You’re a consultant. Your job is to help build organizational / technical / managerial bridges. You have a client who brings you a proposal that looks like this:
“We have this need for a bridge. We don’t know what materials the bridge needs to be made of. We don’t know how high the bridge needs to be. We don’t know what chasm the bridge will be stretched over. We aren’t sure how long the bridge needs to be, and we definitely don’t know the environmental conditions at the spot where the bridge needs to be built. We’d like you to build the bridge….and we need it done by next month.”
What do you do?
First, attempt to educate the client. If you have a pragmatic client with whom you can communicate based on a shared common goal – a successful project – this may be worth the trouble. You can point them to statistical information on the high percentage of failed projects, the advantage of project management cycles, process diagnostics, etc.
Second, some projects are not made to succeed. That is not your decision. You have to try to make it succeed if at all possible and part of that is documenting problems, offering solutions, and making sure that those involved are aware of both at all times. They can choose to not act on your advice, that is their choice to make. Suck it up and get over it. Sometimes you get paid to do a great job, sometimes they pay you to follow their stupid orders. As long as they are the ones paying you, they choose what they pay you for.
Third, documentation will be king. Develop an iron-clad communication plan and stick to it. Document all changes and problems daily and summarize weekly. Keep reviewing with the client.
Finally, bill by the hour. There is just no way to come up with a value-based price on something like this.
