Working with Technology Advisors and Consultants
External technology advisors and consultants can provide valuable expertise, independent perspective, and specialist skills. Used well, they accelerate capability building and inform strategic decisions. Used poorly, they are expensive producers of unrealised recommendations. Getting value from technology advisors requires clarity on the brief, active engagement, and disciplined transfer of knowledge.
Types of Technology Advisory Engagement
- Strategic advisors: Experienced technology executives who provide periodic strategic input — board-level advice, technology due diligence, strategic planning support. Often retained on equity or advisory fee basis.
- Management consultants: Large firms (McKinsey, BCG, Deloitte) provide strategy, transformation, and organisational change consulting. Broad strategic capability, expensive, variable technology depth.
- Specialist technology consultants: Deep expertise in specific domains — security, cloud architecture, specific technology stacks. Best for capability augmentation and knowledge transfer.
- Systems integrators: Implement packaged software or complex integrations — Accenture, Capgemini, and similar. Appropriate for large, defined implementation programmes.
Getting Value from Consultants
Define the specific question or problem: the clearer the brief, the better the output. Require knowledge transfer, not just deliverables: the goal is to build internal capability, not create dependency. Involve internal team members closely in the engagement — they must own and implement the outputs. Require clear, actionable recommendations — not "it depends" reports with no clear direction.