Reasons to use consultants on an ERP implementation:

• Augmenting staff to work on extra work
• Adding expertise in areas where knowledge is lacking
• Management will sometimes appreciate an opinion from someone without any strong biases
• Consultants can be employed to do work no one else will do

Hiring consultants is a bargain when they are used to provide expertise to a one time project where the costs of creating the knowledge internally are too high.

Expectations - Yours and the Consultants:

• Before a consulting engagement begins make sure a timeline and budget are developed and agreed upon
• Make sure when hiring a consultant the focus of there work is defined before they arrive and they remain focused on there job; this will allow you to realize maximum value for your dollar. Many times I see consultants hired for a limited engagement end up working on a number of projects that were never intended. This will certainly increase the consulting cost to your company and extend the time needed for the original project.
• Consultants should be focused on problem solving and analysis - to help them focus, prepare documentation and reports before they arrive to get them up to speed as quick as possible. Help the consultant understand your business as best as possible. Give them an overview of your organization - market, products, project stakeholders, etc., and also share with them the organizational priorities. The time involved in getting any consultant up to speed on your companies procedures can be substantial - preparation can speed things up and help the consultant do a better job.

When hiring any consultants make sure your expectations are known early in your relationship. Develop a budget and timeline for all projects. Stay involved and do all you can to allow the consultant to focus on the task at hand.

Links:

• How to Get More Out of the Consultants You Hire
  
• Getting and Working With Consultants