The following is a summary of “Secrets of Consulting” by Gerald Weinberg - here is the LeanPub link or you can purchase it on Amazon, interspersed with my own thoughts and experiences. This post details the genesis of that purchase.

The Secrets of Consulting

The three laws of consulting:

• 1. In spite of what your client may tell you, there’s always a problem.
• 1. No matter how it looks at first, it’s always a people problem.
• 1. Never forget they’re paying you by the hour, not by the solution.

There’s always a problem

Perhaps management do not want to admit that there is a problem, because it might be embarrassing. All manner of problems arise from this:

• Don’t promise more than a 10% improvement.

It’s always a people problem

Even when it’s “really” a technical problem, it can always be traced back to management action or inaction.

I agree with this. Management choose what problems should be solved, set the boundaries, and allocate resources accordingly. Likely, problems originate with them. Weinberg advises on the corollary of the second law:

Marvin’s Laws: Whatever the client is doing, advise something else.

Never forget they’re paying you by the hour, not by the solution

The reason for hiring a consultant is murky.

…TBC…The Credit Rule (pg. 11 (22 of 181))