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My take is colored by the fact that I only engage as consultant/contractor. The key is to probe deeply before taking on an assignment. If the managers appear t

My take is colored by the fact that I only engage as consultant/contractor. The key is to probe deeply before taking on an assignment. If the managers appear too clueless or fixated upon some timeline or budget, then I often decline the work. I often end up fixing / rescuing projects that have been blotched because the previous incumbent rushed into taking on the job. You simply need to ask questions until you are comfortable that the proposed role is feasible. If the client (employer) is unwilling to engage to that depth, then that too is a red flag.

vsareto 5y ago
Not saying you should change, but if they aren't engaged deeply, then that sounds like the freedom to do whatever and get paid for it.
- Consultant32452 5y ago
  This is more closely aligned with the way I think. The more of a cluster I think the project will be the more I charge and the more I change the terms of my contract to get paid regardless of the outcome.
Ensorceled 5y ago
I've had more than one contract come back with a "you were right and the person we hired made a mess, willing to discuss this again"; I've even taken one of those contracts. My favourite is the combination of a tight timeline/budget AND an unwillingness to discuss the project in depth. Especially since they always want some kind of fixed price guarantee in those situations.
- antod 5y ago
  The second mouse gets the cheese
- projektfu 5y ago
  I have definitely seen: Phase 1. "Our problem is big, we hire big company" (3000+ employee firm) Phase 2. Meeting after meeting Phase 3. Lots of billable hours, more meetings. Deadline approaching. Where is the product? Phase 4. Gaslighting Phase 5. Hire small company (1-400 people) to finish the work big company couldn't. (Typical) Phase 6. Quietly kill project because if it ever had a business case it has missed its opportunity. Does this go in the other direction, where a reputable small company starts a big project and is in over its head, only to be saved by one of the big 4 consultancies?

vsareto 5y ago

Not saying you should change, but if they aren't engaged deeply, then that sounds like the freedom to do whatever and get paid for it.

Consultant32452 5y ago
This is more closely aligned with the way I think. The more of a cluster I think the project will be the more I charge and the more I change the terms of my contract to get paid regardless of the outcome.

Ensorceled 5y ago

I've had more than one contract come back with a "you were right and the person we hired made a mess, willing to discuss this again"; I've even taken one of those contracts. My favourite is the combination of a tight timeline/budget AND an unwillingness to discuss the project in depth. Especially since they always want some kind of fixed price guarantee in those situations.

antod 5y ago
The second mouse gets the cheese
projektfu 5y ago
I have definitely seen: Phase 1. "Our problem is big, we hire big company" (3000+ employee firm) Phase 2. Meeting after meeting Phase 3. Lots of billable hours, more meetings. Deadline approaching. Where is the product? Phase 4. Gaslighting Phase 5. Hire small company (1-400 people) to finish the work big company couldn't. (Typical) Phase 6. Quietly kill project because if it ever had a business case it has missed its opportunity. Does this go in the other direction, where a reputable small company starts a big project and is in over its head, only to be saved by one of the big 4 consultancies?