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IT Consultant
Mary Weilage
TechRepublic Staff
Mary Weilage
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Project managers' new role as social facilitators
Rick Freedman explores the project manager's new role in a collaborative environment. Learn about four key success factors for PMs as social facilitators.
Posted by Rick Freedman | June 28, 2011, 9:29 AM PDT | Latest comment by javedpmp
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Avoid unpleasant tax surprises for your IT consultancy
Sales and use tax audits don't need to be anxiety-provoking events for IT consultancies. Here are suggestions on how your firm can avoid tax nightmares.
Posted by Erik Eckel | June 27, 2011, 10:22 AM PDT | Latest comment by HAL 9000
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Get your IT consultancy staff up to speed
It's unrealistic to expect an IT consultancy new hire to know everything necessary for the job from day one. Here are five ways to beef up employees' skill sets.
Posted by Erik Eckel | June 24, 2011, 11:37 AM PDT | Latest comment by apotheon
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Combating biases in IT consulting
Consultants should attempt to reduce the influence these biases (among others) might have on clients: mere exposure effect, hyperbolic discounting, and normalcy bias.
Posted by Chip Camden | June 21, 2011, 11:38 AM PDT | Latest comment by TGGIII
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Three minutes to effective issue management
Find out what old writing trick one project manager employs in issue review meetings to help manage time better and keep team members focused.
Posted by Andrew Makar | June 17, 2011, 11:01 AM PDT | Latest comment by fcchan
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Is failure ever the best option for consultants?
Would giving a client a little taste of disaster before your IT service saves the day make the client more appreciative of your work? Read why a TechRepublic member recently contemplated this...
Posted by Chip Camden | June 13, 2011, 7:13 AM PDT | Latest comment by reisen55@...
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Never assume engineers have mastered all the fundamentals
Erik Eckel argues that it's unreasonable to assume every technician can master the vast technologies consultancies are commonly tasked to support. Read his suggestions for building specific areas...
Posted by Erik Eckel | June 10, 2011, 9:47 AM PDT | Latest comment by Alpha_Dog
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Listen, learn, question, and think before you consult
Chip Camden believes consulting is a five-stage process, and the consult is the final stage. Read how being a listener, student, interrogator, and thinker helps to inform your consulting decisions.
Posted by Chip Camden | June 3, 2011, 5:43 PM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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How IT consultants are different from contractors
IT consultants must be more versatile than IT contractors, according to Erik Eckel. He discusses other differences between the two types of technology pros.
Posted by Erik Eckel | June 1, 2011, 10:04 AM PDT | Latest comment by Tony Hopkinson
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Questions independents should consider before joining a consulting firm
Before signing on with a consulting firm during difficult economic times, Chip Camden advises you to ask yourself four tough questions and get thorough answers.
Posted by Chip Camden | May 27, 2011, 9:27 PM PDT | Latest comment by rholt@...
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When the Significant Other pulls rank
If spousal emergencies and interruptions occur frequently while you're working on a consulting engagement, Chip Camden offers advice on how to attempt to solve this problem.
Posted by Chip Camden | May 20, 2011, 8:18 PM PDT | Latest comment by jpnagle59
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Launching an IT consultancy: What has changed since 2008
Erik Eckel updates his tips about starting an IT consultancy to include some lessons that his office learned in the wake of the financial crisis.
Posted by Erik Eckel | May 12, 2011, 1:41 PM PDT | Latest comment by GregMiliates
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Small business lessons for IT consultants
TechRepublic blogger Chip Camden discusses Maggie Mason's seven lessons for small businesses from an IT consultant's perspective. What lessons would you add to the list?
Posted by Chip Camden | May 11, 2011, 2:49 PM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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'I told you so' moments in IT consulting
Read a TechRepublic member's story in which he ended up telling his client, "I told you so." Chip Camden reminds IT consultants that not all "I told you so" lessons have such happy endings.
Posted by Chip Camden | May 6, 2011, 10:07 PM PDT | Latest comment by SamFrench2003@...
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IT consultant job snapshots from Erik Eckel and Chip Camden
Two busy IT consultants describe the demands of their job and how they meet the challenges. Read about the training and experience that led them to this career.
Posted by Toni Bowers | May 6, 2011, 10:41 AM PDT
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Protect your IT consultancy from untrustworthy vendors
Erik Eckel says a vendor gave a client false information about a solution his IT consultancy deployed. He discusses IT consultants' only defense in such situations with vendors.
Posted by Erik Eckel | May 3, 2011, 7:16 PM PDT | Latest comment by MeijerTSR
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The dirty tricks clients play
Chip Camden describes common bad behaviors that some clients exhibit. He also advises consultants on how to respond when they encounter these bad apples.
Posted by Chip Camden | April 29, 2011, 7:40 AM PDT | Latest comment by pgit
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Why consultants should not sell generic PCs and servers
Erik Eckel encourages consultancies to deploy systems specified and assembled by major manufacturers rather than generic "white-box" computers and servers.
Posted by Erik Eckel | April 25, 2011, 5:10 PM PDT | Latest comment by stuart@...
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Don't play dirty consultant tricks
Chip Camden offers his take on an article that characterizes consultants as vampires who are opponents of their clients' best interests. He also shares tips on how to avoid playing dirty...
Posted by Chip Camden | April 22, 2011, 8:34 PM PDT | Latest comment by Richard-HK
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Ensure consultancy engineers know how to wire networks
Engineers at IT consultancies should know how to wire networks because they'll be better prepared to troubleshoot the myriad network failures they'll encounter on the job.
