Usually what happens is the consultant ends up being asked to do something that is outside the scope of the project. What is the scope of the project? The scope of the project is essentially what was paid for by the client. If the scope is being upturned, then you need to have a talk. Of course all the talking might not work if there is a full blow confrontation occurring.
As you probably know, those with consulting jobs have precious little time to spare. They are very skilled at what they do and they just want to get the job done. Consultant careers are just that demanding. So you need to take measures ahead of time to make sure that nothing of the sort actually happens. So how can you prevent it?
Anyone in consultant jobs would appreciate it if there was some type of contract drawn up ahead of time. So what you need to do is sit down with everyone before the project begins, and talk about the scope of the project. Consulting jobs are usually planned out and set to be finished within a specific amount of time. You need to work within that time frame to make sure everything works out. So what should you do?
Assess what needs to be done in the project. Talk about all of the things that you are setting out to accomplish and even make an itemized list. This is a great way to set the standards and requirements. It also ensures that later on when there are complaints, you can pull the contract out and show it to both the consultant and the client, reminding them of what they are expected to do. The motto ''The Customer is Always Right'' doesn't always fly, especially in consultant careers when time is precious.
So the answer to who is right, the client or the consultant should always be neither. It's not a question that you want to answer. You want to just be able to pull out the contract, show it to them, and tell them to abide by it. Will you lose business? It's a definite possibility, that's for sure, but is it worth it to make sure that everyone gets paid and the work is efficient as possible? Absolutely.
Consultant jobs can be tough, and while you might find this to be an annoyance, keep in mind that you might be doing consulting jobs yourself one day, and you'll want your employer to be fair to you. Then again you might end up being the client too, so everything comes full circle at some point or another. Make sure that you are approaching the situation with a cool head and that you're ready to face all of the problems that might come up. So long as you're prepared, everything should go smoothly.
