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IT Consultant
Mary Weilage
TechRepublic Staff
Mary Weilage
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Deciding who pays for a client-related expense
Get general guidelines on when consultants or their clients should pay for such expenses as travel, necessary equipment and software, and paid software licenses.
Posted by Chip Camden | July 9, 2012, 9:17 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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What independence means to consultants
Chip Camden explores the question of whether independent consultants are truly free and, if so, to what degree.
Posted by Chip Camden | July 3, 2012, 1:03 PM PDT | Latest comment by JohnMcGrew@...
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An agile management success story: Interview with Glu Mobile's CEO
Glu Mobile CEO Niccolo De Masi opens up about the challenges of running an agile enterprise in the mobile gaming space.
Posted by Rick Freedman | July 2, 2012, 5:17 PM PDT
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Improve the proficiency of your IT consultancy's techs
Here are three steps IT consultancies can take to get techs up to speed and then maintain a high level of expertise.
Posted by Erik Eckel | June 28, 2012, 12:40 PM PDT | Latest comment by innovativeconsulting
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Preparing for the day you don't come back
Here's what to consider before the unfortunate case of your demise to insure that clients aren't just left wondering what to do next.
Posted by Chip Camden | June 25, 2012, 12:01 PM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Apply positive agile development roadmap practices in your organization
The view of agile development as a simple methodology shift is a predictor of failure, according to Rick Freedman. Read his four tips on applying positive agile roadmap practices.
Posted by Rick Freedman | June 20, 2012, 9:14 AM PDT
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How IT consultants should prepare for downtime
Here are four key things to consider when you need to take three or more days off from your consulting work.
Posted by Chip Camden | June 19, 2012, 10:41 AM PDT | Latest comment by frank_miller
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What my father taught me about consulting
Don't sacrifice long-term goals for short-term gain is one of the many lessons about running a business that independent consultant Chip Camden learned from his Dad.
Posted by Chip Camden | June 12, 2012, 9:30 AM PDT | Latest comment by komal001
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Manage 'on spec' requests before signing a contract
Find out how to placate a potential client who is asking off-proposal questions without being taken to the cleaners.
Posted by Ken Hardin | June 11, 2012, 4:24 PM PDT
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Laying out a client relationship in just enough detail
Don't give out your secret recipe when creating proposals for a service relationship. Read three tips on drafting meaningful yet flexible proposals.
Posted by Ken Hardin | June 7, 2012, 4:14 PM PDT
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What to tell your clients about Windows 8
When your clients should adopt Windows 8 depends on the kind of clients you serve. Chip Camden recommends testing the Release Preview and forming a rollout plan now.
Posted by Chip Camden | June 5, 2012, 7:24 AM PDT | Latest comment by abbos@...
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Applying agile concepts at HomeAway
HomeAway's VP of Engineering Jack Yang comments on how the company embraced agile and made it a core value, the real business advantage of agile thinking, and more.
Posted by Rick Freedman | May 30, 2012, 8:32 AM PDT
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Obtaining referrals from your clients
Chip Camden shares advice on asking clients for referrals, giving clients a referral incentive, and collecting electronic referrals via email or social network post.
Posted by Chip Camden | May 28, 2012, 9:16 PM PDT | Latest comment by Greg Miliates
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Researching your first date with a potential services client
Follow these five tips on how to make a great best first impression when you go into an initial meeting with a prospect.
Posted by Ken Hardin | May 25, 2012, 1:56 PM PDT
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Deliverables: Reality and perception in client invoices
Trust, honesty, and openness with your client are especially important when invoicing for a project that require days or weeks of attention before reaching a milestone.
Posted by Chip Camden | May 23, 2012, 8:29 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Agile grows up and new challenges emerge
The conversation shift from "why should we adopt agile?" to "how can we adapt to agile across the enterprise?" presents a new set of cultural and tactical challenges.
Posted by Rick Freedman | May 22, 2012, 1:16 PM PDT | Latest comment by StevenDDeacon
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Use VBA to highlight missing baseline finish dates in Microsoft Project 2010
In part two of his series on using VBA in Microsoft Project 2010, Andrew Makar describes how to build a custom task field highlighting feature.
Posted by Andrew Makar | May 16, 2012, 12:55 PM PDT | Latest comment by Tommy Lovelace
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Get started with Microsoft Project and Visual Basic programming
Andrew Makar goes back to basics and offers simple VBA examples that you can apply to Microsoft Project schedules.
Posted by Andrew Makar | May 14, 2012, 1:42 PM PDT | Latest comment by Tony Hopkinson
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The worst client of all
Consultants, how do you deal with your IT needs? Do you schedule time for yourself, as if you were a client? Let us know in the discussion.
Posted by Chip Camden | May 11, 2012, 7:44 AM PDT | Latest comment by JohnMcGrew@...
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Download TechRepublic's Server Update and Patch Management Policy
Consultants can better prepare clients for required server patch and upgrade maintenance operations by using this TechRepublic policy.
Posted by Erik Eckel | May 11, 2012, 6:40 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
