- Follow this blog:
- RSS
- Email Alert
IT Consultant
Mary Weilage
TechRepublic Staff
Mary Weilage
-
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
-
The five fundamentals of IT consulting
Rick Freedman offers advice and observations from his book The IT Consultant: A Commonsense Framework for Managing the Client Relationship. See what you can learn about building a solid foundation...
Posted by TechRepublic | October 31, 2008, 2:02 PM PDT
-
Stay ahead of the economic crunch by encouraging clients to pay cash
Some clients like to pay consulting fees with credit accounts that actually cost the consultant money. Susan Harkins suggests offering cash discounts in lieu of credit payments.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 29, 2008, 3:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by JohnMcGrew@...
-
Communicating effectively with remote IT consulting clients
Remote IT consulting success depends on being able to communicate effectively with clients. Here are five important aspects of remote communication to keep in mind.
Posted by Chip Camden | October 28, 2008, 4:07 PM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
-
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
-
When your IT consulting client wants you to "buy in"
If a client asks you to be a partner, a shareholder, or an employee or promises to make you a celebrity, Chip Camden advises you to carefully weigh the pros and cons in each scenario.
Posted by Chip Camden | October 21, 2008, 6:31 AM PDT | Latest comment by nwnick
-
Are you an IT professional, a business analyst, or both?
It's not enough to have an expertise in just IT anymore. IT consultants are being challenged to assume analytical roles. How will you adapt?
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 14, 2008, 5:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by tlgalenson@...
-
An independent IT consultant's code of ethics
Do independent IT consultants require a specific code of ethics? Chip Camden thinks so. Read the code of ethics he presents to his clients, and then let us know if there's anything that you would...
Posted by Chip Camden | October 13, 2008, 4:41 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
-
Aligning an IT consultant's abilities to the potential client base
How do you align your abilities to meet the client needs that are available to you? Chip Camden proposes two approaches.
Posted by Chip Camden | October 7, 2008, 4:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
-
Encourage IT consulting clients to call before acting
Susan Harkins shares a story in which a fellow IT consultant's client reinstalled Windows Vista and lost everything on the system. She details how easy it would have been to just reset the password.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 6, 2008, 7:16 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
-
Download two ethics and conduct codes for IT consultants
Can signing a code of ethics really encourage honorable behavior among consultants? Download two firms' conduct codes, and find out how they use them.
Posted by TechRepublic | October 3, 2008, 5:14 PM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
-
Teach users to be wary of unexpected downloads
Even if you load your system up with protective tools, an educated user can be your best protection.
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 30, 2008, 11:41 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
-
Boost your IT consulting business with your friends' help
Mixing business and friendship can have its benefits -- if you set appropriate limits. Here are the potential upsides and downsides of taking on new business based on a friend's recommendation.
Posted by Chip Camden | September 29, 2008, 1:56 PM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
-
Internal consulting departments can provide nimble solutions and help retain clients
When a business asked a talented programmer to help establish an internal consulting department, he jumped at the chance. The biggest challenges proved to be more political than technological.
Posted by Paul Baldwin | September 24, 2008, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by tuomo@...
-
Search online for IT consulting mentors
The isolation caused by telecommuting, combined with the immediate availability of the wisdom of hundreds of experts through their blogs and other social media, make it more practical for...
Posted by Chip Camden | September 23, 2008, 5:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
-
Stamp out personal use of company Internet access, or... the policy everyone loves to ignore
Offer your clients guidance in defining and implementing a "no personal business" policy for corporate PCs.
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 22, 2008, 8:31 AM PDT | Latest comment by johntheadams
-
Lessons learned the hard way in an architectural document disaster
Delivering project reports in radically different formats gave the client a bad impression of this consulting firm. Here's how the staff remedied the situation and learned from their mistake.
Posted by Shannon Kalvar | September 18, 2008, 2:05 PM PDT | Latest comment by tuomo@...
-
Ethics: When telling the truth to the client hurts everyone
When a firm gets the majority of its business as a third-party consultant with a large vendor, it sometimes finds itself placed in the position of having to do what is best for the vendor and not...
Posted by Paul Baldwin | September 17, 2008, 11:31 AM PDT | Latest comment by mikifinaz1@...
-
How IT consultants can become mentors
Spending time coaching a client's employee can benefit all parties involved. Chip Camden explains the four steps that IT consultants should follow to become a mentor.
Posted by Chip Camden | September 15, 2008, 10:20 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
-
Urge consulting clients to prepare for disasters
Statistics on businesses lost to disaster are overwhelmingly oppressive. If you have a stubborn client who resists preparing for the worst, help shed some light on reality. Without a plan, the...
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 13, 2008, 10:04 AM PDT | Latest comment by Jaqui
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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@...
-
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
-
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
-
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@...
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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@...
-
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
-
Use LiquidPlanner's checklists to track project tasks and communications
LiquidPlanner's latest enhancements are checklists and better collaboration features. By using the checklists, your project team just might be more productive.
Posted by Will Kelly | April 18, 2013, 1:21 PM PDT
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Free project collaboration tools that rock
Andrew Makar explains why these three project collaboration tools are worth a look: Cohuman, Asana, and Trello.
Posted by Andrew Makar | December 3, 2011, 1:45 PM PST | Latest comment by Johndenham
