Finding Prince Charming (Part 2)

 

What does speed dating have to do with choosing a consulting firm for your next software project? Plenty. Every consulting firm who has answered your RFP is a potential date. Just like in speed dating, you'll get a lot of proposals and not much time to choose between your suitors. But it isn't just for dinner and a movie, it's for the success or failure of your project (and maybe your company).

Luckily, learning to recognize the warning signs isn't hard. Set your B.S. detector to "kill," and learn to tell if your potential consulting firm is a bad date before they show up at your door. In our concluding installment, we cover the remaining four signs to look out for.

Sign Four: Poor Understanding of Requirements

When planning a date, a thoughtful person makes sure their guest has a good time by asking what they want to do. Wouldn't you be super embarrassed if you took a date to the movies only to find out they've already seen "Screaming Zombie Belly Dancers from Outer Space"?

Your consulting firm needs to show they have a firm understanding of the requirements of the project. Here are some ways they can demonstrate their understanding:

• A section in the proposal that describes the business problem to solve (or the vision of the product), a profile of end users, and the most important requirements;
• A high-level architecture diagram that …

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