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Evaluation Consulting Round-Up

Part 1

“New Directions for Evaluation” is one of the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) academic journals, and they publish articles on cutting-edge issues in the evaluation world. Recently, they released a special issue where all the articles focused on being an independent evaluation consultant. Being a great evaluator doesn’t automatically make you a great evaluation consultant, which is why they dedicated an entire volume to this topic.

These papers are chock full of information, but many people can’t access it because it's behind a paywall (unless you’re lucky enough to be affiliated with a university). Which is why I decided to do a round-up of the major things I’ve learned from the issue!

Check out the other articles in this series:
Part 1 - non-evaluation skills you need to be a good evaluation consultant.
Part 2 - managing your consulting business.
Part 3 - maximizing productivity with business processes.
Part 4 - branding and marketing.

The Perks of Being a Consultant

First up is “Succeeding as an Independent Evaluation Consultant: Requisite Skills and Attributes” by Amy Germuth.

People are drawn to the field of independent consulting for many reasons, but the most commonly cited benefits of being a consultant are that you get to:

• See the real-world impact of your work

• Enhance your professional life

• Align your values with your clients

• Build the team you want

• Be your own boss

• Choose how much you work

• Choose who you work with

• Choose where you work

• Learn from diverse clients

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and lattes - consulting has some drawbacks, including unpredictable workloads and cash flow, difficulty finding work, and the time and effort it takes to manage a business. One evaluator put it this way:

Skills of Successful Consultants

Like I said, being a great evaluator doesn’t necessarily make you a great evaluation consultant – you need to do all the things a professional evaluators does, while also operating a business, finding work, and marketing your brand. Here’s a checklist of the skills you will need as an evaluation consultant (that you were never taught as an evaluator):  

□ Marketing

• Get yourself out there: network, advertise, blog, speak, publish

• Remember: repeat clients, word of mouth, and personal referrals are super important in the consulting world, too

• An important part of finding work

• Don’t assume “if you build it, they will come.” You need to be proactive

• You need to reach the “economic buyer” (the person who can decide whether to hire you or not)

□ Business Management

• Predicting workflows

• Managing finances when work fluctuates

• Budgeting conservatively

• Deciding when to hire staff

• Deciding where to invest profits

• Deciding when to close

• Tip: It can be helpful to work with an accountant or bookkeeper to help with all this

• Common mistakes to avoid:

  • Overestimating future sales

  • Overspending during start-up

  • Being passive about past-due receivables

  • Not using a cash flow budget

  • Not ensuring large enough cash cushion for when times are lean

Here are some extra trips about Project Management for Evaluators.

□ Organization

• Learn to prioritize commitments

• Make schedules

• Minimize interruptions

• Streamline tasks

• Ensure staff use time effectively

• Leave little to chance: Clearly define staff expectations and responsibilities in writing

□ Time Management

• Track your time and analyze how much you spend on different activities

  • e.g. tasks that repeat vs. those that do not, paid vs. unpaid tasks

  • This data can be used to streamline repeated or unpaid tasks, and better estimate future timelines and project budgets

Calendly is a great tool for saving you some time!

□ Networking

• Ask your clients for names of people who might need your services, or to recommend you to their colleagues

• Network with other evaluators as collaborators, not competitors

• Use your contacts to increase business opportunities, enhance your knowledge, and expand your sphere of influence

• Watch for formal (e.g., business meetings) and informal opportunities to network

Personal qualities of successful consultants

Those were some of the more tangible skills consultants need, but there is a slew of other “soft” skills and personal attributes that contribute to your success as an evaluation consultant. You are:

• Willing to take calculated risks

• Self-confident

• Sociable (find the extrovert in you!)

• Flexible yet disciplined

• A problem-solver

• Able to manage work-life balance

• Persistent

• An active listener and anticipating client needs

Next in my round-up of the special issue on evaluation consulting goes more in depth on one of the key skills consultants need: business management.

Source:

Germuth, Amy A. “Succeeding as an Independent Evaluation Consultant: Requisite Skills and Attributes.” New Directions for Evaluation 2019, no. 164 (2019): 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1002/ev.20386.