To manage a consulting project, it can feel like trying to herd cats while also balancing your budget and timeline. As the client, you’re sitting in the driver’s seat, but it’s easy to feel like the consultants are the ones with their hands on the wheel, steering the project in unexpected directions. They come equipped with fancy slides, industry buzzwords, and glowing recommendations—but as the one paying the bill, your sanity (and your budget) depend on making sure they deliver real results, not just shiny promises.

So, how do you stay in control while managing consulting projects, ensuring that the process doesn’t spiral into chaos? The truth is, it’s all about setting the tone early on and making sure you keep the reins firmly in your hands. By following a few essential strategies, you can keep your consulting project on track, avoid scope creep, and ensure that the end product is something your team will actually use.

We’re about to walk you through exactly how to do that—without pulling your hair out or throwing your budget out the window.

#1. Project Management Structure and Approach – Organizing for Sanity (and Success)

The first step to successfully managing consulting projects is getting your internal ducks in a row. Before the consultants even set foot in your office, you need to define a clear project management structure, allocate the right resources, and establish governance that works for your team. Remember: just because consultants are leading the charge in certain areas, it doesn’t mean you’re handing over the keys to the castle. You’re still the one driving.

Define the Scope – Keep It Realistic

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of what consultants can deliver, but let’s be realistic: if the scope isn’t clearly defined from the start, you’ll be in for a rollercoaster ride of endless revisions and delayed deadlines. As the client, it’s your responsibility to define a project scope that’s both ambitious and achievable. Don’t let the consultants oversell you on deliverables that sound great on paper but might not add real value to your business.

Appoint a Strong Project Leader – You Need a Captain

While consultants might act like they’re captaining the ship, you need someone on your side who’s steering the course. Appoint a strong project leader from your internal team—someone who knows the ins and outs of your business and can push back when necessary. This person will act as the liaison between your team and the consultants, ensuring that the project stays aligned with your business goals, and preventing consultants from going off on tangents.

Establish Clear Governance – The Rules of the Game

Consultants are professionals, but let’s face it—they’re also there to run a business. It’s your job to make sure they play by your rules. Establish a solid governance structure that includes regular check-ins, milestone reviews, and a clear escalation path for when things (inevitably) go off track. And here’s a pro tip: make sure this governance is laid out in the contract. That way, if scope creep starts rearing its ugly head, you’ve got the documentation to rein it in.

Remember: managing consulting projects isn’t about micromanaging the consultants; it’s about having the right processes in place to ensure they deliver what you need, when you need it, without sending your project into a tailspin.

#2. Managing Key Players & Effective Communication – Keep Everyone (Including Consultants) on the Same Page

Once the project structure is in place, it’s time to wrangle the key players—both within your team and among the consultants. One of the biggest mistakes clients make when managing consulting projects is assuming everyone is on the same page. Spoiler: they’re probably not. It’s up to you to make sure communication is clear, consistent, and, above all, frequent.

Align the Stakeholders Early – Avoid Last-Minute Surprises

Before the consultants start working their magic, make sure all key stakeholders within your organization understand the project’s goals and support the approach. This is where a lot of projects go off the rails. A project is launched by a well-meaning executive, but then fizzles out when key stakeholders aren’t on board. The last thing you want is to be halfway through the project, only to find out that a critical player hasn’t bought into the plan.

Stakeholder buy-in isn’t just a checkbox—it’s essential. Get them involved early, communicate the business rationale, and address any concerns they have upfront. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re not scrambling to salvage support mid-project.

Regular Communication – Stop the Silence

Consultants are experts at dropping off PowerPoint presentations and swooping out the door, leaving your team to figure out the next steps. Don’t let that happen. Set up regular communication channels to ensure that everyone—both on the consulting team and your internal stakeholders—remains in the loop. Weekly status meetings, clear progress updates, and open feedback sessions can prevent small misunderstandings from snowballing into bigger issues.

And here’s a golden rule of communication: don’t assume they know what you’re thinking. Spell it out clearly, and ask for the same in return. It’s your project, after all, and you deserve to know exactly what’s going on at all times.

#3. Project Management – Aim for the Best Practices (and Keep the Chaos in Check)

Once you’ve got everyone aligned and bought into the project, the next step in managing consulting projects is to dive into classic project management best practices. And by “best practices,” we mean strategies that keep your project from devolving into a game of telephone where nobody’s on the same page.

The key to success? A work plan that actually works.

Break It Down – The Art of Not Overcomplicating

Ever heard of a consultant’s love for complexity? It’s real. But here’s the thing: complexity isn’t always your friend. The foundation of solid project management is breaking down the work into manageable pieces. You don’t need a ten-layer Gantt chart that only the consultants can decipher. What you need is a clear, straightforward work plan that outlines who’s doing what and when—and that you can actually follow without needing a PhD in project management.

The work plan should also include regular milestones where you can check in and make sure everything’s going according to plan. This way, you can catch issues before they become full-blown disasters.

Don’t Let the Consultants Go Rogue – Regular Checkpoints

Consultants are notorious for veering off course and over-delivering on things you didn’t actually ask for (at the cost of what you really needed). That’s why regular checkpoints are critical. Set up weekly or bi-weekly status meetings where you review progress, realign priorities, and—most importantly—make sure they’re delivering what you actually need.

If something’s not right, don’t be afraid to hit the brakes and course-correct. Remember, you’re the client—if you don’t keep your eyes on the road, the consultants might take a detour to show off their shiny new ideas (which you didn’t ask for, by the way).

