What IT Consulting Includes

1857 11-04-24 Read Time: 8 min

Sooner or later, every company realizes that it is very difficult to do business without comprehensive implementation of information technologies. It is impossible to expand, develop new areas and optimize the work of the team. Then the search for ideas and practical solutions begins – which technologies and tools to choose, which tasks to prioritize, how to improve IT infrastructure and develop enterprise software with the least time and money, but with maximum efficiency?

There are a lot of questions, and only an experienced specialist, or better – a whole team working in the IT sphere with experience in different areas, can understand them. In such cases, consulting services of professional IT specialists – frontend and backend developers, UI/UX designers, business analysts, testers, project managers – come to the rescue. Consultations are provided by experts – specialists in narrow areas with deep knowledge and extensive practical experience in a particular field in accordance with the client’s objectives. IT consulting is one of the most demanded services of our company – let us tell you more about this direction.

Who Orders IT Consulting Services

IT consulting is a flexible concept that can include different packages of consulting services, provided that the level of the consultant’s expertise matches the client’s requirements. The target audience of IT consulting is very diverse; any company, entrepreneur or specialist may need assistance in implementing information technologies. Different categories of clients seek expert advice:

• Small and medium-sized businesses that want to improve their IT infrastructure and implement innovative technologies;
• Entrepreneurs who want to develop and launch their own projects and need advice on organizational issues;
• Start-ups, young companies that are starting their activities and need professional advice in the creation and development of products;
• Organizations that need consulting support in implementing information technologies to automate work tasks;
• Developers and other IT specialists who want to expand their skills and face new challenges and complex tasks.

What kind of questions do people ask an IT consultant?

IT consulting covers a wide range of issues related to the use of information technology:

• All stages of project development and deployment – websites, mobile and web applications, software, etc;
• Implementation of IT tools to optimize work processes – CRM, SRM, ERP and other business automation systems;
• Project organization – preliminary audit, resource allocation, team building, work plan development, quality control, results reporting;
• Optimization of the company’s IT infrastructure – hardware, cybersecurity systems, enterprise software, etc;
• Technical support of the project, training of personnel after implementation of new programs, systems, tools.

What the IT Consulting Service Includes – Types of Consultations

Expert Rating

How do you develop and launch a successful IT product? Is the project on the right track? How well does the company’s IT infrastructure work, are there any problem areas and how can they be eliminated? Why is the implementation of information technologies not yielding the expected results? The IT consulting team provides answers to all these questions by conducting preliminary analyses and immersing itself in the client’s tasks.

The so-called Discovery Phase is conducted, during which information is gathered and the business, niche, target audience and competitors are studied. The analysis allows to formulate a strategy of work on the project and to determine the exact stack of technologies for practical implementation. As part of IT development consulting, an expert may offer to launch a project in MVP format – a minimally viable version with basic functionality and a tight budget – to test hypotheses and evaluate the product’s prospects without large investments.

If the project is already underway, the consultant analyzes the current state of existing IT resources and the actual progress of implementation, identifies weaknesses, and determines the potential for development. Based on the results of the audit, the consultant prepares a report that includes current indicators and expert recommendations on how to improve the situation.

Strategy Development

This type of IT consulting is carried out before the start of a project – it can be the development of a website or application, implementation of new software in the company’s work, strengthening cybersecurity and many other areas. The consultant makes a strategic plan – how to implement the project at the lowest cost, optimize the timing and composition of the team, and achieve a hundred percent solution of the client’s tasks. The best result can be achieved by using the latest technologies, so the IT consulting team should have a deep understanding of modern trends and innovations.

Consulting support for projects

In this phase, the consultant provides more detailed recommendations for effective implementation of the ideas proposed in the strategic consulting phase. Provides practical solutions for selecting technologies, libraries, tools, and services that will help solve the client’s problems. Creates a step-by-step plan with specific actions – what, when, and how to do to achieve a quality result. Monitors the team’s work during implementation, reviews interim results, and adjusts project tactics as needed.

Technical Consulting

If the customer has technical difficulties with the use of technologies, programs, tools – a consultant, who is a practicing specialist in a particular field, has extensive experience and deep knowledge, gets involved. Thanks to professional IT consulting, the client easily gets out of difficult situations – sees hidden problems, identifies incorrect solutions, receives recommendations on how to eliminate bugs and implement more effective technologies.

Turnkey IT Consulting

The client can order not only a separate IT consulting service, but also comprehensive turnkey support – from idea to implementation and support. This is the most comprehensive scope of services, which requires deep involvement of consultants in the project and close communication with the client. Integrated consulting is the work of a whole team, several specialists from different areas, who are responsible for their part of the work and at the same time provide a comprehensive approach. For the client it is the most convenient and effective option, because the consulting company takes care of the whole project, not separate issues. The price of integrated IT consulting depends on the scope of services, but in the end such expenses become a profitable investment in business development for the company.

Procedures for Providing Consulting Services

1. Analyze customer needs

An initial consultation is conducted to identify the customer’s challenges, pain points, and needs, and to formulate the actual problems to be solved. The consultant structures the information received and sends it to the development team and technical specialists for further analysis to determine the optimal technology stack for project implementation.

2. Current status audit

In order to properly develop a consulting strategy, it is necessary to objectively assess the current situation. For example, if the consulting is about improving IT infrastructure, it is necessary to audit the existing resources – what the company uses, why the available capacity is insufficient, how to improve the situation with the minimum cost and the best result. Another example – if the consulting is carried out at an intermediate stage of the project development (website, application, software), the consultant makes a conclusion about the current state of the product and the actual progress of work – whether it is possible to optimize the process by introducing technical tools, optimizing the work of the team or organizational improvements.

3. Create a consulting plan

Previous research becomes the basis for creating a plan of consulting sessions. The order of discussing the directions is determined – what issues require consulting, at what stages the client needs help and recommendations, what results the client should get. A certain flexibility of the developed plan is provided, since the consulting strategy can be adjusted in the course of the project implementation.

4. Agreement on costs, terms and conditions of cooperation

After assessing the scope of work, the consulting company calculates the cost of the service package, determines the required number, duration and format of sessions, and on this basis prepares a commercial offer. The agreed IT consulting price and other terms of cooperation are fixed in the contract, after which the project is launched.

5. Conducting Consultations

Consultations are held according to the agreed schedule with the participation of two parties – the client or his authorized representative and specialists of the consulting company. Depending on the chosen format, the consultations are conducted online or offline. In advance the client receives the necessary documentation, presentations, written explanations, with which he can familiarize himself before the beginning of the consultation. At the end of the session, the client receives practical recommendations, which are passed on to the respective executors.

6. Control and monitor results

The success of the project depends not only on the expertise of the consultants, but also on the effectiveness of the implementation of the recommendations. The consultant receives feedback from the client, monitors the progress of the work, and checks that the client’s actions are in line with the plan. At the end of each stage, the results are monitored – what was done, what was achieved, what problems were solved.

7. Post-project consulting support

The contract may provide for post-project consulting, including recommendations for technical support of implemented systems and technologies, training of personnel, updating of programs and services, future scaling of technological innovations. The client is always in contact with the consulting company’s team of specialists – he/she can always ask for professional advice to solve complex problems.

If you need professional help from an experienced IT team, order a consulting package from KitApp. With the help of our consultants, you will be able to implement IT projects of any complexity easily and efficiently.