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Front Cover
by Dan Remenyi
How to Become a Successful IT Consultant
Front Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Computer Weekly Professional Series
Preface
Acknowledgements
About the author
How to use this book
1 Consultancy - a major opportunity for IT professionals
1.1 Consultancy: the opportunity
1.2 Changes brought by the Internet and the Web
1.3 Consultants plug a gap
1.4 A major career option
1.5 Requirements to start
1.6 Summary and conclusion
2 Is IT consultancy for you?
2.1 Must haves for the IT consultant
2.1.1 Optimism
2.1.2 Flexibility
2.1.3 Sense of adventure and bags of energy
2.1.4 Ability to persevere
2.1.5 Realistic view of your business potential
2.2 Summary and conclusion
2.3 Self-test on the characteristics necessary for IT consulting
3 Setting up your IT consultancy business
3.1 Three focusing questions
3.2 Form of business
3.3 To be or not to be a company
3.4 The awkward question of capital
3.5 A financial forecast
3.6 Fixed costs
3.7 Variable costs
3.8 Cash flow
3.9 What can the Internet do for you?
3.10 Getting going
3.11 Summary and conclusion
3.12 Checklist
4 The consultancy options
4.1 Core competence or expertise
4.2 Flexibility is key
4.2.1 Creative or lateral thinking assignments
4.2.2 Experiences-based assignments
4.2.3 Procedural assignments
4.2.4 Hands-on assignments
4.2.5 Responsibility assignments
4.3 Key areas of IT consulting opportunity
4.3.1 Quality assurance
4.3.2 Project management
4.3.3 Data warehousing and mining
4.3.4 Market intelligence
4.3.5 Client-server applications
4.3.6 Customer relationship management (CRM)
4.3.7 Data administration
4.3.8 m-Commerce (or mobile commerce)
4.3.9 Database applications
4.3.10 Local and wide area networks
4.3.11 Security
4.3.12 e-Government
4.3.13 Internet
4.3.14 Intranet
4.3.15 Knowledge management
4.3.16 Documentation
4.3.17 e-Learning
4.3.18 Product or industry specialist
4.3.19 Website development
4.3.20 e-Business opportunities
4.3.21 e-Business model development
4.3.22 Helpdesk
4.3.23 Desktop Publishing
4.3.24 Vendor selection
4.3.25 Recruitment
4.3.26 IT training 48
4.3.27 Computer telephony integration (CTI)
4.3.28 Business process reengineering (BPR)
4.3.29 Strategic IS planning (SISP)
4.3.30 Business continuity planning (BCP)
4.4 The Consultancy Opportunity Matrix
4.5 Consultancy Opportunities by Industry Matrix
4.6 Summary and conclusion
4.7 Checklist
5 Pick your service offerings
5.1 Generally don’t do the same as everybody else
5.2 Even world famous experts get it wrong!
5.3 There is no infallible way
5.4 Differentiator versus cost leader
5.5 Imagination is the key
5.6 Summary and conclusion
6 Finding clients for your IT consulting business
6.1 Entrepreneurship - the name of the game
6.2 Entrepreneurship is not enough
6.3 From business strategy to marketing strategy
6.4 Marketing strategy
6.5 Have a clearly defined IT offering
6.6 Express the value of the offering in a marketing document or brochure
6.7 Ensure that your message gets into the right hands
6.8 Making your competence clear to your prospect clients
6.9 What is your target market?
6.10 Finding your target clients
6.11 The project proposal
6.12 Clinching the deal with a contract
6.13 What the Internet can do for you
6.14 Getting started
6.15 Summary and conclusion
6.16 Checklist
7 Planning the IT consultancy assignment
7.1 IT consultant as a welcome friend
7.2 IT consultant as a threat
7.3 Cooperation with staff is vital
7.4 Covert objectives
7.5 Project planning
7.6 A work breakdown schedule
7.7 A project management network chart
7.8 Bar chart diagram
7.9 Project work breakdown chart
7.10 Making sure resources are available
7.11 Project risk assessment
7.11.1 The client
7.11.2 The work
7.11.3 The deliverables
7.12 Summary and conclusion
7.13 Checklist
8 Delivering results for the client
8.1 IT consultancy assignments change
8.2 Active benefit realization
8.3 Formative evaluation
8.4 Welcome change suggestions
8.5 Financial implications
8.6 Complements traditional project management
8.7 Summary and conclusion
8.8 Checklist
9 Finding the next client
9.1 Making and maintaining personal contact
9.2 Joining a group such as the Computer Society
9.3 Placing your name on a Web list
9.4 Speaking at conferences and seminars
9.5 Writing for the press
9.6 Writing a book
9.7 Playing a role in the community
9.8 Looking for more work with an existing client
9.9 Have your client recommend you to suppliers and/or clients
9.10 Remember what the Internet can do for you
9.11 Final note
9.12 Summary and conclusion
9.13 Checklist
10 Consulting and finding a product to sell
10.1 Making money as an IT consultant
10.2 Growing your business
10.3 The independent consultant
10.4 Develop a product
10.5 Summary and conclusion
10.6 Checklist
11 Keep your eye on the ball
11.1 Business cycles
11.2 Fixed priced jobs can be undercosted
11.3 Losing control over cash flow
11.4 The flavour of the month or of the year
11.5 Not understanding the risk facing your organization
11.6 The great tax surprise
11.7 Summary and conclusion
12 Minding your own business
12.1 Keeping your business going is the real challenge
12.2 Remember why you started your own business
12.3 Money versus quality of life
12.4 Nurturing a sustainable client relationship
12.4.1 IT consultants are offered jobs
12.5 Internal administration
12.5.1 Understanding how your business is doing
12.5.2 Income statements
12.5.3 Cash flow statements
12.5.4 Balance sheets
12.5.5 Funds flow statements
12.6 Creating a sustainable working regime
12.6.1 How many hours per week do you need to work?
12.6.2 How many weeks a year vacation will you take?
12.6.3 How long do you think your working life will be, i.e. when do you want to retire?
12.6.4 What do you expect to do about your pension?
12.6.5 How will you handle being ill?
12.6.6 When do you engage your first employee and should this be another consultant?
12.6.7 When do you need to look for a partner?
12.7 Seeing the opportunities
12.7.1 Growing from strength to strength
12.7.2 What the Internet can do for you
12.8 Summary and conclusion
12.9 Checklist
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Index
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