Information Technology Consulting Blog

5 Phases of Consulting

IT Consultant — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:32:51 +0000

Flawless Consulting by Peter Block suggests that following a prescribed 5 phases approach to consulting can help you succeed in your endeavors. Here's a summary of the different phases with my spin on how they relate to IT engagements. Of course if you end up agreeing with these, you should really consider buying the book. 1. [...]

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5 Phases of Consulting

What is Consulting?

IT Consultant — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:14:02 +0000

I was recently going through some slides from presentation on consulting and came across three definitions for consulting all of which take a different perspective. Which of these three sound the most accurate to you?

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What is Consulting?

Salary Negotiations

IT Consultant — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:04:39 +0000

If you've done any reading on salary negotiations you've probably come across the advice that the first person to mention salary is the one that loses the negotiation. That isn't necessarily the right tactic if you ask me. What's the problem with waiting as long as possible to discuss salary? Well, it means that you'll probably [...]

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Salary Negotiations

Determining Project Pricing

IT Consultant — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:38:59 +0000

Whether you are billing by the hour or attempting to maximize profitability by going with a fixed-fee proposal, time is money. Several factors could affect how long it will take to complete an engagement. These include: The availability of key resource people. Time spent traveling. The number of people on the project. The more people there are the [...]

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Determining Project Pricing

Fixed Fee vs. Hourly Billing

IT Consultant — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 06:00:46 +0000

External consultants have to decide how they're going to bill their clients. There are only two options: fixed fee or hourly.

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Fixed Fee vs. Hourly Billing

Don't Work Overtime for Free

IT Consultant — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:24:09 +0000

You're a consultant and you need to be paid like one.

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Don't Work Overtime for Free

Solution Design Feasibility

IT Consultant — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 04:34:09 +0000

When putting together an approach for addressing a client's needs for your consulting services or when comparing the pros and cons of different solutions, there are several questions that you should consider when it comes to design feasibility. The following are an example of the minimum questions you need to pose to ensure a successful solution design.

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Solution Design Feasibility

3 Skills a Consultant Must Have

IT Consultant — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:12:43 +0000

Whether you're a consultant in the traditional sense of the word or are simply in the role where your opinion is sought after, there are three skills, according to Peter Block of Flawless Consulting fame, that you need to have to be successful. Technical Skills It is important that you possess the technical skills i.e. the expertise [...]

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3 Skills a Consultant Must Have

Finding Work

IT Consultant — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:29:59 +0000

The typical advice is to check in with your network to find opportunities.

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Finding Work

IT Consultant Humor

IT Consultant — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:29:15 +0000

A hot-air balloonist had drifted off course. He saw a man on the ground and yelled, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" "Yes," the guy said. "You're in a balloon."

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IT Consultant Humor

How to Give Bad News

IT Consultant — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:20:34 +0000

During the course of consulting project, you will likely have to give bad news to your client. This is never an easy task, but it's one that should be executed with care. These are some suggestion how to be the bearer of bad news.

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How to Give Bad News

Consultant Professionalism

IT Consultant — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:06:57 +0000

A CTO blogger made some observations about consulting and how to maintain a respectable level of professionalism. The 5 areas of focus he discussed are described below with my own perspective thrown in to the mix.

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Consultant Professionalism

Consulting Process Model: Phase 2

IT Consultant — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:15:47 +0000

In yesterday's post, I described the first phase of a consulting process model I was familiar with. Again, this model isn't unique and shares many core ideas that you'll find with other models. However, I believe it can be instrumental in one's growth as a consultant to read about what other people have found successful. With that in mind, here's the second and final phase of the consulting process model.

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Consulting Process Model: Phase 2

Deductions for IT Consultants

IT Consultant — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 00:46:34 +0000

One of the advantages of being an independent IT consultant is that you can deduct expenses. This doesn't make purchases free, it just means you don't have to pay income tax on the amount of income equivalent to the expenses. In effect, this means that everything that you buy that is a valid expense is [...]

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Deductions for IT Consultants

Presentation Tips for Consultants

IT Consultant — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:19:38 +0000

Giving a good presentation isn't easy despite appearances. They require preparations beyond just pulling together a bunch of slides. Here are some ideas to help you succeed with your next presentation.

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Presentation Tips for Consultants

Setting Your Consulting Rate

IT Consultant — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:53:45 +0000

Figuring out the rate to charge clients can be tricky. Obviously you want to be paid as much as possible and your clients want to pay as little as possible. In the middle is some rate that you'll both deem as fair. But what's fair? I suggest you start with figuring out the permanent salary someone [...]

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Setting Your Consulting Rate

Selling Consulting

IT Consultant — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:23:45 +0000

If you are responsible for selling "consulting", it's important to recognize that you can be a vendor of consulting or you can consultatively sell consulting services. That's quite a mouthful.

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Selling Consulting

The Lunch Interview

IT Consultant — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:07:03 +0000

It's rare that an interview will take place at a restaurant over lunch, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. The good news is that such an arrangement is unlikely to be a surprise so you can prepared ahead of time. Here are some tips to making the most of a lunch interview.

Interviewing Tip #1

IT Consultant — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:29:16 +0000

Try to see the copy of the resume that the interviewer has brought to the interview. You'll notice sometimes that it is different than what you sent to the recruiter. Typically, the recruiter has added their company logo to the header. No big deal there. More importantly, take note if your cover letter (if you included [...]

Questioning Tips

IT Consultant — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:29:59 +0000

Asking questions is integral to all consulting jobs. Very, very rarely will the situation you're in be so simplistic or so well-defined that you won't need to ask questions. The following are some practical client interviewing tips which should help you achieve the best results.

Phone Interviews

IT Consultant — Sat, 29 May 2010 21:21:26 +0000

A phone interview is a good way to quickly screen and be screened.

Being an Independent Consultant

IT Consultant — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:40:25 +0000

Back in my independent consultant days I remember reading the following article by Janet Rhul. The message board she posted it on is no longer active, so hopefully she won't mind me reproducing it here.

What Consultants Deliver

IT Consultant — Sun, 23 May 2010 20:21:04 +0000

As consultant, you'll want to make sure you deliver something of value in exchange for the fee you charge. This deliverable can be one or more of the following.

Don't Work for Free

IT Consultant — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:45:23 +0000

At some point you're going to be tempted to work for free. That is, a potential client will subtly or not so subtly request a freebie. This could be in the form of recommendations or even a plan of how you would proceed with a certain project. And why shouldn't client's try to get something [...]

W2 Umbrella Companies

IT Consultant — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:10:09 +0000

There is an alternative to incorporating if you want to work without a recruiter.