How Outside Consultants Can Strengthen Your Project Team
Every project office has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. Over time, the needs of a Project Team evolve—new projects may require advanced skills, team members may leave, or internal resources may become stretched too thin. In these situations, outside consultants play a vital role in providing expertise, objectivity, and support.
Whether you’re tackling a complex project or trying to optimize internal processes, external partners can help your team navigate challenges and achieve success. Here’s how consultants add value to project teams.
Improving Communication
Effective communication is critical to the success of any project, but it’s often where teams struggle the most. Outside consultants bring strategies to improve both internal and external communication:
- Identifying Bottlenecks: Consultants can pinpoint where information flow is breaking down and help streamline communication processes.
- Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement: They ensure that critical data is shared with stakeholders, sponsors, and executives in a timely and effective way.
- Creating Protocols: External experts develop tailored communication plans that align with the project’s needs and organizational goals.
Example:
A project stalled due to misaligned updates between departments. By implementing a structured communication strategy, the consultant ensured that all teams received consistent, actionable information, improving project momentum.
Facilitating Productivity and Decision-Making
When project teams face decision paralysis or lack direction, consultants provide the facilitation skills needed to get the project back on track.
- Prioritizing Critical Steps: Consultants help teams identify the most important tasks and set clear priorities.
- Resolving Complex Issues: From staffing needs to resource allocation, they guide teams through difficult decisions.
- Streamlining Processes: External partners pinpoint areas of waste and inefficiency, helping teams develop realistic implementation strategies.
Example:
A consultancy facilitated a workshop to resolve resource allocation issues, leading to a clear roadmap that accelerated project delivery.
Providing Training and Knowledge Transfer
External consultants are often experts in project management methodologies and best practices. They provide valuable training to bolster your team’s skills and knowledge.
- Core Project Management Skills: Training topics include communication strategies, risk management, and project schedule development.
- Tailored Learning: Consultants offer classes and workshops based on your team’s specific needs and project challenges.
- Long-Term Benefits: By sharing their expertise, consultants empower teams to handle similar challenges independently in the future.
Example:
A consultancy provided training on project controls and risk management, helping the team improve their ability to anticipate and mitigate potential issues.
Defining Project Scope
Setting clear project parameters is often one of the most challenging tasks for a Project Team. External consultants bring clarity and balance to scope definition:
- Aligning Stakeholder Needs: Consultants facilitate discussions to ensure that project goals align with sponsor expectations and organizational resources.
- Managing Pushback: They help teams find the intersection between what’s required, what’s achievable, and what’s realistic.
- Avoiding Scope Creep: By setting clear boundaries, consultants help teams avoid overcommitting resources or under-delivering results.
Example:
An external expert guided a team through a scope definition workshop, ensuring that stakeholder demands were prioritized without exceeding available resources.
Offering Neutrality and Objectivity
One of the most valuable roles a consultant plays is that of a neutral, objective party. Free from internal politics and biases, they can assess situations fairly and provide honest recommendations.
- Objective Feedback: Consultants offer unbiased insights that aren’t influenced by internal pressures or organizational hierarchies.
- Building Trust: End users and stakeholders often feel more comfortable sharing candid feedback with external partners.
- Reducing Conflict: By presenting data and ideas impartially, consultants help resolve disagreements and foster collaboration.
Example:
A consultant mediated discussions between two conflicting departments, ensuring both parties’ concerns were addressed and the project progressed smoothly.
The Value of Outside Consultants for Project Teams
Outside consultants bring a wealth of skills and expertise that can help project teams overcome challenges, improve processes, and deliver better results. From enhancing communication and facilitation to providing training, scope definition, and neutrality, their contributions are invaluable for teams facing complex or resource-strapped projects.
By leveraging external expertise, Project Teams can:
- Improve communication flow and stakeholder engagement.
- Streamline decision-making and boost productivity.
- Gain access to valuable training and knowledge transfer.
- Define project scope clearly and realistically.
- Benefit from objective, neutral perspectives.
When your team needs additional support, consider how an outside consultant like PMAlliance can help you achieve your project goals more effectively.
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FAQs About Using Outside Consultants for Project Teams
1. How can consultants improve project communication?
Consultants identify communication bottlenecks and create protocols to ensure timely and effective information flow among stakeholders and team members.
2. What role do consultants play in decision-making?
Consultants facilitate decision-making by prioritizing critical steps, resolving complex issues, and streamlining processes to improve productivity.
3. How do consultants support project training?
Consultants provide tailored training sessions to enhance project management skills, including risk management, resource allocation, and communication strategies.
4. Why is scope definition important for project success?
Clear scope definition aligns stakeholder needs with organizational resources, preventing scope creep and ensuring achievable project goals.
5. How does consultant neutrality benefit project teams?
As neutral parties, consultants offer unbiased feedback, reduce conflicts, and build trust among stakeholders, end users, and project teams.
PMAlliance, Inc uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project portfolio management.