Hi,
when we assign a task to our external consultants they make an estimation on the effort for them and then I control in our weekly meetings how much hours they have worked on that topic so far. Now they asked me if this is really necessary and if we could do the weekly controlling process only for taks that are overdue.
Fo me this would be ok, because I still would have a good overview over my budget and for critical taks a close monitoring would still be possible. I would now be interested in the best practise here: so what is your approach when monitoring external consultants?
Thanks and best regards,
Carsten Saving Changes...
It depends on the nature of the contract you have with them. If there is a fixed price contract for the work they are performing, then your focus should be on the quality and timeliness of the work rather than the costs. If you are on a cost-reimbursable type contract, then I'd suggest gathering progress updates from them via e-mail or some other method and focusing meetings on blockers and improvement discussions.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
You do not 'control' external consultants - you have to let them control themselves (I should say insist they control themselves).
You state "...they make an estimate of effort..." then they should control to that estimate (and held accountable). That should be part of their quality control process. You should take on the role of quality assurance - that is, make sure they are controlling their effort. Insist they provide you with an 'effort' monitoring and control plan/process.
I would suggest that 'control in our weekly meetings' is impossible. "the horse is out of the barn - all you can do is close the door" and hope no more horses escape. Saving Changes...
I would suggest meeting them in the middle. Only review the late AND at risk items, but you still need to know what is at risk.
If you are using EVM, then you need updates on progress to plan (hours per task) as a predictor of whether or not a task will complete on time. In that case, CPI for a task is not just about the total cost, but also a leading predictor of schedule. If other activities are dependent on the deliverable from the vendor, finding out it is late on the due date can significantly impact other parts of your plan. EVM is all about predicting issues early so that you can address them, not just metrics for the sake of official looking metrics.
In the reviews themselves, I don't advocate reviewing everything that is on plan, or getting performance updates during the meeting. Both are a waste of time. Have the vendor provide their performance updates no later than the day before the review. Then you can preview the data to set your meeting agenda, and review only the late tasks, and those where the CPI exceeds a threshold such as 0.8 (running 20% behind schedule based on estimated time spent on the activity). Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
As we like to say around here - it depends. Its depends on the nature of the contract with the consultant. A contract to provide a product (infrastructure) or a service (design, software), is different than a contract to provide effort (sometimes referred to as 'providing bums in a chair').
If its the latter then you, the client, have to manage the effort - the consultant will only do what and how they are directed. You need to be on the ground with frequent monitoring, control and direction. The project needs will dictate the frequency - daily, weekly.
With the former, the consultant should be in charge of planning, monitoring and directing the effort. You, as the client, should be monitoring and directing the consultant under the terms of the contact - NOT THE EFFORT. (yes there is a difference). Note that if you start directing the effort you may not be able to hold the consultant accountable for the end results.
In either case your interest is in the deliverable. In the one case, the effort and in the other, the product or service.
Note: it is not effective to hire a qualified consultant and then tell him how to do his job. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Trying to add something to comments above I have to say that, in my personal experience, it depends on the organization where you are working. Some organizations demands to enter weekly time sheets and others do not demand that. Saving Changes...
It depends. Kiron, Sergio and Keith made valid points. Saving Changes...
Praveen KanjiramkatteSenior Project and Program ManagerCedar Park, Tx, United States
Carsten -
Is the reason they are asking to focus on 'overdue tasks only' coz a good chunk of the weekly meeting is being spent discussing the tasks on track/completed? For external consultants, in most situations, their estimated time includes these meetings as well so both of you probably want to spend the time in what is 'really' needed to get the work completed.
As far as the 'control' factor goes, your key is the contract and the estimates they provided for the tasks assigned - they should be very clearly made aware or over-emphasized on the approval process involved in case they realize the hours may go over. Promote or setup a process such that any 'additional' hours they may need on completing a task are called out ahead of time so you can allocate it from your current budget if available and/or get approval from the Steering committee.
Hope this helps and good luck!
-Praveen Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
I could see how a contractor might try to get out of meetings, if they are not billable time! Even if it is billable time, it might not be included in their work estimate. Saving Changes...
