How consultants can play key roles in planning big projects

One day recently a friend said to me, "I know you're a consultant, but what do consultants do and why do people hire them?"

I gave him what was essentially a non-answer and we went on to other things.

Later, after I'd thought about it a bit, I told him I'd kind of kissed off his question and that, if pressed, I'd have to say this:

Consultants help businesses improve profits by helping solve problems, and there are as many reasons for hiring them as there are problems in running a business.

Newspapers, for example, hire consultants for a variety of reasons.

Sometimes, a specific problem requires technical expertise not found among those on the payroll. Planning a computer network, for example, is often a one-time job where a consultant can come in, examine the problem and make recommendations in a much shorter time than it would take someone on the staff to get up to speed.

Often a newspaper can benefit from having a problem looked at by "a fresh eye," someone who's not too close to the situation -- a person who is not involved in internal turf wars, nor carries any baggage as far as relationships are concerned.

Remember, too, that many attempts to solve problems end up in finger-pointing and attempts to place blame. An outsider doesn't deal in reward and punishment; he or she is there to focus on fixing the problem.

Independent consultants usually get openness from managers and others involved in a problem simply because they're not involved in the normal office politics.

Independent consultants often come to you with broader experience and more industry contacts than people on your staff, especially at newspapers where few managers attend trade shows or are sent to seminars at such places as the American Press Institute.

An independent consultant can be of greatest benefit, in my view, when a newspaper is going to undertake a major project.

Newspapers are rarely overstaffed. All the managers work hard at their day-to-day responsibilities with barely enough time to work on next year's budget, let alone take on a major project.

These problems multiply when the project -- say, pagination -- is one that involves many departments of the newspaper and affects processes, personnel and equipment in all of them.

Working hand-in-hand with the executive assigned to spearhead the project, a consultant can give it his or her full attention, uninterrupted by the phone calls that start, "I know you're working on that project, but this little problem has come up and can you just take a few minutes to ...?"

Also, few newspapers have people on their payroll with the knowledge of interdepartmental relationships needed for many major projects.

Yes, you can set up a committee, then charge it with studying the issue and coming up with a recommendation, but unless you have an exceptional group, each panelist will view it from his or her own narrow perspective.

They need help in seeing the big picture.

In pagination projects, for example, newsroom managers more often than not see only that it is going to take them longer to deal with pages in the newsroom. What they don't see is the reduction in time, overall, to get the paper on the press.

Part of a consultant's role is to provide that big-picture view. Along with it, a good consultant will also try to make all participants fully aware of how everyone benefits from a major project. There are benefits for all departments of a newspaper from pagination, although sometimes they're hard to see, or attain, without understanding the entire process.

When do you need a consultant? When you look around and don't see anyone with the expertise needed to solve the problem at hand. Or, if you do have someone, you recognize that the enterprise would suffer if you assigned the task as a full-time responsibility.

There are times when a consultant can serve as a referee and help you decide who's right when two department heads make very good cases for doing something their way.

Or, frankly, you might want to bring in a consultant if you'd like to have someone from out of town to blame if things go wrong.

How do you find a consultant and what should you expect?

Talk to other newspapers, talk to suppliers -- they know who's knowledgeable in their fields. Check out the trade publications. Those are all good places to start.

I've always believed, as does Dave Cole, that consultants do a better job for newspapers if they are independent and do not also work for or represent suppliers. That's not to say that those who do are necessarily wrong; it's just that old business of not wanting to appear beholden to anyone.

Once you've hit upon a likely prospect, outline your problem and ask for a proposal. You should get -- in writing -- an initial action plan which most often will prescribe a day or two of on-site evaluation, discussions with your managers and the promise of a written report with recommendations.

The proposal should also include information about fees and expense reimbursement for the initial visit.

Suppose you do find someone, you get a proposal and you accept it. Then what?

First, tell everyone in your plant that the consultant is coming and why. The last thing you want is everybody wondering why there's a stranger poking around the plant for a couple of days.

Then, gather those directly involved and ask for their full cooperation. Tell them you expect them to be candid with the consultant, and that they must clear their calendars as much as possible so as to be available while the consultant is in the plant.

You're going to be spending a fair amount of money, so you want to be sure that the consultant gets the information needed.

Arrange for a manager to serve as host, and to use time to best advantage, ask that lunches be arranged with people involved in the project.

It's always nice, from the consultant's point of view, to have a place in the building to use as a base. Perhaps the office of the person most involved with the project or problem would serve best.

You should meet privately with the consultant at the beginning and end of the visit. Be sure that the opening discussion includes your view of the problem and some agreement on expectations.

Be candid. If there are personnel problems or peculiar situations to be factored in, discuss them. Ask for and expect discretion. If you want appraisal of personnel, this is the time to ask for it so the consultant can take the measure of people while assessing the situation from the start.

Make it clear that you'll be available should problems or questions arise.

It can be beneficial to gather your troops for a session with the consultant just prior to your end-of-visit interview. That's when any second thoughts can be aired, or promised information delivered.

Expect a reasonably detailed report of findings and recommendations within a few days of the on-site visit. If called for, you'll probably get a proposal for an ongoing relationship involving oversight, project management or hands-on problem solving.

If a long-term relationship ensues, ask for regular progress reports, both oral and written. Be sure that your people are cooperating fully, and that everyone understands your goals.

None of this will insure success, of course, but it will certainly improve the odds against failure.

-- Mike Middlesworth

See also: As long as it isn't illegal or immoral

From THE COLE PAPERS, January 1996, Copyright © 1996, All Rights Reserved.