Extract Value from Consultants: How to Hire, Control, and Fire Them

Far too often business consultants fail to deliver the expected business value. But in any organization, whether in the public or private sector, the right type of consultant, if applied effectively to selected problems and projects, will bring value to an organization and credit to the managers who hire them.

The consulting industry has evolved from a profession where work was undertaken on the basis of trust and a handshake, into a massive, revenue-driven industry, with sophisticated sales, contracting and client management processes. Yet many organizations that hire consultants fail to recognize these changes and the need to adapt their approaches accordingly. Extract Value from Consultants will assist organizations to make appropriate choices about the consultants they hire, and then to manage them more effectively over the course of the project. Packed with the authors' firsthand observations, case studies, and valuable templates, this book details a step-by-step approach to successfully selecting and managing consultants.

Pulling from decades of experience in consulting practices and work in locations around the globe--including on projects to evaluate consulting firms like Accenture, Bain, Deloitte, IBM, and Infosys; and consulting to many leading companies including AFLAC, AMP, BP, DeBeers, Deutsche Bank, Prudential, Samsung and Telesat Canada--the authors reveal the inside secrets of the consulting trade. In clear and commonsense language, they demystify the increasingly complex world of global consulting, and explain how to maximize benefits while reducing consulting expenditure.

Too often organizations let consultants dictate where, when, and how they will deliver value. In today's economic environment, it's time for executives and managers to turn the tables and take back control--from the consultant's initial sales call to the end of their engagement.