- Chapter 31: Working with Consultants
- Working with Consultants
- What Are Your Needs?
- Project Manager and Leadership
- Selecting Individual Consultants
- Work Ethic and Attitude
- Large-Scale Project Team Structure
- Preparation for Consultant: Contracts
- Preparation for Consultant: Rates and Fees
- Preparation for Consultant: Fixed-Price Contracts
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Change Managementx
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Client Involvement
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Reviewing the Original Requirements
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Weekly Status Reports
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Risk and Issues Log
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Importance of Database Administrator
- Consulting Work Environment
- Consultant Travel and Costs
- Case Studies of Consultant Behavior
- Case Studies of Client Behavior
- Summary
Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Client Involvement
Change management is better implemented when both the client and consulting project management are involved in the review of change requests. Both the client and consulting managers should maintain updates with client executive management.
Executive management does not want surprises. Too often, software implementations bring too many unwanted changes. By administering the type of change control documents described earlier, it becomes easier for project managers to summarize and communicate scope changes to executive management. Also, because the client has been involved throughout the project, executive management needs to know that scope changes are not merely a creation of the consultants. The client's own people have been involved every step of the way.
Often, executive management is more concerned about observing a project out-of-control than it is about authorizing additional budget expenditures. Executive management needs to know that the project is under control, its people are influencing decisions, and that future scope changes will be controlled. At least if the project is under control, the likely volume of other future scope changes can be estimated.