I'm far from any answers here for most of these because every client is different. From prices to requirements... And as time goes on I find myself taking different directions to deal with different road blocks. Methods are different with diffrent customers. I have had some customers which wanted me to 'stay in town, just in case'. Others expected me to be out there writing process documentation. Every day a new challange.

On the other hand there are Excel or Perry Johnson types. Very structured and regimented.

I do in general go along with your list as a general implementation roadmap.
 

barb butrym

Quite Involved in Discussions
I agree that each job is so very different...trouble I find is the client rarely knows what they want...they think they know...but in the end...they really rely on me to tell them what they need and should want.

My fees are the same ... usually figured out as a project total....except for some repeat clients (that want me hanging around) that pay me for invoiced time.

All in all as my box of tricks gets bigger, the job gets easier...I am more effective and I find I spend less time doing the project....ergo more $$ for actual hours spent...
 

barb butrym

Quite Involved in Discussions
I do enjoy the teaching role best...so naturally my speciality is training....Each in-house session is painstakenly tailored to the client. Each public session is tailored for "use"...in that delegates will use what they learn....during the sessions...to bring home the concept.
 

barb butrym

Quite Involved in Discussions
Its cooler today...i can think <LOL>

Now for the next approach: A group of companies want a low cost approach to implementation, so they group together in a collabrative. (reimbursed by most state governments for nearly all costs)

The consultant holds periodic workshops breaking down the standard into hunks..a couple of "on site" advisory days....charges a fee for each company..rakes in a bundle and gets 'additional consulting ' time cause each company takes him aside and says "help me, i'm lost" And ZERO guarantee. Runs 10 groups at a time.....10 companies to a group...a fast, ummmmm lets do the math 8-10 K each...times 10...100K times 10 at a time..800K-$1 million for 10-15 days work a month.10 months....really??????? What is the cost excluding labor for something like that...copies of handouts, and a couple disks. Space may or may not be a factor.. I know some that do the workshops on site at each of the 10 companies..as part of the 'on site time' and the company picks up lunch !!! Worse case.....100 a day...or 1000 a group for space...lunch optional.

A little tough on the consultant wasn't I? sorry ...saw too many fallouts from this approach....No doubt a product of a lousy teacher or a company not set up for this type of method, not the fault of the approach.

I actually like the approach, just have not seen success unless the company is a company that would have done well anyway, and just needed focus .....it needs the right combination of people.....teacher and company..and NO-ONE I have seem addresses that. I do small adaptations, as I will take a couple of my clients and group them for certain sessions if I think they may benefit from each others input..and some sessions work better with a larger group.

What is the general opinion of this approach out there? PRO and CON..show me some success stories......
 
S

scumaci

No one has had any consulting questions for awhile, so I will broach the subject again. Having been project manager on two successful ISO-9000 implementation project, a family friend, owner of an decal manufacturer, has asked me to review their quality system. My question is, what type of considerations should I raise prior to accepting this paid role (off-hours and weekends). I want to be truly fair to him and myself. Thanks for the input (advise?)
 
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