Senior leaders and managers will likely need the help of a consultant at some point. However, despite the clear need for consultants, many consulting engagements still fail, ending over budget, overdue, and with underwhelming results. This paper provides practical ways for clients to make the most out of their consulting engagements, including how to approach a consultant, how to set expectations, and how to successfully offboard the consultant, leaving both the client and consultant satisfied. Although this guide is written for clients, consultants can also leverage it to meet client expectations and develop a clear understanding of the client’s needs.

Building on “A Leader’s Guide to Working with Consultants: Moving from Consultant Dependency to Building Internal Capability,” published in the Fall 2021 DevOps Enterprise Journal, this guide focuses specifically on engagements where the consulting company is instrumental in delivering a new capability in the form of a product or service (i.e., delivery engagements).

As you read through this guide, the authors take you on a journey through epic stories of success and failure, leaving you with a clear picture of what good consulting can look like and how you can make your next delivery engagement a success!