The Optimization of Leveraging

Courtesy of Alert Guest Blogger David Tang:

Consultants.  We're always optimizing, always leveraging -- always in the pursuit of minimizing our workload while maximizing our lifestyle.  This mode of conduct carries from using the expense policy, to accumulating hotel points, to creating our client deliverables.

At the start of every project, it's always a scramble to find good internal docs that we can leverage.  The problem often is that the internal library of documents is poorly organized and documented.  The original uploader has probably left the firm and isn't around to answer any pressing questions.  Well, here's a tip.  Check out Flevy.com (http://flevy.com) for documents that can be leveraged.  In fact, Flevy is a marketplace for consulting-type business documents.  It's organized by business function (e.g. marketing strategy, supply chain), industry, and file type.  And, of course, any documents purchased are expensed back to the project. (Hey, 40 SPG points here and there adds up!)

Oh, and don't forget... at the end of the engagement, repackage the documents as your own and list it on Flevy for the next consultant to leverage.