Challenges and Benefits of the Project Management Consultant

Coming in as a project management consultant versus already being in the role of a project manager within the organization definitely has its differences.  How you’re viewed, how others react and respond to you, how much real and superficial respect you get, how you’re treated by top management, and how much control you have over the project and project outcomes can be very dependent on your internal vs. external status in the organization…both in good ways and in bad ways.

Being hired as a project management consultant presents a unique set of challenges. First, as a consultant, the project manager has been employed by a client because that manager possesses or has demonstrated the necessary ability to manage projects. Second, this project manager also has to adjust to the client organization and people, and this can take time to ramp up. The following are some of the issues that a consulting project manager can expect to find and adjust to at a client site.

Challenges

- Adjusting to the prescribed client project methodology or processes

- Obtaining an understanding of the organization and its functional areas

- Knowing where to go to get roadblocks knocked down

- Understanding organizational politics (e.g., who controls the project)

- Presenting a corporate culture to an external customer vs. your culture as the consultant

Benefits

- Having an objective platform to consult on project processes, techniques, and methods without any career limiting moves

- Being able, as an independent consultant, to ask the questions other permanent staff usually must avoid addressing

- Often enjoying hands-off guru status by others in the organization due to perceived expertise

- More credibility if you’re coming in as a project savior if for no other reason than you’re not directly associated with the organization that is already failing

These are just a few of the pluses and minuses of coming into a project as an external consultant.  Don’t overlook that project savior role.  Often, consultants are brought in to resurrect failed projects or to help ‘save’ a project in the 11^th hour.  I’ve been in that role.  When you’re an internal PM trying to save a project you may succeed, but it may not help you career-wise because you’re already an employee – it’s just part of your job.  Conversely, if you fail, it could cost you your job.  The downside is potential huge and the upside is sometimes non-existent.