IT Management Reference Guide

As mentioned in the previous section, another alternative available to infrastructure managers needing to fill critical IT positions is the use of consultants and contractors. Their use in IT environments in general, and in IT infrastructures in particular, is increasing at a rapid rate for a variety of reasons. Technical specialization, accelerated time-tables for vital projects and recent legislation such as Sarbanes-Oxley are fostering the use of consultants and contractors.

Other factors such as outsourcing, company downsizing, acquisitions and mergers, and global competition are leading to significant reductions in full-time IT staff. This trend toward reduced IT staffing—especially in larger, more established shops—is also feeding the supply of ready consultants. Many of the previously displaced IT personnel elect to become independent consultants. Frequently many of these former workers enter into service contracts with their previous employers. Others market their skills to companies with IT environments similar to their previous company to ensure a good fit between the skills they can offer and the technical requirements needing to be met.

The explosive growth of the World Wide Web and the flood of Internet start-up companies have also contributed to unprecedented demand for IT consulting services. Integrating dissimilar architectures—database software, desktop operating systems, and networking technologies, for example—often requires specialized skills. In many cases managers find it easier to contract with a consultant for these specialized skills than to attempt to grow them from within. A heightened awareness of the benefits of new, replaced, or migrated systems is pushing implementation schedules forward. Accelerated schedules are well suited for the immediate availability and short-term commitments offered by consultants and contractors. The shortened project life cycles of open system applications, the rapid deployment of Web-enabled systems, and the intensifying of global competition are some of the forces at work today that fuel this demand for accelerated implementations.

Consultants come in a variety of types, and they contrast slightly with the notion of a contractor. Understanding the differences between the two can help ensure a better fit between the skills being offered and the business requirements needing to be met. The term consultant normally refers to someone hired to do an analytical task such as a capacity study, a security audit, or a re-engineering assignment. This contrasts with the term contractor which generally refers to someone hired to perform a more specific task such as coding an interface or developing a software enhancement.

Consultants are commonly supplied from one of the major accounting firms or from major computer hardware or software suppliers. Contractors, on the other hand, are more likely to come from software development companies or are in business for themselves. Consultants tend to be oriented toward issues of strategy, service process, and management. Contractors tend to be oriented towards issues of coding, documentation, technology, and deliverables. These orientations then determine the specific type of consultant or contractor to be hired.

Knowing the specific type of person to be hired helps in one other important area—that of teaming with onboard employees. For example, a consultant hired to develop IT customer service levels needs to show empathy toward the customers that he or she is dealing with. Similarly, a contractor hired to work with an existing team of onboard developers needs to be able to fit in with the members of the group. In this case, a reference check or two from recent previous employers may prevent potential personnel issues in the future with current full-time staff. This is particularly important if the engagement is likely to be long-term, and involves much interaction between the contractor and employees and users.

References

Schiesser, Rich, IT Systems Management, Prentice Hall, 2002