It is not Magic With magic, we expect to see the impossible happen right before our eyes. People tend to look at Technology in that same magical way. Take a simple cell phone for instance. A few hundred years ago, a Yankee in King Author’s Court would have seemed like quite the wizard if he had his nifty i-phone with him. The magic of “abracadabra” is almost as mystifying as technical jargon (virtual servers, DMZ’s, SOA, etc…) used throughout the industry today. But, it is “not magic”. In the end, it is just a bunch of gadgets being controlled by someone like you and me. So, do not think of technology as magic. This is a trap into which many people easily fall. When people think something is magic, they do not apply common sense, which can lead to illogical thinking and unreasonable trust. Such beliefs can be a bad thing when it interferes with the ability to run a business. Additionally, it is important to remember that consultants and vendors are not magicians hired to resolve technology issues. They are merely mortals, who need to be held accountable for time, effort, and cost, as well as the quality of what is delivered. It is not Magic With magic, we expect to see the impossible happen right before our eyes. People tend to look at Technology in that same magical way. Take a simple cell phone for instance. A few hundred years ago, a Yankee in King Author’s Court would have seemed like quite the wizard if he had his nifty i-phone with him. The magic of “abracadabra” is almost as mystifying as technical jargon (virtual servers, DMZ’s, SOA, etc…) used throughout the industry today. But, it is “not magic”. In the end, it is just a bunch of gadgets being controlled by someone like you and me. So, do not think of technology as magic. This is a trap into which many people easily fall. When people think something is magic, they do not apply common sense, which can lead to illogical thinking and unreasonable trust. Such beliefs can be a bad thing when it interferes with the ability to run a business. Additionally, it is important to remember that consultants and vendors are not magicians hired to resolve technology issues. They are merely mortals, who need to be held accountable for time, effort, and cost, as well as the quality of what is delivered. Managing consultants & Technology Transfer  Do not wait to the last minute for knowledge transfer. Start the transition from the beginning of the engagement.  Identify those folks upfront who will take over, and allow them the time to gain the required knowledge during the entire project.  Consultants should hold meetings each week, and allow time for questions and answers as part of the knowledge transfer.  Remember, knowledge transfer is the normal course of business. Every time something is done, it is explained why.  Hold Consultants accountable.  Tips for technology transfer  Create a consultant check list  Build it into the contract  Manage a consultant like an employee

A Consultant's Perspective: Consultants feel knowledge transfer is a training event, where they take what they have learned, over years of training and experience, and give to a client. Consultants often view knowledge transfer as a separate, billable activity, above and beyond a problem-solving or product deliverable engagement which corrects a business issue. Consultants often will not feel obligated to conduct knowledge transfer "for free", as it is seen as lowering a consultant’s value in the marketplace. Note: The above listed items identify what is generally observed in the marketplace, however, consultant's knowledge transfer largely depends on the consulting company's philosophy and professional motivation.

How to make the knowledge transfer occur: Draw it into the contract upfront. Realize however there is a downside, it could drive up the price rate given the "Consultant's Perspective". When evaluating a consultant, ask up front if knowledge transfer is included within the quoted rates. If yes, build the knowledge transfer language into the contract, along with the quoted rates. If no, you may have grounds to dismiss that vendor from consideration if inherent knowledge transfer is not included within the quoted rates.

Identify the employee target(s) for knowledge transfer upfront: Do not wait until the end of the engagement to try and force a transition blitz. The learning will be short-circuited and you may find that you have a bunch of documentation turned over, but no absorption of the concepts, techniques, and pitfalls that must be considered to bring the documentation "to life". Assign clear accountability to the EMPLOYEE upfront, outlining the specific areas of knowledge that he or she will be accountable for executing once the consultant leaves.

Build the knowledge transfer INTO the Consultant's solution delivery process: Make the accountable employee be the key point of contact for their knowledge transfer area as early as possible. The employee is then established within the organization from an accountability/ownership perspective. When issues surface or questions arise, direct them to the employee. The consultant should then provide real-time consultation on alternative and recommended responses to the issue or question to the accountable employee. The employee communicates the responds directly back to the asker. This method provides true, on the job training, and leverages the consultant's expertise behind the scenes.

Build the knowledge transfer INTO the Consultant's solution delivery process: Establish clear milestone dates for when certain aspects of transition should occur. An example would be to set dates for the following progression of transition for conducting project meetings. Consultant will initially host the meeting. By MM/DD/YY: Employee will begin hosting, with the consultant in the room. By MM/DD/YY: Employee will host, with the consultant via phone. By MM/DD/YY: Employee will host without the consultant present. This slowly builds the confidence of the employee.

Build the knowledge transfer INTO the Consultant's solution delivery process: Use weekly team meetings. The team leader should always have a segment in a weekly team meeting where the project team members probe the consultant’s expertise of various topics. Have the consultant talk about an issue experienced over the last week. Get the consultant's perspective on why the issue occurred, and the actions that must be taken to avoid such issues in the future. Make the employee(s) accountable for understanding the issue, and the general approach to solving the problem, should it occur in the future. Employees should be upfront and forthcoming about where their knowledge gaps are. Don't "put on a front“, it could suggest to the consultant that attempts at knowledge transfer may just lead to a bunch of intellectual "babble", which will not produce results. This may cause the consultant's inherent desire to transfer knowledge to become reduced.

Build the knowledge transfer INTO the Consultant's solution delivery process: The inherent value proposition is that the employee(s) become more knowledgeable, and become the first- responders to organizations questions and issues. This allows your consultant to remain focused on more strategic matters, which is a better return on investment for the client.