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The theme
for this month’s newsletter is “Working with consultations for
sustainable (and happy) outcomes – something that is dear to our hearts as
well as many of our agency clients out there. Thanks to those who helped us
put this edition together. We have also
included some useful feedback to last month’s newsletter: “Making
Partnerships Work”. Regards, The team at
Econnect Communication Lin Martin,
Jenni Metcalfe, Louise Ralph, Michelle Riedlinger (still in THIS MONTH – March 2003 Working with consultants for sustainable (and happy) outcomes
1.
UNDERSTANDING CONSULTANTS
2.
TIPS ON SELECTING CONSULTANTS
3.
KEEP YOUR CONSULTANTS HAPPY
4.
KEEP YOUR CLIENTS HAPPY
5.
PARTNERSHIPS AND ADVOCACY (Feedback from Feb
newsletter)
6.
7.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
8.
CONTACT US 1. UNDERSTANDING CONSULTANTS
As consultants we are usually engaged to undertake projects
because an agency recognises that a combination of specialised skills and
expertise are required or because an agency cannot manage a project in house
and needs to outsource (usually due to lack of capacity and/or short
timeframes). To obtain the best outcome, agencies must not only choose the
appropriate consultant(s) but they must manage them well. Here are some tips
and tricks from both sides of the picture – the engagers and the
"engagees" – that can help you achieve the best outcomes for
your consultancy projects. Private
enterprise is a very different operational environment from agencies or
community organisations. The consultant depends on a well established
reputation and extensive networks to remain in business and make a
livelihood. It
takes a huge investment in courage, time, energy and money to set up and
maintain a business. The overheads of running a business are considerable.
Rent, equipment, insurance, taxes, administrative support, accountants,
company structures, superannuation, staff wages and subcontractors’ fees
all have to be paid before salaries can be drawn. And then, of course, there
is the dreaded BAS! Contractors also have to spend large amounts of time
writing and marketing proposals (it can take a week to write a large
proposal). Consultants’
fees reflect these constraints and what the market will bear, as well as
expertise and experience. A common mistake is to solely compare consultants’
fees when selecting a contract. This is like comparing apples to pears. One
way to clarify quality, efficiency and cost is to check with the contractor’s
previous clients. Time frames also differ, consultants must manage their
time productively or they go out of business. Such dollar-driven efficiency
is not necessarily the norm in government or community agencies. Consultants
are usually working with a number of clients at the one time and have to
project manage not only each project, but a number of clients as well. Unnecessary
delays by the agency can throw a project’s schedule out, because the
consultant still has to meet obligations to other clients. 2. TIPS ON SELECTING CONSULTANTS
Most
agencies have standard procedures on selecting consultants, but following
these to the letter may exclude consultants who offer more or different
services and outcomes that may ultimately be more desirable. To
select the right consultant for your project:
·
Produce a very clear brief
and outline how the consultant will be selected - ask for a standard
response format so it is easy to compare responses
·
Ensure you are available to
answer queries before submissions are due (don’t go on leave after sending
out the brief)
·
Be influenced by
consultants’ track records. Do they have wide-ranging experience and
expertise or have they specialised? Do they have the right expertise in
their team? What is best for your project?
·
Do not discount the value
of local knowledge or contacts – you’ll get a lot more for your dollar
if the consultant knows the issue/region/partners or can build on previous
related work
·
Can they deliver, are they
easy to work with, do they have a creative edge, do they have the right
sensitivities for the job? Check with their referees
·
Are they offering an
innovative approach or is it just more of the same? What could you learn
from them? Can they add value to the project? Don’t always go for the ‘safest’
option that delivers the standard outcomes – or you will short change
yourself and your agency. 3. KEEP YOUR CONSULTANTS HAPPY
And ensure the best possible project outcomes, from an
agency/organisation point of view
·
Follow your agency’s
standard consultancy contractual procedures and ensure the consultant is
aware of these
·
Provide a detailed brief or
contract with clear and agreed fees, objectives, deliverables, reporting
procedures, stages, timelines and outcomes. Clarify copyright issues at the
beginning
·
Make sure the consultants are
familiar with the operating environment - political frameworks, management
structures, current issues, key players and personalities, possible pitfalls
and opportunities
·
Provide copies of all
relevant material for the consultant to read
·
Build in plenty of time to
liaise with the consultant. It can be quite demanding and the paperwork and
procedures are time-consuming
·
Consider your working
relationship in a partnership and help the consultants do the best job
possible. If you treat the engagement of a consultant as a part-time member
of your existing team you will find you will act, and view them,
differently. Make creative suggestions, but trust the consultants’
experience and expertise to produce a quality product
·
Protect your consultants
from interference by other agency staff. Keep consultants informed on
issues, but remain the sole point of contact. Dealing with ‘too many cooks’
wastes time for consultants and messages can get confused
·
Communicate regularly with
the consultant to ensure they understand what is required and that work is
performed to a satisfactory standard. Maintain regular phone, fax and e-mail
communication throughout the consultancy and ensure that the consultants do
as well
·
Always provide a quick
response to requests for information, resources or feedback
·
Check the consultant’s
progress and ensure the consultant achieves any required milestones within
the specified time frame
·
Let the consultant know if
you are either happy or unhappy with progress or outcomes during the
consultancy. Don’t wait until the end when it is sometimes forgotten to
thank consultants or too late to fix any problems
·
If you are unhappy with the
consultant’s performance and do not believe the situation can be salvaged,
you can terminate the consultancy. However, this is an unlikely situation if
you have chosen and managed the consultants well from the start
·
Pay detailed attention at
each approval stage and ensure necessary changes are made at that stage.
