The IT Consultant : A Commonsense Framework for Managing the Client Relationship

Rating:
Summary: No Relationship...No Client
Review: Actually, all of the sound advice in this book is relevant to almost any consulting relationship, both internally and externally. In this sense, the title is somewhat misleading. Freedman offers what the subtitle suggests is a "commonsense framework for managing the client relationship." He organizes his material within three Parts: The Profession of Consulting, The IT Consulting Framework, and Developing Superior Consulting Skills. The consulting profession has undergone all manner of changes in recent years, no doubt the result of many factors which include the increase of outsourcing, the recognition by many organizations of the need for engaging employees as specialists to address specific needs and interests, and also the emergence of what Daniel Pink describes as "free agents" in his recently published Free Agent Nation. As Freedman explains, his book is based on "a few fundamental beliefs": "informational technology consulting is a profession on a par with engineering and architecture...professional standards must be applied once a consultant has accepted a consulting engagement...advisory skills, which enable us to develop relationships of trust and confidence with out clients, are as important to our success as mastery of technical disciplines...[and finally that] there are proven practices and common sense techniques that help consultants deliver the benefit of information technology in a way that would be impossible without us." He examines with rigor various phases of the IT Consulting Framework. Along the way, he generously shares his own experiences (both good and bad) as he established and developed his own client relationships. His objective is to help his readers to understand proven practices that IT consultants can use to define their role in the engagement, and to understand m[as indeed they must] their clients' technical, organizational, and cultural environments.

One of the book's many value-added benefits is the provision of four Appendices: Sample Request for Proposal, Sample Proposal, Sample Communications Plan, and Sample Project Plan. Obviously, these are benchmark templates, each of which must be modified (perhaps significantly) to accommodate the specifics of a given situation. The chapters which precede them help the reader to make such modifications.

In the Conclusion, Freedman reaffirms that the book's aim is to prepare consultants, "through the use of a structured delivery system, to help clients obtain the results they expect and so have a better shot at generating the customer satisfaction that leads to referrals -- and ultimately to a thriving practice." I hasten to add that many organizations now have internal consultants for whom this book will also be immensely helpful. They, too, have several "clients" whose satisfaction with the quality of their work determines whether or not they will also have a "thriving practice" within their own organizations.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful!
Review: Author Rick Freedman spent many years as a consultant and his textbook and accompanying CD offer a lot of orderly advice aimed at both the novice consultant and the veteran consultant who wants to improve. Freedman covers such topics as the business of advice, the IT (information technology) consulting framework and developing superior consulting skills. Freedman's main argument is that consultants should train so that they can be of more help to their clients. Successful consultants, he maintains, rely more on their people skills than on their technical gifts. Freedman also gives aspiring consultants advice on how to remain competitive in securing and keeping clients. He instructs consultants to read a steady stream of periodicals and books to keep up with the vast daily changes in technology. We [...] suggest that you can use his book and CD set to find out everything you ever wanted to know about consulting - including how hard it is - but never knew who to ask.


Rating:
Summary: Get customer focussed
Review: I find myself referring back to this book periodically. The book consists of practical advice that makes sense. The IT Consulting Framework provides a useful process throughout the consulting lifecycle. Likewise, the templates provided are useful - though I would have like them better developed, and more of them. Like so many books on the market, the CD-Rom is of questionable value, except perhaps for the publisher.

Many people in our industry do not communicate effectively, or do not consider the client or user's needs. This book will help you focus on the client relationship. Read it if you are serious about consulting, and lack those skills.

Rating:
Summary: A great Read
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover. It's a sure must for anyone wanting to understand and learn about being an IT consultant. I wish I had this book around when I was a consultant. It describes exactly what an IT consultant is, the roles & responsibilities and attributes needed for this exciting career. Face it, most jobs today are very much IT focused, and we're all into IT in one way or the other. This gets my thumbs-up!

Rating:
Summary: A Clear Picture of Consulting Tools
Review: I've just finished my first pass through this book, and am about to go through and compile all of my many margin notes.

Note that there are no technical topics involved in this book and the author lets you know that at the start.

The author has done a terrific job of presenting a clear picture of the framework he espouses. The reasoning behind the facets of the framework and case studies lend well to giving a more dimensional view of the topics and tools involved in each of the "soft skills" that are utilized in consulting. I especially appreciated the case study emphasis on facilitation.

Even if you are an experienced consultant, this book will remind you to use all of your tools and keep the final goal in mind when working on any project. Most importantly it will help you to fully determine what the goals are (even if the client can't always articulate them.)

I will be using this book as a touchstone to insure that I am incorporating each the varied skills needed to be a successful and beneficial consultant, because sometimes one's blade gets dull.

