What consultants should leave behind

Software Magazine, Sept, 1998

Too often, when IT consultants' jobs are finished, they take with them all of the knowledge of. how to do that job.

It should not be that way, says Stewart Stokes, national practice director, behavioral skills management, for Platinum Technology Solutions, writing in the May 1998 issue of IT Performance Improvement. It's vital to have a process that allows your in-house staff to gradually absorb some of the consultants' smarts, both to upgrade their skills (and keep them motivated) and to reduce reliance on consultants further downstream.

Knowledge transfer should be negotiated during the consultant contracting stage, says Stokes. "It's in the IS staff's best interest to ensure that the transfer process is well defined and thorough," he says. Of course, such terms aren't exactly volunteered by most consultants, which is why negotiations are necessary in the first place.

Lack of knowledge transfer results in demotivated IS staffers; they may be passed over as project leaders because they're perceived as not knowing as much as the consultants, observes Stokes. The defections that can result are an early sign of a "de-skilling" spiral that no IS organization can afford to experience.

IT Performance Management is a monthly newsletter that focuses on skills building and retention in IS environments. An annual subscription costs $345 in the U.S. The publication is available by calling 800-272-7737. (In Florida, call 561-994-0555.)