As a management consultant, you have been brought in to help a company or department that is in disarray. You have a plan to get the company out of debt, get processes running smoother and increase employee efficiency. This plan has worked time and time again so you go into the job feeling confident. Things might be humming along great for the first few weeks and then you get an email… “Can we change this?, Can we move this around?” You start to feel panicky because nobody has ever questioned your strategies and management style before and you don’t know what to do.

This is where having some sort of scope change control process would come in handy. Having these procedures in place will ease the burden on you when it comes to making important changes in processes or scope of the project. These charts essentially map out the changes in manpower, resources, time, and money that it will take to successfully accomplish the change, allowing you as a management consultant to rest easier, knowing that those who requested the change are fully aware of the effect it will have on the results of the project.

With this information documented and hopefully signed, you essentially have what amounts to a “new contract” that includes the changes in the scope of the project. You will no longer be responsible for adhering to the old budget, as long as it is documented that you stated that these changes will require more monies, time, etc.

To find out more tips on successfully providing management consulting services, visit the TechInsurance Small Business Center. You can find risk management advice tailored to your particular management position or particular phase of the project.

As an IT project manager, you’ve seen it all before. You have a project mapped out, the resources are available and ready to get working, the project is humming along nicely and then…someone requests a change. You find yourself struggling to juggle resources, time, money; and in the end what you deliver might not be as good as was initially promised.

All of this could have been avoided with simple scope change processes. By developing a plan, graph, chart, or something that shows the greater effect of a scope change request, you will easily be able to see if the request can indeed be accommodated, project new and accurate time frames for the project, and adjust what you expect the results to be, beforehand – so there are no surprises at the end.

On the TechInsurance Small Business Center, there are tools and resources for project managers. These tools are geared towards managing professionals who deal with small or large projects. These items include timelines, scope change processes, and a risk management template.

Projects, especially large ones with many moving parts, will fall victim to “scope creep” if left unchecked. Where scope creep comes from, is irrelevant at this point, however, the proper management of it is not. Whether scope creep comes from your upper management or from the client themselves, it is important to have a system in place to mitigate the scheduling problems that come about from requests that fall outside the parameters of the contract.

There are systems of checks and balances within every project hierarchy, meaning that in order for extra items to be added into processes, they must be approved and then scheduled. To learn more about how to initiate a scope change process, visit the small business tools and resources section of the TechInsurance Small Business Center. Here you will find tools to help you manage scope creep, initiate change processes and manage project timelines, everything a project manager needs to keep things running smoothly.

Make sure that you understand all of the processes that need to go into making project changes before exposing your team to unnecessary scope creep. For more articles on project management, visit the specialized section of the Small Business Center.

Marketers can’t do it alone. Sometimes there is just too much data to gather, sift through, or analyze and some outside help/expertise is needed. This is where it becomes not only a viable option, but a good idea to consider hiring a subcontractor to lend a helping hand. Just how much you let them handle will be up to you which is why every subcontractor you sign, should have signed an agreement. This agreement can contain items such as:

• Pay Structure and length of Contract
• Non compete or non-hire provisions
• Intellectual property restrictions
• Scope of the Project

Some marketing managers are very leery about working with contractors. The work and data that your firm has gathered is invaluable in the marketplace and opening that up to a stranger is something that most managers are not quick to do. However, with a well written contract, you can minimize the risk associated with hiring contractors and get the job done on time and on target.

If you are not a marketer, but still want information on hiring subcontractors, visit our specialized “working with subcontractors” section of the TechInsurance Small Business Center. You can also find a variety of other topics, and advice on managing risk for different business professionals.

When it comes to working subcontractors, there are so many advantages. Especially as a programmer or systems integrator, sometimes work can become too overwhelming, or perhaps you have run into a project that needs a little more expertise than you can provide. This is where hiring a subcontracted programmer can really come in handy. Just make sure that you don’t get burned.

As the company that the project was originally given to, you are ultimately responsible for its outcome. This is why it can sometimes be risky to hire in an outside source to finish up the work that you were unable to. If the subcontractor performs shoddy work, misses deadlines or steals client’s data, you are ultimately going to be responsible. If you require your subcontractors to sign comprehensive agreements, you can minimize the risk of hiring these valuable sources of help. By clearly outlining deadlines, project scope and responsibilities, your agreement will keep you liability free (provided you included/anticipated any problems that arise).

For more tips and ideas on how to use/work with subcontracted help, please visit the TechInsurance Small Business Center. Here you can find all sorts of information pertaining to running a small business, hiring subcontractors, and writing contracts or agreements.