Posted by Erik Eckel | April 18, 2011, 1:21 PM PDT | Latest comment by AnsuGisalas
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Tips for choosing your professional email address
Your professional email address is like a handshake to clients. Chip Camden advises what to do and what not to do when creating that email address.
Posted by Chip Camden | September 13, 2011, 7:14 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Microsoft Project Professional 2013 new features preview
After using the Microsoft Project Professional 2013 Preview, Will Kelly reports back on a handful of appealing new features and tools.
Posted by Will Kelly | September 18, 2012, 8:24 AM PDT
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Create a one-page status report with Microsoft Project 2010
See how easy it is to customize Microsoft Project 2010 to create a custom view that filters detailed tasks and highlights the major deliverables that need reviewing in a status report.
Posted by Andrew Makar | March 13, 2013, 12:51 AM PDT
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Configure automated backups using SyncToy and Windows 7's Scheduled Task
Learn how to create a new SyncToy task that automatically schedules backups of the directories clients need regularly backed up to a network share or external hard disk.
Posted by Erik Eckel | March 9, 2012, 2:34 PM PST | Latest comment by wdpcpa
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Learn BYOD policy best practices from templates
No two BYOD policies are or should be alike. Here are four BYOD policy templates that might help you seed your BYOD policy discussion and development process.
Posted by Will Kelly | May 1, 2013, 6:03 AM PDT
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Define project scope to include deliverables, boundaries, and requirements
There are two places that scope is defined on your project. High-level scope is defined in your project charter. Low-level scope is defined in your business requirements document. High-level...
Posted by Tom Mochal | September 18, 2007, 1:01 AM PDT | Latest comment by user_786@...
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Signs a client may not be ready for managed services
Warning bells should go off in your head if you spot any of these items indicating managed services are not a priority at a prospective client's site.
Posted by Erik Eckel | May 15, 2013, 9:44 AM PDT | Latest comment by jbrunner007@...
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Mitigate project role confusion for staff wearing multiple hats
If you expect your developers or contractors to take on business analyst or project manager roles, here are three ways to help them be effective and stay motivated.
Posted by Rick Freedman | July 23, 2012, 5:01 PM PDT | Latest comment by lars.aarby@...
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Customizable IT consultant sample contract
Chip Camden presents his standard consulting contract, along with explanations about each section. See if you can modify his contract to fit your needs.
Posted by Chip Camden | November 3, 2008, 6:31 AM PST | Latest comment by amilkh
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Seven rules for flying with a laptop: Share these tips with clients
A client is planning on flying for an upcoming trip, and you know he may not have time to check the TSA's guidelines on traveling with a laptop. Be a good little elf and prepare your client for...
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 22, 2008, 5:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Marty R. Milette
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Marketing trends and strategies for consultants
These survey results indicate what types of marketing consultants spend time on compared with how those varying time commitments result in income.
Posted by Chip Camden | April 23, 2013, 7:07 AM PDT | Latest comment by joerejeski
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Data center build-out considerations for small IT consultancies
Your IT consulting firm can gain a competitive edge in its region by building its cloud network. Here are three factors to consider before making this investment.
Posted by Erik Eckel | April 19, 2013, 8:29 AM PDT
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Herding tigers: How to manage subcontractors for your consultancy
Chip Camden tells a reader who is starting an IT consultancy that she has to coordinate efforts between clients and her genius subcontractors. Post your advice on managing subcontractors.
Posted by Chip Camden | May 7, 2013, 1:25 PM PDT | Latest comment by realvarezm
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Telling clients 'I don't know' is acceptable
Consultants should market themselves to clients as providing the right answers rather than having all the answers. This is why it's beneficial to know how to conduct reasoned research.
Posted by Chip Camden | August 23, 2011, 7:49 AM PDT | Latest comment by bobp@...
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Use PERT technique for more accurate estimates
Regardless of the technique you use, the tendency in project estimation is to provide one number for each estimate. In other words, if you have 100 activities on your schedule, each activity would...
Posted by Tom Mochal | June 25, 2007, 8:16 AM PDT | Latest comment by joebailey77
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How to determine your consulting fees
In my previous post I mentioned that I'm raising rates for most of my clients this year -- which brings up the question of how we consultants should determine our rates to begin with. Most...
Posted by Chip Camden | January 4, 2008, 1:55 PM PST | Latest comment by DonnaMitchell
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Independent contractors: Make sure your contract protects your interests
Writing a contract can help independent contractors and clients iron out project details ahead of time and avoid potential disputes down the line. Meredith Little outlines what verbiage and...
Posted by Meredith Little | March 13, 2009, 12:25 PM PDT | Latest comment by PMPsicle
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Only novices daisy-chain switches
If you support so many network nodes that multiple switches are required, technology consultant Erik Eckel encourages you to do it right.
Posted by Erik Eckel | November 11, 2011, 11:56 PM PST | Latest comment by spglmn
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Huddle: a worthy SharePoint alternative for client collaboration
SharePoint is the go-to collaboration suite for most professional services firms. Find out why the SaaS-based Huddle might be a more expedient and user-friendly client extranet option.
Posted by Will Kelly | May 16, 2013, 12:40 PM PDT
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Three strengths of a technical project manager
A technical project manager straddles the line between technical savvy and organizational skill. As I mentioned in my earlier blog, this combination makes him prone to the same kinds of...
Posted by Shannon Kalvar | April 14, 2007, 5:25 AM PDT | Latest comment by Todder
