The Devil You Know

An old joke tells of the dandy who won a sheep, betting a farmer that he could use his technical gadgetry to determine the exact number of animals in his flock. Combining technology from his laptop, a handheld, cell connection, satellite imagery and an artificial intellgence system, he got the right number and grabbed one of the animals for his prize. Before he could stuff the poor animal into the trunk of his Saab, the farmer countered the bet stating he could guess the young man's occupation. The young man agreed and the farmer suggested "you must be a consultant".

"How did you know?" asked the man. "Well," says the farmer, "you show up here uninvited, give me a solution to a question I already knew the answer to, and you know nothing about my business. Now give me back my dog!"

OK, so the value of a consultant's work is often questioned, but there remain many benefits to engaging a professional management consultant or business analyst not the least of which is access to effective strategic advice from an objective, professional perspective. The challenge is selecting a consultant who will reliably return positive value. With few credentials for the profession, and little recourse on potentially poor advice, how can you make a well-informed choice?
     
Familiarity is, of course, a great benefit. If you have had a positive experience (or even an enthusiastic reference from a trusted source) for a particular consultant, then the "devil you know" will certainly outshine the "halo effect" from the most dazzling RFP response you just received from some unknown firm. Recommendations on a service like Linked-In can be valuable as long as you trust the source of the recommendation and it is current and relevant to your project.
  
Credentials, such as membership or accreditation in organizations like Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CAMC), International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) or Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), add credibility as do post-secondary degrees in business or an area related to your industry.
  
Your consultant's portfolio should include engagements in areas and scope similar to your requirements. Follow up on any project references provided.
  
The relationship with a consultant requires strong two-way communications so look for that skill set in any candidate you are considering. Keep a shorter leash on new consultants but even for those with whom you have a history, be sure to insist on regular progress reporting.
  
Analysts and consultants rarely guarantee 100% efficacy of results, but selecting one whose credentials, portfolio and working style reflect qualified professionalism will improve probability of success in a consulting engagement. Additional advice is available from the IIBA, CAMC, and CICA websites listed below.

International INstitute of Business Analysis (www.iiba.com)
Canadian Association of Management Consultants (www.camc.com)
Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (www.cica.ca)