Changes further down the track that should have been avoided by attention to
detail at each approval stage or milestone may be costly and the consultant
can charge extra for them
·
On completion of the
project, give the consultants feedback on how you feel about the product,
the experience of working with them and how it could be improved.
Consultants are always seeking to provide better service and products —
this gives them a competitive ‘edge’ — and they need this feedback for
better business
·
After the consultancy is
completed keep the consultants in touch with the progress of the project and
how their recommendations were implemented. This is not only a courtesy but
makes up for the extra work they usually do on a job. 4. KEEP YOUR CLIENTS HAPPY
And deliver the best possible project outcomes, from a consultant’s
point of view
·
Manage client expectations.
Ensure right from the start that they are clear about what services you are
providing, in what timeframe and for what fees
·
Ensure lines of
responsibility and project processes/ deadlines are delineated (preferably
in writing) and fully agreed upon. That way, if any part of the project does
not meet the client’s expectation, the problem can be traced and dealt
with in a constructive way
·
Communicate, communicate,
communicate! Keep the project manager regularly informed by email, phone and
face to face meetings about what you are doing, issues arising, or the need
for any changes
·
Don’t fudge on the skills
required for the project. If you don’t have the needed expertise,
outsource or do not take the project on. Do not misrepresent yourself –
not only will you personally come undone, but you will give consultants a
bad name!
·
Operate with integrity at
every stage – do what you say you are going to do, within time and within
budget. If you think a direction your client is proposing will not work for
them, be prepared to say so
·
Remember your clients are
individuals, not just agency representatives and treat them with respect,
humour and compassion
·
The natural resource
industry in Thanks
to Pam Harmon-Price at EPA Qld, Lawrie Kirk at MDBC, Cathy Sage at Sage
Words, and Glenn Conroy at 5. PARTNERSHIPS AND ADVOCACY
Feedback from Mark Simmons (QLD Parks & Wildlife Service) Mark
has sent us feedback from our February newsletter on “Making Partnerships
work”. He talks about the extensive community consultation he was involved
with during a previous job, looking at rezoning of the “During the first formal
consultation phase, which lasted 3 months, we had a process in place to
facilitate community feedback about the rezoning of the We put a lot of work into
developing this formal stage… As much as we wanted people to participate
in the formal process, I think in the end we had to accept that people would
move outside of the participatory role and into an advocacy role. By way of example I mean
deliberate misinformation campaigns using the media, heated protest meetings
and even boat 'blockades' of major roads. This was true even for those
who had been closely involved in our various advisory committees and were
well briefed about the proposals and the objectives.” When Mark tried to analyse why
partners move to advocacy he reasoned that: “the greater the perceived
risk or threat to someone's beliefs, values or lifestyle, the greater the
likelihood of that person moving to the advocacy role.” He suggested revisiting key
messages and communication techniques to try and avoid this move to advocacy
but cautions that “often the same stakeholders are sitting on numerous
advisory committees." "They may have 'baggage' from
how they have been treated in the past by resource agencies and they can be
very jaded about Governments in general. Along we come with the best
communication strategy we can develop, and if there's just one slip up it
can reinforce all the negative attitudes they harbour from prior
programs. There is often a much bigger context to someone wanting to
become a partner. There may be a cumulative effect working here and rarely
are we forming partnerships for discreet programs, as there is an ongoing
need for liaison.” This
reinforces our belief in the importance of developing long term
relationships with partners. Thanks Mark for your feedback. We
welcome feedback to all our newsletters and will attempt, as far as
possible, to share your ideas with others. 6.
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