Your company is running at full steam, you are smart and keep headcount in line with the actual needs to deliver products and services, e.g. everything is a goo

Your company is running at full steam, you are smart and keep headcount in line with the actual needs to deliver products and services, e.g. everything is a good bit understaffed. A big decision looms - a new product, a new market, whatever it is, it requires the full attention of a team of people to just outline the knowledge needed to make rational decisions in it. You're also worried about tunnel vision of your own team, success tends to bread that. This is when you hire outside help. Temp workers to research and present a deep topic. They don't decide, you do. But rather than putting people on full payroll and then maybe need to axe them, you have them do a project. Absolutely valuable, if employed correctly. And don't underestimate what a McKinsey or BCG can pull in terms of network. Their research can go into places where your team simply can't reach. Good VCs act the same way btw, the value of a16z for a small startup as an advisor and door opener is the same as McK or BCG for a public co.