11.3 Follow-up

Often, the client and the consultant may agree to terminate a particular assignment without completely discontinuing their working relationship. Any further work done by the consultant which is related in some way to the current assignment is called follow-up. The desirability of some follow-up is often identified in the evaluation of the assignment. If the consultant is convinced that follow-up is in the client’s interest and that he or she has something more to offer to the client, this may be suggested in the final report and meeting with the client.

The advantages to the consulting organization are obvious. In addition to providing income, a follow-up service is an invaluable way of learning about the real impact of operating assignments and about new problems that may have arisen in the client organization. New assignments may develop from these visits.

Many clients may also find that follow-up services are a useful form of assistance through which new problems and opportunities can be discovered and addressed before they become serious. However, no client should be forced to accept a follow-up arrangement if he or she is not interested in it.

Follow-up of implementation

For many reasons, the client may be interested in a follow-up arrangement. He or she may wish the consultant to take a fresh look at the situation created by the implementation of the proposals, because of new technical developments in the area covered by the assignment or for other reasons. When IT systems are delivered and installed by consultants, their further assistance is usually required for maintaining and upgrading the system.

The consultant may visit the client every three months over a two-year period, to review progress, to help to take any necessary corrective measures, and to find out whether or not new problems have arisen. If a new intervention is required that exceeds the scope of these periodic visits, the consultant may make a separate proposal for this, but the client will be absolutely free to accept or decline it. Outsourcing arrangements can also follow on from completed consulting assignments.

Retainer arrangements

Follow-up visits related to specific assignments are normally programmed for a limited period of time. If the client is interested in maintaining a more permanent working relationship with a consultant, a retainer arrangement may