Transition manager or consultant: how to choose?

Do you need additional resources to manage complex projects or solve specific IT problems?

Over the past 20 years, interim management has established itself as a highly effective managerial tool for successful transformation. It opens up a new option: to call on the services of a consultant or an interim manager. To help you make the decision that best suits your needs, here are a few key points to consider.

Understanding the role of the interim manager

An interim manager is an experienced professional hired for a defined period to manage projects or crisis situations within an organization.

The main role of the Interim Manager is to contribute his technical expertise and proven experience in project management and leadership to achieve the defined objectives.

They work closely with internal teams and are often responsible for leading a team of IT professionals. The Transition Manager's presence is temporary, aimed at solving specific problems while improving existing processes.

The Transition Manager combines the dimensions of leadership and change management. This is more than just a technical exercise and operational management, as his mission is also to lead and instigate change.

Unlike experts or consultants, interim managers are expected to possess solid managerial skills. Hiring an interim manager has several advantages:

• This saves time, as these experienced professionals are immediately operational.

• The role of the Transition Manager is to secure a project, turn around a crisis situation and create added value.
• It plays an essential role in the success of change.
• As project guarantor, he assumes responsibility for team and project management.

The issues faced by an interim manager are varied, ranging from the management of a major IT project to specific support for teams, refocusing the IT department on business needs or outsourcing certain resources. The Transition Manager's in-depth knowledge of various technical resources and previous experience guarantee operational efficiency.

An important aspect to note is that the IT Transition Manager has no personal stake in his future with the company. He is hired temporarily to provide concrete solutions, and then continues his career elsewhere. This absence of personal stakes enables him to make objective decisions and focus solely on the company's interests.

IT interim managers are generally recruited and introduced to customers by specialist interim management companies. Their selection is based on their professional skills, sector experience, soft skills and reputation as experts capable of delivering tangible results.

The role of the consultant 

The consultant's main role is to provide strategic advice and recommendations to companies. However,he is not responsible for the operational implementation of this advice. He generally limits himself to the analysis and recommendation phase.

It is external to the customer organization. 

He has no direct authority over the company's employees and is not involved in day-to-day management. His role is often to provide an independent, objective viewpoint.

Consultant selection is often based on the reputation of the consulting firm, which does not always guarantee expertise, especially when the successful consultant hands over to a junior.

Factors to consider when making your choice

Project objectives

If you need a short-term intervention to solve a specific problem, a Transition Manager may be more appropriate. If you're only looking for specialist advice, a consultant may be more appropriate.

Level of collaboration with internal teams

The desired degree of involvement of internal teams can also influence your choice. An IT Transition Manager will work more closely with in-house teams, guiding them in the execution of tasks, while an IT Consultant may provide strategic recommendations and carry out the assignment without much interaction with the teams.

The cost

Consultants are generally paid on an hourly or project basis, which can make costs more difficult to predict and control. Interim managers, on the other hand, are often hired for a defined duration and a specific assignment. Their total cost is therefore generally better defined from the outset, enabling companies to better plan their budget without fear of unforeseen overruns.

Consultants' daily rates are higher than those of interim managers.

Return on investment (ROI)

The consultant may make recommendations that the company does not have the capacity to implement. ROI is conditional on subsequent implementation, and therefore difficult to assess.

The Transition Manager will use the resources at his disposal within the company. He makes do with what he has. The return on an interim manager's investment is usually several times the cost of the assignment. An interim manager's ROI can almost be assessed on a day-to-day basis.

Interim managers and consultants can work together on the same project.
They are potentially complementary. You may have used the services of a consultant and now need an interim manager to implement the recommendations.

How can I find the right IT interim management specialist?

When a company decides to call on the services of an interim manager, it is usually faced with a managerial emergency. A manager is missing or failing, a project has gone off the rails, a new step needs to be taken... the company wants to move from situation A to situation B.

This is the starting point for an assignment brief, which will be used to determine the profile and experience of the interim manager to be brought in.

In the IT field, companies often find it difficult to determine the right profile because IT is a technical field. This is why it's a good idea to call on specialist IT firms to complete the mission brief, identify the people involved and support them throughout the mission, ensuring that there is always the right alignment between the company's initial intention and implementation.

Infortive Transition was created by interim CIOs, convinced that Information Systems are at the heart of corporate strategy. Infortive Transition provides companies with interim IT managers to accelerate their digital transformation, lead transformation projects, manage crises, provide interim management at short notice... Infortive's managers draw on their experience in the field to select the best managers and support them throughout their assignment.

Are you looking for an interim manager?