Project Management Consultants

Guide to Project Management Consultants

Using project management consulting companies to train your staff in project management
By Janet Krenn

A project manager is someone who organizes, plans, and manages resources to see through a successful project. For companies that don't have the resources to hire a full-time project manager, project management consultants are the next best thing.

A project manager consultant can give a new perspective on a situation or a new solution to a problem. Project manager consultants can provide expertise that would cost exponentially more, if you sought to hire someone full-time.

If you think your company can benefit from project management consulting, consider these three options.
1. Hire a project management consulting company that can help train your staff while providing PM consultancy.
2. Weigh the options between hiring project management consultants and running project management software.
3. Choose an independent project management consultant to lower the cost of PM consultancy.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider some project management software Project management software can do all of the logistical planning, but it tends to fall short of creatively predicting troubles or changes in schedules. For projects that require a lot of expertise and thought, there is no replacement for an experienced project management consultant. If your project is less unpredictable, project management software may be all you need.

I recommend:  QuickBase, @Task, and MinuteMan Systems all offer downloadable project management software and free 30-day trials. If you don't want your project management information isolated to one computer, you can try a web-based project management program, such as BaseCamp, VSC Online, or WorkZone.

Compare some of the major project management consultant companies Large project management consulting companies offer many benefits. For one, you will get access to a pool of project manager consultants with a wide array of expertise. You can also get access to training tools that may help you avoid needing to contact a project manager consultant in the future.

I recommend:  Advanced Management Services for the most comprehensive list of project consultants. BMC Consulting also provides an array of project management consulting services, arranged by the current stage of the business seeking PM consultants.

Look for an independent project management consultant In choosing independent pm consultants you get the benefit of an experienced professional and you also get the benefit of choosing the project consultants that best fit your company needs.

I recommend:  searching through the resumes posted on the Association for Internal Management Consultants website. You can also advertise for project management consulting services through one of several freelance sites. Get A Freelancer and iFreelance both have project managers bidding for jobs posted by businesses. Simply stipulate that you're looking for a consultant project manager, and wait to see the response.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Big firms offer more than just project management consulting services. They can also help train your staff.
• If you're not sure which route to go, start with a 30 day trial of project management software. If you need more help with your project managing, look into an individual or firm project consultants.