On almost all projects, clients look for ways to minimize costs. This is even more pronounced during The Great Recession. Clients might question the need for a full-time consultant Project Manager. This is often a mistake. As a general rule, the need for a full-time external PM is a direct function of the following:
- The size and scope of the project
- The number and expertise of the clientβs internal resources
Two Extremes
At one extreme, a 50,000 person organization hires an external consultancy to implement a full ERP (from soup to nuts). The consultancy brings ten full-time consultants from all functional and technical areas because the client has limited or no internal expertise and no PM with remotely experience with the new system. As such, the client would be foolish not to employ a full-time PM from the consultancy. Too much coordination exists among the different areas not to have someone with a global view.
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