|
 Organizations hire consultants to make recommendations, but if consultants don't have the facts, or have the facts wrong, their advice is useless, even damaging. A good report is based on facts you can trust, and a good consultant delivers them consistently.
Getting the facts right is a consultant's first job. Developing a foundation of facts requires attention to three issues, according to Michael McLaughlin, writing for RainToday.com.
Your consultant should:
- rely on multiple sources of information. If government reports, business analysts, and market researchers all provide data that lead to the same conclusion, the results will be on target.
- verify and cross-check every fact on which a conclusion is based. This is basic journalism. Would-be reporters are taught to get two sources for every critical fact.
- remember that facts can be manipulated. Consider the source. If a company trumpets its success, a consultant must check to see if trade association reports and more objective industry analysts agree before relying on company statements to explain what is going on in a particular part of the economy. The consultant must also check his or her own biases at the door before drawing conclusions.
A reliable consultant is also able to marshal facts from sources the organization had not anticipated. Part of a consultant's expertise is in knowing a wide variety of sources and up-to-date research methods so that all available information can be brought to bear on the problem.
Experience is not enough, McLaughlin warns: The value of expertise grows when supported by an insightful base of facts, he says. |
|
|
<< Back |
Add New Comment |
