Does this sound like your situation?
It may be time to hire a Computer Network consultant to evaluate your network or computer needs. Although system overhaul expenditures only occur on an average of every five to seven years, the associated expenses to upgrade or replace the system are significant, and you don't want to make a mistake.

Benefits of Hiring a Computer Network Consultant
Whether buying, building or overhauling your system, a consultant can leverage your resources.

Organizations hire consultants for one or more of the following four reasons:
• to acquire expertise and experience the organization doesn't possess
• to gain objectivity from a third party
• to hire temporary staff to carry out the assignment you know how to do
• to provide credibility and documentation for decisionsSeveral

Circumstances that lend themselves to hiring consultants include:
• developing a human resource technology strategy to identify goals and priorities and integrate with the information systems technology plan
• re-engineering work flows. Examine how to achieve efficiencies by eliminating redundant tasks, improving work procedures and performance scenarios for evaluations, a data dictionary or even a short shopping list of requirements
• evaluating options from a range of choices. Expand your knowledge of available options and examine the suitability for your environment
• converting from one system or platform to another
• training on specific applications and systems you will use
• writing a manual that reflects both current procedures and how the software functions. The book also could be used as a reference guide and training resource.

As technology increases, consultants play an increasing role in the management of businesses.Learning to manage a consulting project is one more skill to help you become successful.

Managing a Consultant
Selecting a new system or other major technology is at many times stressful. Essential to your success is managing the consultant, while the consultant manages the work. Here are a few keys to success:

Clarify your expectations. Unmet expectations are the primary source of dissatisfaction in all relationships. Clarity of expectations is a critical factor in a successful technology project. Outline your reasons for hiring a consultant including an assignment description. Also, include a brief paragraph on the organization (businesses, demographics, sites), the circumstances that led you to seek a consultant, and the goals, business conditions and deadline information. The thought process and resulting document help to identify the type of consultant you need and helps him to develop a proposal.

Manage the project. Even a one-person project to assess needs for a small organization should have a project plan that includes major phases, goals, methodology, tasks, responsibilities, resources, scheduling and the delivery of each product for each phase. The plan is your tool for managing expectation, solving problems and controlling costs. It is also possible that more time will be spent on updating the plan than on the work itself. However, regular meetings to review progress are essential to success.
Examine how to achieve efficiencies by eliminating redundant tasks, improving work procedures and exploiting the capability of technology; writing a system definition document that could become system requirements, As technology increases, consultants play an increasing role in the management of businesses. Learning to manage a consulting project is one more skill to help you become successful.

Selecting a new system or other major technology is a project you might do once a decade. For a consulting firm, the assignment is its day-to-day work. That is, the firm has performed the work on numerous occasions.

Turn to Nittany Link, Inc. for your Computer Network Technology needs.
Call Barbara at 1-888-333-WEBS

::back to top