CIO Rant

I think that this is a top of mind question, now, because the economy has cast more people out ‘there’ from traditional employment scenarios and into creating their own businesses and personal brands. There is a lot of experience for sale and, relative to a large brand name consulting company that brings in newly-minted MBAs from elite schools, an interesting differential in value propositions that needs to be considered.

Ultimately, there is a fundamental question to be answered: “Do Consultants Deliver Value?”

I certainly can’t answer this question alone. And, such a broad question invariably leads to more questions:

Do you use consultants?
If so, why do you use consultants – because of the lack of internal expertise; because of the lack of internal ‘bandwidth’; because a strategy, project, etc. needs a boost of credibility?
If not, why not?
What do you look for in a consultant?
How do you determine ROI for a consulting engagement?
How do you hold consultants accountable after they are gone?
Is it all about the size of the engagement or the perception that it is less risky to engage a name brand?

Please take a moment to post your answers and comments. What further questions would you ask to clarify and provide the data points to answer the larger question? My aim is to consolidate the responses into a formal post that not only represents my opinions on the matter but those of my colleagues and contemporaries. All contributions will be carefully cited.

Also, feel free to take a look at some of the following references to help frame your thinking:

Companies urged to keep control of consultants [Andy McCue Published: 21 Jun 2007]