What to Look for in an IT Consulting Company
If you’re looking to hire outside information technology consultants, you may be wondering where to start. There are a lot of options for hiring an IT consulting firm, but knowing which is the right fit for you and your company’s needs is a little harder to determine. Here’s a few things to consider when looking for an IT consulting company…
Best Practices in IT Consulting
Best Practices are industry standards of excellence. In the information technology consulting sector, these best practices, as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI), include:
- Defining the life cycle and milestones of the project
- Documenting the project requirements and scope
- Stating defined roles, organization, and systems
- Providing quality assurance
- Basing commitments off strategic planning
- Maintaining project tracking and variance analysis
- Make timely corrective action decisions
- Enact effective escalation and issue management
- Create a formal system of work authorization and change control
As a certified PMI IT consulting firm, Darby Consulting has integrated these best practices into our project management methodology at every step of the way. When considering hiring an IT consulting firm, checking that they follow these nine best practices is always a good first step.
IT Consulting Firms with Relevant Experience
Does the consulting firm you’re considering have experience relevant to your specific needs? The last thing you want when starting a new IT project is to get a good project manager who has no experience with your specific type of project. Without the experience of handling past projects like yours, or without the hands-on expertise to handle the special complexities of your project, an inexperienced but ‘good’ project manager will have a harder time leading your project to success.
Darby Consulting’s IT Project Managers complete rigorous technical and personality assessments so you can feel confident you have the best talent with both the hard and soft skills required. We only hire project managers with at least 10 years of experience at our firm and, with over 1,000 IT professionals in our network, we’ll find the right consultant for your project.
History of Success
Does the IT consulting firm you’re looking into have a history of success? After all, more than 70% of projects fail to deliver on time, within budget, and to specification, so you want to be sure you are hiring a company with a good track record.
Darby Consulting gives our project managers an edge on the industry, providing them with our custom and proven Project Management Methodology to consistently help project managers improve their effectiveness at planning and delivering successful projects.
IT Consulting Firms who Offer Training and Support
Consultants and project managers who have access to updated training, best practices, and new project management tools make better consultants and project managers. In fact, support and training is often key to their success. Do your potential IT consulting firms offer training and support? How in-depth is the training? How relevant is the support?
Our IT Project Managers are PMI-certified and utilize our comprehensive library of project management tools and templates. Our methodology includes a library of over 70 tools and templates along with how-to videos and tutorials to ensure every project is delivered on-time, within budget, and to business specifications.
Complexity and Variety of Clients
A good measure of the reputation of an IT consulting firm is their list of clients. Have they worked with national or global clients, proving their ability to handle multi-faceted and complex projects? Have they worked with clients similar to your company, organization, or project? Darby Consulting’s client list includes some of the world’s best organizations as rated by US News and Fortune 500 in various industries, from healthcare to oil and gas to higher education.
Hiring the Right IT Consulting Firm with Confidence
Hiring the right IT consulting firm can be a daunting task, but with these tips, you’ll be able to narrow down your potential IT consulting partner list drastically. If there is anything we can do for you or answer, don’t hesitate to reach out!
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ABOUT DARBY CONSULTING
IT project delivery is what we do. For over 10 years, we’ve helped growing organizations consistently deliver successful IT projects – both software and hardware. We’ve pioneered innovative methods and tools tailored specifically for your success. And we’re affordable; we’ve built a cost-effective operating model so we can offer exceptional IT project services at prices that will surprise you. This means more projects completed on-time, higher end-user satisfaction, and increased growth for your organization.
Let us help you successfully plan and deliver your next IT project. Schedule a meeting today!
