Most consulting engagements that go wrong were set up to go wrong before the first day of work. The statement of work promised outcomes nobody defined, named people who never appeared, or rested on assumptions that were never written down. None of that shows up in a polished proposal. It shows up in the questions you ask before you sign.
Here are the eight we would ask, as the buyer. We expect to be asked them too.
1. Who exactly will do the work?
Ask for names and résumés of the people who will be on your project, not the people who presented to you. Ask what happens if one of them leaves — and put the answer in the contract, including your right to approve any replacement. In a small engagement, one person is most of the value.
2. What does “done” look like?
A good statement of work describes deliverables and how you will accept them, not just hours and activities. “Support the build” is an activity. “Order sets for the three oncology clinics built, tested against agreed scenarios and signed off by the clinical lead” is a deliverable. If the firm cannot describe done, neither of you will know when you have got there.
3. What are you assuming?
Every estimate rests on assumptions: how quickly your staff will make decisions, which environments will be ready, how much of your team's time is available. Ask for the full list in writing. Most overruns can be traced back to an assumption that one side made and the other never saw.
4. How will our people be able to run this after you leave?
Knowledge transfer should be a planned activity with a named person on your side, not a handover meeting in the last week. Ask how it will happen, when, and how you will know it worked. A consultant who leaves you dependent on them has done half the job.
5. How do changes get handled?
Scope will change; it always does. What matters is how. Ask for the change process up front: who can request a change, how it is estimated, who approves it, and at what rates. A clear process protects both sides and keeps small changes from becoming arguments.
6. Who has done this before, and can we speak to them?
Ask for references from similar work, and actually call them. Ask the referee what went wrong and how the firm handled it, not just whether they were happy. How a firm behaves when something goes sideways tells you more than any case study.
7. How is the price built, and who carries the risk?
Fixed price moves risk to the firm, which usually prices it in. Time and materials leaves the risk with you, and works well when scope is uncertain and you can manage the work closely. Neither is better in general. Make sure you know which one you are buying, and why.
8. What would make you tell us not to go ahead?
This is our favourite question, because the answer reveals whether the firm will be honest with you when it matters. A good consultant can name the conditions under which the project should not start: decisions not yet made, sponsors not engaged, a timeline that does not hold. If the answer is “nothing,” be careful.
Our commitment
We will answer every one of these questions in writing before you sign anything with RAAM, and we will tell you plainly if we think we are not the right firm for the work. If you would like to start there, send us a note or try the scoping tool.