Effective Troubleshooting

Human nature is inherently geared towards the idea that things should get done as quickly and efficiently as possible. There’s off course nothing wrong with this sentiment. The problem creeps in when relatively little attention is paid to the groundwork. This then comes at the cost of the total project as the foundational work hasn’t been successfully completed. You may ask how this has anything to do with hiring the perfect business analyst. The answer is straightforward. You need someone that can do a good job in determining the problem beforehand and only then start working away at the solving the issue. This is more commonly referred to as troubleshooting. Effective troubleshooters are, more often than not, the better type of consultants.   

It’s pretty easy to guess why this is the case off course. You need to have the ability to accurately determine what the extent of a problem (or issue) is in a business. The sad truth is that often business consultants simply treat the symptoms of a more deeply rooted issue. This often turns out to be a short term solution and even (in some cases) contributing to a larger problem – catastrophic indeed.  

All of this may sound slightly theoretical in nature. I mean, how do you determine if someone will be good at identifying problems in your company? It really all comes down to methodology. One can easily spot this. Make sure to quiz your prospective consultant on the processes he follows generally in his approach to business issues. This way you will be able to gauge reasonably accurately if he or she will be thorough enough in their approach.  

Here’s a few things to be on the lookout for which you can use as guideline.  

Proper Documentation 

Determine if the consultant uses an in-depth audit trial of his work. These documents serve as great source for determining the problem and also for you to keep once the project has been completed. 

Questionnaires 

Good business consultants need to have in-depth questionnaires. Too often in the past work has been done by only using overview, headline questions for use as direction that the company should take. This is a big no-no. Make sure they ask the tough, penetrating questions.  

The X-factor 

Yep, I know this is really subjective. Chances are you made a number of crucial business decisions in the past and your most important indicator has been that gut feeling. This is just as applicable in determining if a consultant is through or not. Have a chat with him and get behind his though patterns. Before you know it, you’ll know if this person will be able to add value or not.