#4. Planning the Different Phases – Get the Consultants to Stick to the Script

Now that you’ve got a project plan in place, let’s talk about phases. Consulting projects tend to have various phases—usually starting with information gathering, moving to analysis, and finally ending with deliverables (often a fancy report). The problem? Consultants sometimes get too caught up in one phase and end up burning time that should’ve been allocated elsewhere.

Phase 1: Information Gathering – Set Boundaries

The first phase is all about gathering intel, and it’s crucial to get this right. But here’s where things can go sideways: consultants love gathering information. They’ll talk to everyone under the sun, conduct endless interviews, and drown you in data. That’s all well and good, but if you don’t set boundaries, this phase can drag on forever.

Set clear expectations for how long the information-gathering phase should last and make sure the consultants know what’s relevant (and what’s not). Time is money, and if the consultants spend too long here, you’ll end up with a bloated report and an empty wallet.

Phase 2: Analysis – Keep It Practical

Once the consultants have all their data, they’ll move on to analysis. And here’s where things can get unnecessarily complicated. Consultants love to analyze every angle, but you need to keep things practical. Yes, analysis is important, but don’t let them get bogged down in theoretical rabbit holes.

Make sure the analysis focuses on actionable insights—things that your team can actually implement. You don’t need a 50-page dissertation; you need solutions that will drive results.

Phase 3: Deliverables – Make Sure They’re Useful

The final phase is all about delivering the goods. Consultants will put together a beautiful deck with fancy graphics and clever takeaways. But here’s the kicker: is it something your team can actually use?

Make sure that the deliverables aren’t just a collection of buzzwords and pretty slides. They need to be practical, actionable, and aligned with the project’s original goals. If it’s not something your team can work with, it’s a waste of everyone’s time (and your budget).

#5. Roles and Responsibilities – Who’s Doing What (and Who’s Taking Credit for It)?

In any consulting project, there are two teams: the client’s team and the consultant’s team. While they need to work together, the roles are very different. It’s important to define who’s responsible for what from the start so you don’t end up playing a game of “not my job” when things go awry.

Consulting Team: The “Visitors”

Consultants usually come in with a hierarchy—at the top is the partner, followed by the project manager, and then the junior consultants or analysts who do the heavy lifting. The partner is the face of the firm, but let’s be real: they’re not doing the day-to-day work. The junior consultants will be the ones conducting interviews, crunching numbers, and putting together those PowerPoint decks.

Experts may also be brought in to lend credibility, but be warned: they often show up for the pitch and disappear when the actual work starts.

Client Team: The “Home Team”

As the client, your team also plays a crucial role in the project’s success. You’ll have a budget owner who’s responsible for funding the project, and a sponsor, typically a senior executive, who provides high-level oversight. These roles might be merged for smaller projects, but regardless, it’s important to have someone who can make decisions and keep things moving.

Then there’s the project manager—your project’s unsung hero. This person is responsible for coordinating between your team and the consultants, making sure deadlines are met, and that the consultants don’t go rogue.

The rest of your team will be key stakeholders—people who are directly or indirectly impacted by the project. They may contribute to the work or just need to be kept in the loop, but their buy-in is essential to the project’s success.

#6. The Effective Governance Model – Keep the Steering Committee Lean and Mean

In managing consulting projects, one of the most critical elements is governance. But here’s the trap: too many people on your steering committee can grind progress to a halt. Keep it lean and mean. Don’t invite everyone who’s remotely interested in the project—focus on decision-makers who can keep things moving forward.

Steering Committee – Keep It Small

The steering committee is your project’s ultimate decision-making body. Ideally, it should consist of around five members, including key stakeholders and executives. These are the people who will give direction, approve milestones, and intervene when the project hits a bump.

Don’t turn the steering committee into a town hall meeting. Too many voices in the room will make it impossible to steer the project effectively.

Project Management Committee – Stay on Course

While the steering committee handles the big-picture decisions, the project management committee is where the day-to-day work happens. This is a recurring meeting between your team and the consulting team, often held weekly. It’s where you’ll review progress, address any issues, and make sure everything’s on track.

This is where your project manager needs to shine—keeping the consultants accountable and ensuring they’re delivering what was promised.

#7. Successful Change Management – Because Communication Alone Won’t Cut It

Here’s the hard truth: even the best-managed project can fail if you don’t handle the change management side of things. People resist change—whether it’s a new CRM system or a restructuring of departments. As the client, it’s your job to anticipate this resistance and manage it from the start.

Why Change Is Hard

Change is scary. Your employees might worry that a new system will make their jobs harder, or worse, redundant. They might feel like their influence in the company is being undermined. As the project leader, it’s your job to address these concerns head-on, with a clear and honest communication strategy.

Reinforce the Change Early and Often

Don’t wait until the project is finished to start talking about change. Include it in your communication from the beginning. Share early successes, show progress, and let people know how the changes will positively impact them. The more you reinforce the change, the less resistance you’ll face when it’s time to implement.

Conclusion: Wrangling Consulting Projects – Stay in Control and Keep Your Sanity

Managing consulting projects doesn’t have to feel like a constant uphill battle. By staying organized, keeping communication clear, and maintaining control over the process, you can avoid the chaos that so often comes with these engagements.

The key is remembering that as the client, you’re in charge. The consultants are there to help, but it’s your project, your goals, and ultimately your success that’s at stake. Keep the lines of communication open, set clear boundaries, and don’t be afraid to steer the ship when things start drifting off course.

In the end, if you manage your consulting project well, you’ll not only achieve your goals—you’ll also keep your sanity (and your budget) intact.