19. Does the Framework replace the consultant?

Is the Framework intended to replace the need for an experienced consultant?

No. We believe that the combination of a consultant’s expertise and the IT Guidance Framework provides a unique pathway to a successful AMS, LMS, or Website project. The Framework can help you do more on your own, so that you can use consulting guidance where it provides the most value. Rather than paying for a consultant to do all the detailed activities on your project, the Framework allows the consultant to be your mentor, to oversee the project from a management perspective, providing strategic advice where appropriate. You can therefore minimize the consulting costs involved, while the Framework helps your own internal project manager take on responsibility for some of the detailed tasks.

The Framework provides you with a knowledge base of institutional expertise in the evaluation, selection, and implementation processes, allowing you to take advantage of best practices after the consultant’s work on your initial project is done. Once you have used ISCG’s professional services and the Framework to guide your first project to a successful conclusion, your own staff will be better positioned to take on future projects with less outside consulting support.