Completing Your Consulting Project

This is the last episode in our consulting project side hustle series.  We wrap up the season with a look at how to end our project and wrap it up (for now at least).  As implied, we also look at moving on to the next project and making use of our success with a customer to grow to more work in the future. Final Delivery There should always be some sort of final release as part of completing a consulting project.  This can be the form of releasing the source code to a customer or something much more involved.  No matter the way you deliver the final product there are some things you should always ensure as part of that. Thoroughly test the work you have done Review all documentation for content as well as grammar and spelling checks Clean up any temporary files Virus scan all files Deliver what you promised, no more and no less Your work along the way is a huge part of making the project a success.  However, the way you end it can make as much impact.  Think of this as your final exam for the customer.  Just as a final exam in school always counted for a significant portion of your grade, the last work you deliver counts profoundly towards the level of success in a project. Moving On To Your Next Consulting Project As you wrap this project up, you should remember to end it well.  Thank the customer for allowing you to work with them and on their project.  After a short time (a week or two) has passed, follow up with your customer.  This step is to ensure that your final delivery was successfully implemented or used by the customer.  When you follow up, you are offering support of your work and taking a step to keep the relationship you have built current. After some period, that you will have to judge as appropriate, reach back out to your customer.  You should have a list of possible enhancements and improvements to suggest.  This might include new features or extensions to the application you worked on.  At this point, you should have a good idea of the considerations that go into a project for that customer.  This insight will often include critical factors like budget, timing, standard processes, and the expected quality of work.  There is no guarantee this will lead to more work.  However, your odds of success are better than a cold call for more work. That wraps up this season.  Send an email to [email protected] if you have any questions or if you just want to share some war stories.  Good luck!