I posted on the importance of hiring the best. How do you know you’ve got the best?
Some advice below may be trivial, but if 10x producitivity is true (and it is) it is worth applying these:
Ask the consulting house.
Since there are many arbitrary factors that a supplier use to assign consultants to a project, that it often boils down to 50/50 and randomness, so why not ask?
Evaluating consultants takes time, so let the consulting house do that for you! Demanding clients have so many things on a wishlist (the ability to request immediate availability), and demands on rates, that even if they do ask for a good consultant it gets diluted amongst many other points that are far easier to check.
The one project that insists on a good consultant, will probably get it.
Let other sites do it for you
A good consultant leaves happy customers. If you hear about someone with a good reputation, make a note of it.
Attributes of a good consultant.
The above are strategic moves that will help you get sent the right person. Evaluation is trickier and takes time, but here are a few pointers:
A good consultant is technically strong, but realises that it’s the bottom line that count, more than an award winning technical trick.
A good consultant will make an effort to understand your operation.
A good consultant will display insight in the practicalities of what makes a good solution a successful implementation. An excellent solution without uptake is worthless.
Last word
There are many ways to skin a cat, and for each of those there are dozens of ways to approach and deliver the same BI project. These are not all equal.
I believe selecting a good consultant does not get the attention it deserves. Surprisingly, and especially within the same supplier, good and bad is often not reflected in the cost. Between different consulting houses, it is at most very weakly reflected (compared to benefit). See my post on 10x.