As you interview consulting firms for your Salesforce.com work there are two standouts that are must haves of any firm: “Does this firm understand what we need,” and “Will this firm work well with our company?” If the firm is able to check both of these boxes and you have decided to move forward in choosing a Salesforce consultant to assist with your project or design your solution, you will want to choose a seasoned professional whom you can trust to get the job done right and communicate effectively along the way. Making sure the project takes off in the right direction and stays on course should be a priority for the consultant, and they should be well prepared before taking any action in your org.
The better prepared your consultant is for the engagement, the better the engagement will be for all parties involved. A great sign of professionalism is someone who knows how to pump the brakes at first, gather the necessary information to make informed decisions, and who hits the ground running when they have a better understanding of the project and how to truly meet your needs. While an eagerness to get started is a promising trait, jumping in blindly can lead to solutions that completely miss the mark, or need months to remedy. A quick start can give a false illusion to a quality end product, and can cause a deterioration in your relationship.
Once the consultant is properly prepared, they should be able to get the project started in a well organized manner to make sure the project progresses as it should, and preferably, as smoothly as possible.
Let’s discuss the proper steps a consultant should take before arriving onsite for an engagement, and how to properly kick-off the project.
Preparing for the Engagement
As the consultant prepares for the engagement, they should gather information to make the onboarding process successful. At a minimum, your consultant should get background information on you as a client, the circumstances surrounding what has prompted you to work with a consultant, and what the environment and culture are like at your company. They should strive to understand your history and background to shape the future steps they take to implement a solution.
Your consultant should also understand why you need a consultant in the first place, instead of opting to keep this as an internal project, with a few delegated team members. Knowing the problem you are looking to solve is a must for any consultant, but it is still just a part of the onboarding process. They should also make an effort to understand the stakeholders and their relationships both to the project and to each other.
There should also be sufficient communication regarding risks and challenges around the project, such as internal issues that should be considered. There should be zero surprises when it comes to setting the proper expectations for both parties involved. Logistics such as building access and security should be discussed, as well as how to obtain the proper hardware if your consultant will be visiting on-site. The consultant should also be well informed regarding your policies and practices, as it helps them stay in line and ensures they are following the same rules as others within your company.
Before any work begins in your Salesforce org, the consultant should clearly set expectations regarding the delivery, and this should be mutually agreed upon by both parties, as well. This is especially true for the following:
What will be delivered: This should go beyond a simple regurgitation of your project inquiry, and should be provided in an outlined form so that you know every change that will be implemented in your org as well as a high level overview for a variety of stakeholders.
When it will be delivered: The consultant should aim for a final deadline, as well as milestones along the way so you can monitor to make sure the project is moving as is expected.
How the engagement will progress: You should understand what to expect regarding the frequency of your communications with the consultant, as well as how deliveries will occur, and if there is any user testing or weekly meetings to be expected.
Who will be involved: The consultant should clearly indicate who from their firm will be involved, and fully understand with whom to communicate at your company, as well.
Where will this take place: If there are any on-site visits, those should be established as early as possible, and mentioned during the onboarding so arrangements can be properly made.
If at any time there is uncertainty or ambiguity, stop and get clarification from the consultant. It is not uncommon for there to be back-and-forth communications to ensure everyone has the same expectations. This is oftentimes expected, and should be encouraged by your consultant, as well. Furthermore, if at any time there is a disagreement between the client’s expectations and consultant’s expectations, clearly express your concerns with emails or phone calls. After all, this is your project, and you should feel absolutely comfortable with the consultant you’ve chosen for the job.
Once their due diligence is complete, the project should enter the kick-off phase.
Kicking-Off Your Engagement
The consultant has taken time to properly prepare for your project and now it’s time to kick things off. By this point, everyone should be excited, including the stakeholders. The kick-off should be structured as a formal meeting with buildup and a lot of energy.
Starting out in the meeting, the consultant should review a well outlined agenda that discusses the meeting and what will be touched upon. It would also be a great headstart for them to send an email outlining this information before the meeting, as well. This is where formal introductions can be made on each side, and everyone present should be introduced, as well as their role in the project.
The consultant should tell the story of the needs and wants of the customer and how they fit in with providing a solution, thus showing the customer that they are as much a part of this journey as the consultant. These should be the building blocks of establishing trust, as the consultant should put you at ease with reassuring you with how necessary your involvement is in the process.
Once the foundation of trust is laid, the consultant should launch the project plan, and seem confident while doing so. They should clarify the “why” of the project, which is essentially the business reason for the engagement.
Even though they may be running the presentation, there should still be a review and clarifications made if there is any misunderstanding of the context regarding the broader picture of how the project and its resolution fits into your needs. You should make sure there is a clear definition of success, along with what will be delivered, and by when. Both parties should also agree on how success will be measured, as well as risk mitigation strategies and responsibilities.
Essentially, the consultant should fully understand the big picture regarding your engagement. Finding someone who takes the time to prepare and communicates in a manner that best fits your company is worth the effort once you understand the impact those steps have on project success.
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