Hi Mr Tan
Like what the article said, the money spent is only one part of the equation. The ministry / branch of government using the consultant must get value out of the consultants' delivery and must make sure that they manage these people properly.
I do some consulting work for the government, for specific industry related issues. My job is it identify these issues, put them into something that these govt people can understand, and use to have a sensible discussion with people from the industry to resolve them. Its something they will not be able to get a handle on, or take a very long time to fully comprehend. You can say that I provide external expertise, but nothing unique in the sense if they hire people with the same background with 15 years experience they can have the same in-house view / expertise.
I think I do add value in some respect, in the sense that my work do get used in actual life. I see white elephant projects in cases where money is spent but the deliverable is lousy, or does not make an impact at all in many ways.
Like what the article said, the money spent is only one part of the equation. The ministry / branch of government using the consultant must get value out of the consultants' delivery and must make sure that they manage these people properly.
I do some consulting work for the government, for specific industry related issues. My job is it identify these issues, put them into something that these govt people can understand, and use to have a sensible discussion with people from the industry to resolve them. Its something they will not be able to get a handle on, or take a very long time to fully comprehend. You can say that I provide external expertise, but nothing unique in the sense if they hire people with the same background with 15 years experience they can have the same in-house view / expertise.
I think I do add value in some respect, in the sense that my work do get used in actual life. I see white elephant projects in cases where money is spent but the deliverable is lousy, or does not make an impact at all in many ways.
Consultant
As with all industries and public/private companies, consultants are always brought in to revamp or steer the company in a new direction or improve on certain aspects.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the quality of most consultants leave much to desire. I am not sure why companies would actually bother listening to a consultant who is just as clueless as them.
Consultants are brought in mainly so that responsibilities can be shifted to them. It is somebody's else money spent to find another person to blame should things go wrong. It will be a bonus if the consultant is good and can indeed solve the problem.
ReplyDeleteEven towncouncils do it now by referring complaints to the PR consultant in charge of their various projects, while they themselves concentrate on which minibond to buy to jack up their bonuses.
Consultancy is another form of out sourcing.
ReplyDeleteIt can be very expensive, and the RoI can be horrendous. Some companies try to save costs by appointing consultants that are inexpensive but lack depth.
Consultants have a role in business.
It is complimentary.
Most business are unable to define their own needs, that is why, they may appoint or adopt a wrong approach in determining what type of consultant is required.
The truly funny thing about Singapore is, many companies engage the service of consultants but yet reject the advice from them. What's the point of spending money on consultants if you expect everything to be the same? Isn't it the same as Singapore spending $400k to re-name Marina Bay as Marina Bay?
ReplyDeleteThe mentality need to change, just like how systems evolve over time too. It's like companies trying to buy the time of a consultant just to validate your beliefs. Another analogy, you need someone of the opposite gender to validate your self-worth. Is it really necessary?