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IT Consultant
Mary Weilage
TechRepublic Staff
Mary Weilage
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Be careful on your first contact with a prospect
Chip Camden reminds consultants to consider their personal safety when meeting with a prospect for the first time, and identifies potential risks of first contact when it happens online or by phone.
Posted by Chip Camden | November 15, 2012, 12:08 PM PST | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Essential skills of a Big Data Project Manager
Will Kelly examines what it takes to build yourself into the project manager of choice for Big Data projects.
Posted by Will Kelly | November 7, 2012, 5:26 AM PST
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Anatomy of a successful consulting engagement
Find out what you can learn about getting buy-in, delivering on your promises, making yourself obsolete, and more in this overview of a successful engagement from TopDown Consulting.
Posted by Chip Camden | November 6, 2012, 9:54 AM PST | Latest comment by cmaritz@...
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How to become an in-demand Windows 8 consultant
Windows 8 projects are coming for IT consultants. Will Kelly advises on which Windows 8 areas to be knowledgeable about in order to position yourself as the right person for such a job.
Posted by Will Kelly | October 31, 2012, 1:35 PM PDT | Latest comment by gedwin_hernandez@...
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What Windows 8 closed app distribution means for consultants
If you plan to develop custom Windows 8 applications for your clients, you have three choices. Chip Camden outlines those options.
Posted by Chip Camden | October 29, 2012, 9:56 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Build a task reporting window filter in Microsoft Project 2010
Andrew Makar helps a TechRepublic reader by explaining how to create a custom filter in Microsoft Project 2010 that identifies the tasks within a specific date range.
Posted by Andrew Makar | October 26, 2012, 9:41 AM PDT
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WIC survey touts characteristics of successful consultants
Chip Camden highlights the findings from the recent Women in Consulting survey, and concludes what four things the results mean for your business.
Posted by Chip Camden | October 24, 2012, 9:04 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Siege warfare IT project: A cautionary tale
Consultant Bob Eisenhardt shares how a client's simple request for a public Wi-Fi turned into a nine-month nightmare project.
Posted by Bob Eisenhardt | October 23, 2012, 11:27 AM PDT | Latest comment by robo_dev
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Get a full-fledged project management application with Mindjet
Mindjet is best known for mind mapping and brainstorming of ideas but is now a capable project management application. Will Kelly explains why.
Posted by Will Kelly | October 17, 2012, 10:45 AM PDT | Latest comment by robinsdr
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When you're the second consultant
If you're called in as the second consultant, one tip is to be honest with the other consultant and your client about the state of things without getting too emotional about it.
Posted by Chip Camden | October 15, 2012, 8:31 AM PDT | Latest comment by nyong2012
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Use Visio 2010 for visualizing and presenting project schedules
Learn how to create a project timeline in Microsoft Visio 2010, import project schedule data into a Visio timeline, create a WBS with Visio, and get your diagram into a presentation or document.
Posted by Will Kelly | October 10, 2012, 8:40 AM PDT | Latest comment by KlausGerome
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How Managed Services Provider University can help your IT consultancy
If your IT consultancy is introducing or refining its managed services provider offerings, find out how MSP University can help through training, best practices, and assistance.
Posted by Erik Eckel | October 8, 2012, 10:28 AM PDT
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Review: LivePlan business planning service
LivePlan is an online service for entrepreneurs who need to develop a business plan. Consultant Chip Camden gives his opinion about whether LivePlan is worth the $20 monthly subscription.
Posted by Chip Camden | October 5, 2012, 10:29 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Take your project management application open source with ProjectLibre
ProjectLibre is an open source alternative to Microsoft Project. Will Kelly reveals what he likes and what he thinks needs improving in ProjectLibre.
Posted by Will Kelly | October 3, 2012, 9:17 AM PDT
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Tracking your performance as an independent IT consultant
Are you meeting your client's expectations and your financial requirements? These are just two of the questions you should answer when tracking your performance.
Posted by Chip Camden | October 2, 2012, 11:38 AM PDT | Latest comment by mbaizman
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How IT consultants can deal with language barriers
Verbal communication can be a challenge when you're working with resources all over the place as an IT consultant, but you can't abandon it entirely. Get pointers for handling this potentially...
Posted by Ken Hardin | September 27, 2012, 11:48 AM PDT | Latest comment by Brian Barker
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Identify tasks to update in Microsoft Project 2010
Learn how to customize Microsoft Project 2010 to use simple indicator flags. You can apply these formulas to baseline dates, cost fields, and a variety of other Microsoft Project fields.
Posted by Andrew Makar | September 24, 2012, 9:40 AM PDT
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Twitter demonstrates troubleshooting capacity in tech crisis
Erik Eckel recounts how his IT consultancy used Twitter with great success during a recent tech crises, thanks to the real-time assistance and collaboration with other consultants.
Posted by Erik Eckel | September 21, 2012, 1:32 PM PDT | Latest comment by Jaqui
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Be courageous when your client calls in another consultant
Chip Camden reflects on how he will respond if a client brings in another consultant who muddies the working relationship.
Posted by Chip Camden | September 19, 2012, 3:15 PM PDT | Latest comment by JohnMcGrew@...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
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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
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Manage IT projects with Wrike, a flexible SaaS-based solution
Wrike's import and export features get praise from our reviewer. Find out what else this project management solution offers in this features rundown.
Posted by Will Kelly | May 8, 2013, 6:10 AM PDT
