Jim Cochran

As a management consultant, you know that customer satisfaction and your business reputation are closely linked. If your consulting engagement misses the mark – or even if your client just perceives it that way – your future business prospects are on the line.

For some projects, a marketing consultant may need outside expertise or just an extra hand to get the job done. For engagements like these, hiring a subcontracted marketing consultant to assist with the project can help you meet your deadlines without having to bring a full-time employee on board.

In an ideal world, management consultants would be able to do it all. But in reality, no one can be in two places at one time. For some engagements, it makes good business sense to hire a subcontracted management consultant to assist with specific aspects of the project.

As a marketing consultant, you know that timing is everything. To keep your consulting engagements on track, you need a good project management strategy centered around a solid project timeline. But as many marketing consultants know from experience, developing and adhering to a timeline can be tough.

Placing personnel at a client company to perform IT services can be a great solution for everyone involved. Your people get work, you get income, and your client gets the service it needs without the expense of hiring a full-time employee.

Developing a project timeline is a cornerstone of any project management strategy. But as many IT project managers have learned, developing and adhering to a timeline isn’t easy. From technical glitches to human resource problems, unexpected complications can pop up at any time, quickly throwing an IT project off-track.

The project timeline is a cornerstone of project management. But as most system integrators and computer/software programmers know, developing and sticking to a timeline can be easier said than done. From technical issues to personnel problems, unexpected complications can arise at any time, throwing an IT project team off-schedule.

It’s hard to find a talented independent contractor you can trust to represent your company when working with a client. Once you do find a good one, however, it's a person that you want to keep on your team for future projects. The downside is, your favorite independent contractor is more than likely someone that your clients would love to have on their team – and in the absence of a subcontractor contract, they could very well hire your best contractor away.

A project timeline is a central component in any good project management strategy. But as many management consultants have learned the hard way, creating and sticking to a timeline is not as easy as it sounds. Depending on the type of consulting engagement, many project elements – from people to technology to operational and market factors -- can generate unexpected complications and delays, quickly throwing a project off-track.

Before engaging in a formal business relationship, system integrators and custom computer/software programmers need to protect their business interests with appropriate legal contracts. During the initial stages of project development, IT professionals often keep informal records by hanging on to e-mails sent back and forth with the customer.