- Insist on a work plan from the consultant
- Give the consultant sufficient information to get them up to speed. Help the consultant to understand your organization more fully, i.e., your services, culture, history, key players
- Request that the consultant provide progress reports on the project as follows:
- Outlining the methodology used
- Presenting interim findings and/or progress to date
- Compiling (one or more) preliminary reports
- Final report and evaluation
- Communicate clearly and regularly with the consultant to provide feedback and review timetables and responsibilities
- Establish a process for any necessary changes in the scope of the project
- Stay engaged and maintain control over the process and product
- Don’t wait to address concerns or problems that may arise
- If you're unclear, or not pleased with the work in progress, ask for a meeting to address the situation. Discuss your previously agreed-upon objectives, the work to date and issues/ problems. Reach consensus on how to proceed from there
- Promptly pay the consultant's invoices when you receive them.
- Evaluate the results of the consultant's work
- Input - What did your organization put into the consulting relationship?
- Process - What is the relationship between the organization and the consultant?
- Output - Did we accomplish what we set out to accomplish?
- Outcomes - Did the work help us move toward the agency's long-range goals?
- Hold a final debriefing to discuss the results of the project