Chapter 2. Preparing for the Project

Inthe previous chapter, we talked about defining a consultant. We also looked at why consultants are valued and what a client expects from a consultant.

This chapter is about the importance of preparing for a project. Before starting, let me put before you some powerful quotes:

A man who does not plan long ahead will find trouble at his door. -Confucius

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. -Benjamin Franklin

Planning is a process of choosing among those many options. If we do not choose to plan, then we choose to have others plan for us. -Richard I. Winwood

These quotes may have been made several years ago, but they still hold true. A very critical aspect of the project, often neglected, is the preparatory phase. This is the phase where a consultant should invest a good amount of his/her time.

In our childhood, we heard about the story of two wood cutters. Though the nature of work was the same for both, the first wood cutter had an efficiency...