Before Temporary Help Starts, Agree What Finished Means

Before bringing in outside expertise, agree what your team will receive and how they will use it after the work ends.

As you review a proposal for outside expertise, ask who will use the result after the expert leaves.

The scope needs to cover that use as well as delivery. What will your team receive? What will they need to keep the work going?

PMI's 2024 global project research reported that 84% of projects defined success criteria upfront. Only 53% measured performance along the way.

The research covered projects across industries. Our advice for a small engagement is to agree a check during the work as well as a final handover.

Describe a result you can check

Write down what should be different when the work is complete. Name the output you expect and how the person using it will judge whether it is ready.

Keep that test within the agreed work. Completing an assignment and achieving a later business result are different commitments. Ask what evidence supports any promised improvement.

When you are still unsure which problem to solve, consider a defined diagnosis first. Its output could be a recommendation and the evidence behind it, with a decision about implementation to follow.

Be clear about your firm's part

Choose someone inside the firm who can approve decisions and accept the result. Confirm their availability before agreeing the timetable.

Be honest about access and staff time. Include any work your team must contribute in the plan.

Agree how additions will be assessed. Record any effect on the price or finish date before extra work proceeds.

Test the handover before the last day

Ask the intended owner to use the agreed output while the expert is available. Note what still needs explanation and allow time to address it before sign-off.

Agree which working files and instructions your team needs after the engagement. Confirm which tools or subscriptions must remain in place.

The UK government's Consultancy Playbook recommends putting knowledge and skills transfer into the project specification. It also calls for early preparation for handover. That guidance is written for public bodies. We think the underlying buying question is useful for a small firm too: what needs to stay in the business?

An ongoing arrangement may be sensible for specialist work your team does not intend to take on. Set out that arrangement and its cost explicitly.

Choose help that fits the need

Check what your firm already has. An existing tool or a capable colleague with protected time may be enough. Use outside expertise where there is a real skills or capacity gap.

At Altvina, the Fit Call is a qualification conversation about the need and whether we are a suitable partner. A sufficiently defined need can be considered for a scoped engagement with matched independent expertise. Where diagnosis and prioritization are needed, the Blueprint provides a structured route to a practical plan.

Before agreeing the start date, ask your proposed partner: "What will we receive, and how will we know we are ready to use it?"

More from this week

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• Monday: Before Temporary Help Starts, Agree What Finished Means (this post)

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