Synopses & Reviews
*provides guidelines to reduce the risk and increase the benefits of consultancy work within the development and humanitarian sectors* will help to maximize the contribution that this kind of work can make to overcoming poverty and sufferingThis practical guide for NGOs and consultants shows how the two groups can work together to achieve the best results. The book focuses on consultancy use within the NGO sector, and features case studies to illustrate the range of ways in which consultancy is used within this sector, showing both the advantages and the pitfalls. The book presents a dual perspective, enabling consultants to understand better the priorities and constraints within contracting organizations, and vice versa. It will also be useful for those hiring or taking on work as internal, rather than external, consultants. While most books on consulting focus on one side of the relationship, whether providing advice to consultants or to contractors, this book looks at both sides, and not only provides advice and ideas to both sides, but presents the point of view of each.
Synopsis
This guide to good consultancy practice is unusual in two respects: its focus is consultancy work in the international development sector; and it describes the process from the perspectives of both clients and consultants, helping each side to understand what the other does. Using detailed checklists, the authors explain the stages of a typical consultancy, paying close attention to the practical, ethical, financial, and legal aspects of the process. Drawing on their own extensive experience and a wide-ranging survey of international NGOs and freelance consultants, they discuss how to develop more effective working relationships with all the relevant stakeholders, including donors, partners, programme managers, local staff, and local communities. They also show how development agencies can manage particular consultancies in order to promote long-term learning and thus improve the general quality of their programmes. As both managers and freelance consultants,