A consulting engagement should be renewed because the business has a defined next question or implementation need, not simply because meetings have become familiar. Review what the first assignment established, what the team can now do itself and what additional expertise is genuinely required. Continuity is useful when it has a clear purpose.
A consulting engagement should be renewed because the business has a defined next question or implementation need, not simply because meetings have become familiar. Review what the first assignment established, what the team can now do itself and what additional expertise is genuinely required. Continuity is useful when it has a clear purpose.
Compare the agreed investigation, deliverables and authorised changes with what was provided. Ask staff whether the action plan and operating materials are usable. Distinguish a completed diagnostic from implementation that was never included in the original fee.
Record unresolved questions and their owners. A consultant should not remain indefinitely necessary because the final output lacks enough clarity for the business to act without another meeting.
Where recommendations were implemented, review the evidence and operating conditions. Avoid attributing every change in sales or cost to the consultant. The result may reflect demand, staffing or other decisions made during the same period.
For example, faster quotations after a pilot may be encouraging, but the business should check whether request complexity and staffing were comparable before treating the improvement as a guaranteed ongoing saving.
State the new question, implementation stage or review support required. Ask whether the same consultant has the relevant capability and whether a specialist should be appointed instead. Confirm named personnel, fees, access and any vendor relationships.
If the next stage expands to another branch or process, assess the evidence needed rather than assume the first findings apply unchanged. Prior knowledge can reduce orientation effort, but it does not eliminate the need for a scoped method.
Agree which routines and decisions staff will manage without the consultant. Include a clear handover or exit point and identify the records the business retains. Ongoing advisory access can be useful, but should have a defined purpose and service boundary.
Document the renewal rationale and review date. A good extension builds on evidence and transfers practical capability to the business. It should not turn a bounded improvement project into a permanent dependency whose value is measured mainly by the consultant's continued availability rather than the decisions and routines the SME can now manage.
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