Consultancy project teams are assembled based on availability, capability, and rate.
As a client, you might be promised “the best, most capable team in the company.”
However.
The best TA might be eyeball deep on a different project for the next 6 months. eye
The expert #Salesforce#MarketingCloud specialist who has just completed a project with your competitor, has just flown to Finland to kick-start a Discovery session.
Consulting businesses strive to maximise resources. It is unlikely that they will hold “the best” team for you, unless you’re a big logo that they want on their portfolio. More so if there are delays in the signing of SoW or Proposal.
Delays could mean that your project team might be different than originally proposed.
As a PM, I always make sure that my team is fully capable of delivering what is expected. If (due to lack of availability of senior talent) I’ve been provided a junior resource, I make sure they have the support they need to do their job properly – perhaps a mentor.
Nothing should compromise the quality of our obligations.
However, we cannot hold the team indefinitely if legal and commercial negotiations are delayed.
We can forecast a date for you might sign on the dotted line, and tee up the team to be available, but you will need to be aware that #ConsultingPartners operate on very tight ‘bench availability’.
That means that they strive to keep every consultant on a billable project, which means that delays on the contract mean that those same resources may be put on other projects which require them right now.
As you can see – the team you get is based on availability.
If you’ve been given an idea of who will be in that team – that rockstar TA who implemented that big transformation… And told when he will be available, then you need to make sure to get the negotiations completed and signed as soon as possible.
Understand the nature of consulting and you will set yourself up for success.
#OnThePeiroll
#SalesforceConsulting
