You might already have a great team, brimming with expertise and experience, but sometimes projects need more – a consultant that specialises in that area or can offer a new perspective on your approach.
They can provide a range of different support from IT expertise, to management and even engineering. Depending on what you need there is a project consultant out there who can help. Some projects, especially high-pressure projects in large organisations, have multiple stakeholders and tight deadlines and may be too complex for the skillset of your current team.
Here a project consultant can come in and provide the expert guidance needed to meet milestones and objectives and basically ensure the project is successful. Many challenging projects have led to a great result, sometimes exceeding expectations through the support of a project consultant. So, let’s explore this topic further.
The role of a project consultant
Expertise
For the best chance of a successful project outcome you need an expert. They will know what tools and methodologies to use to effectively plan and execute the project. This is important, because without proper planning there can be costly mistakes and the team may not use resources in the most efficient way. By having a project consultant in-house they’ll be able to fill the knowledge gaps you may have and suggest solutions you may not have even considered.
Delivery focus
Often project consultants will come in, assess your business strategy, then help you set clear objectives and a roadmap to get there. The benefit of approaching your project in an Agile way is that you’ll be able to plot your course of action, with each of the tasks split into ‘sprints’ with a ‘sprint review’ at each stage. The purpose of this is to assess progress and make any necessary changes. It’s a much more effective way of working because this continual cycle of improvement means you’re more likely to get the best result. Agile project consultants are experts at this and can bring a whole new dimension to your project. A project consultant will also help you identify any potential risks and the possible impact, as well as suggesting ways to mitigate that, like specific action plans or contingency measures.
People
Managing stakeholders is another key element of their role. Having an outsider facilitate communication and collaboration can be immensely helpful in this regard. In this sense, they have a diplomat role, which is key especially when teams are struggling to work together effectively.
Finances
Budgeting is often a challenge, even for the most senior of leaders, as priorities shift and new issues arise, but this is something that a calm and methodical project consultant can address. They’ll work out the necessary resources, the budget required, how to track expenditures and suggestions for a Plan B.
Mentoring
With a project consultant, especially a Scrum Master, challenges are seen as opportunities and new insights at each sprint help enrich the overall project and stay on track. They’ll also run any necessary workshops to help your team work better, providing the mentorship that some colleagues need.
Also, unlike employing a full-time person, project consultants can come in for a short or long period, with the opportunity to scale their services up or down depending on your business needs.
Support
Projects can be high-pressured, but don’t have to be overwhelming, especially when you have a project consultant by your side. With their support you can focus on the return on investment you want and the long-term benefits without getting too involved in the nuts and bolts of the project.
Types of project consultants
IT consultants will look at technology implementation, whether that be software, hardware or integrating systems into your existing infrastructure. Management consultants are more focused on business processes and how you can streamline them. They often come in during a big change project or to improve performance, basically ensuring all the key messages are shared with your stakeholders, at the right time and in the right way, and that people can perform to their best abilities.
Engineering consultants tend to operate in the construction and manufacturing industries, and provide technical expertise whether that be design development, testing etc. Financial consultants provide that all important budgeting advice, as well as approaches to forecasting and ideas for investment strategies.
Regardless of which type of project consultant you need, we recommend finding one that has a track record of successfully supporting similar projects, sized companies or industries.
The importance of the project consultant role
With the support of a project consultant you can reduce bottlenecks, improve workflows, and help manage the enormity of a project’s needs. Their expertise can give you confidence in the way forward, and effectively fill any knowledge gaps you may have in your team.
A project consultant is your ally in ensuring the project meets its objectives and delivers on time. If you feel your project needs more support to reach its destination, then turning to these specialists can take the weight off your shoulders. It’s always best to get it right first time after all.
How consultants provide project expertise and learn at the same time
As many inspiring leaders have said time and time again, there is always room to learn more, regardless of your level of experience. Project consultants get this and whilst using their proven methodologies they also stay abreast of the latest trends whether that be new technologies, industry events, networking, or knowledge of changes in your specific market.
Ongoing education is key, so bringing in a ‘know it all’ who isn’t open to new ways of working won’t help your project in the long run. Staying competitive is all about the willingness to learn and a hunger to know more. Education alone isn’t enough though because real projects require real experience. A consultant who is live in the industry will have the practical skills to guide your teams to tangible success. This dual approach of seasoned expertise and current insights provided by excellent project consultants ensures you are using the best practices and that you achieve excellent project outcomes.
Agile consultancy and value delivery
Agile project consultants believe in flexibility, strong collaboration and an iterative way of making progress. All team members are valued and appreciated, and that sense of connection brings out the best in people. With this Agile mindset, which includes short development cycles, and quicker feedback loops, projects become more efficient and adaptive to change.
Training teams in Agile methods, whether that be Scrum or Kanban, often consists of fun workshops and coaching sessions. Sometimes corporate organisations need a learning approach less corporate in order to bring out their best performance. And if you’re delivering the best project outcomes then you have happy stakeholders, from client satisfaction to colleague morale.
Tips for selecting the right consultant for your project
It goes without saying, but make sure they have the relevant expertise and industry knowledge by looking at their past projects. It’s also important that you feel they are the right cultural fit for your team, the right person to bring out the best in your colleagues. As with the employment of staff, it’s also worth seeking testimonials or references. A confident project consultant will be happy to provide you with this.
A seasoned project consultant will be able to effectively integrate themselves into the team, so you shouldn’t have to worry about inducting them over a few weeks like you would with a standard employee. Also sometimes you ‘just know’ by speaking to that person, hearing their thoughts on the project and your industry and seeing their fluency in replying will help you know if you’ve got the right person.
So, if you haven’t already, why not consider hiring a project consultant? With an expert in their field providing you with valuable advice and guidance you have far more to gain than lose.
Want to chat?
Jay is the Founder & CEO of Fractal Systems Consulting, an agile consultancy run by a group of Professional Scrum Trainers, change agents and agile delivery coaches who have deep experience and know-how in creating behavioural change.
If you’re interested in learning in a fun, application-rich environment that focuses on real-world applied approaches, register for one of our training courses.
