The Consultant Advantage
All other things being equal, a consultant usually has a big advantage when it comes to delivering a project. And it’s not necessarily because consultants are better developers than in-house developers.
I’d contend it’s mostly because the context in which a consultant operates is different and more favorable to successful outcomes.
Outsiders
When speaking of consultants here, I’m specifically talking about outsiders to the client who are brought in to work on a project. This feature of consultants provides immediate advantages.
Chief among them being outside of internal client politics and not connected to any previous unsuccessful attempts at completing a given project. Though it is extremely important for consultants to be empathetic to all at the client.
It’s also much easier for a consultant to give an unvarnished opinion. Whereas an internal developer might understandably hesitate to give the same blunt opinion to all but the most progressive of management. In short, often things just resonate more when coming from an external source.
Consultants also have the advantage of bringing a fresh pair of eyes to a problem. Being too close to a problem for too long can make it harder to solve.
It’s only natural for people’s minds to focus on one approach and miss much better alternatives. A consultant analyzing a problem from scratch often leads to our next big benefit, clarity.
Clarity
Simply engaging consultants about a company’s problem can bring great clarity. The act of defining exactly what the problem is and answering questions from consultants about it often reveals a good solution. This is very much the same principle as Rubber Duck Debugging which will be familiar to many here.
Likewise the process of project definition will bring clarity to how much a solution will cost. Seeing the actual numbers of hours plus bill rates or project dollar amount in a written proposal has a way of clarifying how important a problem is to a company. Put simply, it stamps a tangible dollar amount on a given problem.
It’s also not unheard of for management to be hesitant to accept their internal staff’s time estimates to fix a vexing problem. An external consultant coming in and giving the same time estimate tends to be taken more seriously. This can also serve to validate an internal assessment’s veracity to management which can be useful for particularly expensive problems.
Focus
Once consultants are retained to fix a problem they have the luxury of focusing completely on it. Contrast this with internal staff who will often be pulled in different directions supporting other systems. It’s much easier for an outside consultant to avoid the distractions an internal developer has to juggle.
Another component of focus that benefits the consultant is having a specific project scope and deliverables. Again, our internal counterparts are less likely to have focused project deliverables laid out in advance. The premium an external consultant demands however, makes it imperative for the client and the consultancy to have clearly defined KPIs.
This focus on deliverables also serves to prevent Feature Creep. Quite simply, it’s a lot easier to pile on feature requests to internal developers than it is to consultants. In the latter case, non-trivial feature additions will require a scope change process and be duly estimated in time and dollars. This tends to filter out the busybody requests as the price tag will be evident up front.
Motivation
The consultant advantage definitely extends to the realm of motivation too. The consultancy and the client will naturally be motivated to complete the project successfully so their incentives are appropriately aligned. This is highly important.
However, the real differentiating advantage for a consultant over an internal developer comes from the client’s motivation to clear obstacles. No client management wants a $200/hr consultant waiting around for an answer from surly Bob the IT guy.
As a highly paid consultant, you get answers to your questions and fast! It’s ultimately good for the client as well. The higher cost of a consultant’s time can motivate internal management to do what needs to be done to see the project succeed.
Summary
The consultant advantage takes many forms. As an outsider we have more freedom to diagnose root problems and propose robust solutions. The mere act of diagnosing a problem as an outsider can bring much needed clarity.
Once engaged, consultants are able to focus completely on a given project. The absence of ancillary duties at a client is a further benefit that internal employees often aren’t afforded.
Finally, consultants are motivated for the project to succeed. Though the more important thing is client management are highly motivated for the consultants to succeed. They will clear obstacles quickly to keep the project progressing often much more so than if internal staff were performing the same duties.