Rating:
Summary: Filled with practical advice - will ensure client satisfacti
Review: If ever there was a book that puts consulting into perspective it is this one. In the Spring of 2000 I left a 24-year job in mainframe operations to join a national consulting firm as a service delivery consultant. My first few months were filled with disorientation that led to self-doubt and an attempt to fit into a new world. Had I read this book before the move my transition would have gone a lot more smoothly. Now that I have successfully established myself in the world of consulting I find that my new profession is a blend of being a technical expert and customer relationship facilitator. This valuable book focuses on the latter set of skills, which are not easy to acquire, and has given me insights and knowledge that will foster my continuing professional growth.

If you are new to consulting or considering the move to this profession the first three chapters will show you what to expect and what you need in order to "make it".

Chapter 4, on negotiating the client/consultant relationship, provides some of the most valuable advice I have come across. This is the essence of consulting and something that every consultant needs to master in order to be successful (which is another way or saying "survive"). Ignore this chapter at your peril.

I thought the approach given in chapter 5 on visualizing success, communications and change was excellent. If chapter 4 gives you survival skills, this one adds polish to your approach and further guarantees your success in delivering and executing.

Chapters 6 and 7 cover areas not only important to consultants, but also to internal project teams. Understanding the situation (and requirements) is the key to developing a solution that is completely aligned to needs and expectations. I do disagree with the recommendation to develop an "as-is" model in all situations, however. If you are developing and implementing a new process or resolving a seriously broken existing process the "as-is" step adds little value in my experience. I reserve this approach when the engagement calls for process improvement. On the other hand, the data collection methods and discussion of surveys were highlights that I liked very much. I also thought the entire treatment of the design process was excellent and provided a clean, methodical approach that will fit nearly any kind of consulting engagement. The lead-in to collaborating with the client on solution selection in chapter 8 is a powerful strategy - it will ensure that the client participates in the process. You will find that this approach will result in client buy-in and satisfaction - two things to which we all aspire to achieving. This strategy is fleshed out in chapter 9 on delivering the solution. There are some important key areas covered here as well. I liked the emphasis on managing quality and the advice on knowledge transfer to the client (which doesn't always go smoothly because it is not always adequately planned).

The rest of the book is on developing consulting skills and covers the full spectrum of things to consider. Some highlights that I got a lot from were troubleshooting the consulting relationship (a reality of consulting that I did not need to deal with the first 24 years of my career), and the blueprint for personal development. As consultants we are viewed as the "expert" and are always under pressure to produce results. As such our ongoing professional development is extremely important and this chapter offers excellent advice and a set of clear guidelines for accomplishing this. Finally, the appendices contained additional information that any consultant will find invaluable. While I had no direct interest in the sample RFP or proposal provided in appendices A and B, I did find the sample communications plan in appendix C and project plan in appendix D very valuable.

This book is full of ideas for consultants and will also serve internal business analysts and project managers well with the wealth of advice and practical approach. It has measurably influenced my thinking and approach and has given me a clear path towards improving my skills and knowledge. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: an invaluable introduction to consulting
Review: The IT Consultant is an excellent introduction to the construct of consulting, its tools and its methods. An excellent refresher for the experienced, and an effective guide for those new to consulting. I have made this book mandatory reading for my entire consulting staff.

Rating:
Summary: Add relationship skills to your technical expertise
Review: This book is designed to help independent consultants or consulting firms improve their client relationship skills. Discusses the stages of a consulting engagement such as understanding the client, approaching the client, negotiating the relationship, designing solution options, and delivering business results. Explains the importance of developing superior consulting skills in areas such as understanding the IT consulting profession, delivering full value, and improving your skills profile. The examples and case studies are oriented towards network consulting. The accompanying CD lacks meaningful content (electronic copies of the appendices in Microsoft Word format).

Rating:
Summary: Excellent source for IT Professionals
Review: This book not only provides effective information for consultants but also for any IT professional who wants to improve their customer relationships. Often a person who has been in the IT environment has acquired the technical skills but still experiences customer problems due to poor communication. Rick Freedman has not only included the "how to's" for improving communication but also down-to-earth examples. Of particular interest to me was the section on "Collaborate to Select Solutions." I have found that IT professionals often develop solutions in a vacuum. This section develops the idea of the consultant being the advisor, not the decision maker. This is a book I will reference often and use its ideas for mentoring others.

Rating:
Summary: Over-rated
Review: This is a good book - but by no means a classic. It is perfect for its target market - geeks who don't know about business and business value and just want to read a summary of information available from more authoritive sources.

Better books include "Managing the Professional Service Firm" or "Secrets of Consulting" by Weinberg.