30% of clients select consultants for projects and topics that don't align with the consultants' expertise - most common mistakes to avoid
It is a common (but too often not disclosed) reality: consulting projects fail when companies do not adequately prepare them or choose the wrong consultant (sometimes as a consequence of an insufficient project preparation).
Client-side causes
It is not unusual for there to be a difference between what is expected by clients and the actual results. Needless to say, this isn't solely the consultants' fault: Our experience and research on the return on consulting indicate that clients often make mistakes because they only have vague goals and do not know what they actually want or need, have insufficient market knowledge, or choose a consultant which is not right for their business and challenges.
The results: the budget is exceeded, the deadline is missed, and concrete outcomes are not realized. The reasons may stem from multiple areas, such as insufficient definition of requirements towards a consultant, improper selection criteria for choosing the right consultant, and deficiencies in managing consulting projects and consulting companies.
The problem starts at the beginning
Errors in project initialization
Many companies today encounter knowledge gaps to fully understand the relevance and applicability of certain topics. Consider, for instance, the use and necessity (or lack thereof) of AI in your company. Numerous businesses are adopting AI without establishing clear objectives for their operations or processes. This often stems from insufficient knowledge about AI market trends and a lack of understanding regarding AI opportunities, risks, and technologies (see also: GenAI - What you need to consider when choosing an AI consultant).
However, it's not only new and unfamiliar topics that present risks which might result in selecting the wrong consultant:
Ambiguous goals, intentions, and expectations: When project objectives are not clearly outlined and documented, and the intentions and expectations of those overseeing the project are unclear, it becomes difficult to accurately define the requirements for external consultants.
Poor project organization and planning: The scope of work and tasks of external consultants cannot be defined in a goal-oriented and value-adding manner if the project is not properly staffed in terms of expertise and personnel, or if the project is not divided into meaningful phases, workstreams, milestones, and expected deliverables.
Diverging perspectives: If there is no consensus among project stakeholders regarding the scope, direction, or even the necessity of a project, the goals and set up of the consulting engagement cannot be defined in a aligned and goal-oriented manner.
Mistakes when choosing consultants
“Safe bet” / ‘(supposedly) safest choice’: Relying on the well-known brands is not always the best choice, as the most “established” consulting firm on the market may not be the best for your business in your very specific case.
Preferred solution: Opting for well-known and proven methods such as design thinking, scrum, lean and agility seems to be a good choice. However, it hinders the thorough evaluation of alternatives and the assessment of the alignment of consulting approaches and solutions with one's own situation, challenges and organization. There is a risk that approaches and methods are imposed on existing structures and therefore do not bring about any real change or do not lead to the desired results.
“Wrong” criteria: If you are looking for the “wrong thing” (qualifications, methods, approach, etc.), you will not find the most suitable consulting providers and solutions. This can be due to unclear or incomplete problem or solution definitions, a lack of involvement of important stakeholders, opinion leaders and experts or a confusion between symptoms and causes.
Making decisions is always challenging. We frequently rely on criteria that seem intuitively correct but result in less-than-ideal outcomes due to insufficient knowledge or unrealistic expectations. Therefore, it is essential to conduct the selection of the consulting firm and external project staff based on a structured process.
How Cardea can assist you in selecting a consultant and what are your benefits
Experience & market overview: Which consultant has relevant state-of-the-art know-how and best-practice experience?
Methodically structured selection and decision-making process: Which consultant is the best “match” and fulfills all requirements to make a project effective and efficient?
Approach: Which consultant not only has the necessary expertise, but is also a perfect fit for your organization and culture?
Added value: Which consultant offers a credible, verifiable value proposition and has the best price/performance ratio?
The added value of Cardea when it comes to engage consulting services
Here you will find an excerpt from our most recent project evaluations
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