Pros & Cons to Using Contract Training Consultants
What are the reasons you would hire an L&D consultant? Why would you hire an L&D consultant instead of doing the job internally?
 I would hire L&D consultants when I need to complete a project with a short timeframe and internal resources are not available. Also, if a project is stuck at some point, an L&D consultant could offer an outside view to keep the project moving. Thirdly, if I do not have the necessary skills and abilities available internally or I am looking for a particular skill set for a project, I would hire a consultant.
What are the benefits of using L&D consultants?
L&D consultants are professionals who understand adult learning principles and are up to date on the happenings in the L&D world. They have the experience necessary to design and/or develop high quality learning materials. Consultants are also highly skilled in the necessary tools that are typically required for an L&D project.
I feel in the long run, from a total compensation perspective, consultants are equal to if not less expensive than hiring an internal resource. The reason is with a consultant you pay an hourly rate and there are no benefits or incentives that factor into the cost.
Describe the award-winning work that the instructional designer from Clarity Consultants provided Ferrellgas?
 The project that the instructional designer from Clarity Consultants worked on was to upgrade PeopleSoft 8.0 CRM module to version 8.9. It completely changed everything we knew about PeopleSoft. This project required retraining thousands of employees and because we are spread across the country, we used the LMS. Due to the sheer volume of courses--38 e-Learning courses that were to be produced from January through April, I knew from the beginning that my team would require support to meet the rollout date for the training program.
One of the things that was key to our success on the PeopleSoft e-Learning project was we brought the consultants out to our headquarter office in Liberty, MO. We walked the consultants through a sample of our documentation, gave an example of a completed e-Learning course, and introduced them to the project members and the internal main point of contact. The onsite session allowed me to set expectations from a development perspective before the consultants began developing. The consultant had an example of what we wanted from each e-Learning course.
The award was won for Best Practices in Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP) Program Design and Development in January 2009 from Kansas City ASTD.
What are some of the drawbacks to L&D consultants?
One drawback to using consultants is the risk that a consultant is not as highly skilled in a particular tool or if s/he doesn't have as much experience as you thought when you made the selection or hiring decision. When this happens or if the requirements of the project change along the way, or new requirements surface and a different set of skills is needed, it was nice that Clarity was able to find a consultant that better match what we needed. I liked that I was able to go back and change consultants midstream and move forward with someone who did have the skills necessary to complete the project.
In what circumstance would you decide to assign a project internally instead of using an L&D consultant? For what reason(s) would you choose not to hire an L&D consultant?
 After I review a project and scope it out, if I find the material is proprietary I would keep it in-house. If I don't feel I have enough resources to complete a project internally and I need to find support somewhere else to make it happen, that's when I use contract L&D resources.
What steps does a company need to take to prepare for an L&D consultant to come onboard?
The steps I take to prepare for a consultant to come onboard are to define the entire project's scope, establish a timeline, and make sure adequate licenses for all of the tools the consultants will use are in place. I also outline the communication method for the consultant and internal resources. It's also important to define the relationships of team members and set expectations around response times for requests. I like to do my homework upfront and help the consultant understand the scope of the project before beginning. That seems to work well.
What are some of the questions to ask before selecting an L&D consultant?
When I'm screening a potential L&D consultant I ask questions related to their experience using specific tools, applications, or techniques that may be necessary for the project itself. For our e-Learning project I would ask a question about the consultant's experience using Captivate and follow that question up with a question about their e-Learning development style. I'd also ask about the consultant's exposure to PeopleSoft--not necessarily that they had used my version, but that they were familiar with the application.
Another question I like to ask potential consultants is "What are the 3 things most important to you when working with a client?" This helps me understand what their expectations are for me. I also like to know "How they would describe the perfect team" because they'll be working with my team internally and I want to see how they'll fit in with them.
Tell me about your past experience using consultants
 My past experience using consultants has been very positive. Everything has worked well. The selection process has gone smoothly. The consultant's level of experience and area of expertise have been top-notch. Overall I've been pleased with the quality of the work produced and the consultant's communication skills.
Does the project-based approach to providing contract L&D resources that Clarity Consultants uses support the benefit(s) you experience in using L&D consultants? How?
I appreciate Clarity Consultants' project-based approach to providing contract L&D resources because they had the details about my project; they understood my project, its requirements and my resource expectations. They provided me with highly skilled candidates and pre-screened them for me. They left it up to me to run the project. I retained control yet Clarity was there to provide the necessary support in any shape or form if I needed it. The process was very easy.
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