In my previous article, I explored how hidden conflicts of interest—vendor kickbacks and billing inflation—compromise the advice organisations receive from technology consultants. But even when you’ve found an ethical consultant with transparent practices, there’s another critical challenge that derails technology transformations: organisations simply aren’t adequately resourced for major technology projects.
This isn’t about consultant ethics. It’s about a fundamental mismatch between what technology transformations require and what most organisations are equipped to provide.
The problem is baked into how organisations approach these projects, and it creates a trap that’s difficult to escape.
The Capability Gap Reality
Here’s what I see repeatedly: an organisation decides to implement new software—perhaps an ERP system, a CRM platform, or sector-specific technology. They engage consultants to guide the implementation. But they underestimate the internal capability and capacity required to make the project successful.
Major technology transformations require:
- Subject matter experts who understand current processes deeply
- Decision-makers who can commit time to workshops and requirement sessions
- Project resources who can coordinate across departments
- Change management capability to prepare the organisation
- Technical knowledge to integrate with existing systems
- Strategic oversight to ensure alignment with business objectives
Most organisations lack some or all of these capabilities in sufficient depth. Their people are already fully occupied with business-as-usual work. Carving out time for a major transformation project stretches everyone thin.
This creates legitimate gaps that need to be filled.
The Ethical Crossroads
This is where consulting firms face an ethical choice.
One path is to genuinely assess capability gaps and recommend resources based on actual project requirements. This means honest conversations about what the client organisation needs to contribute, where they have capacity constraints, and where external expertise truly adds value.
The other path is to exploit under-resourced clients by inflating team sizes and padding engagements with resources that aren’t genuinely necessary.
Unfortunately, the second path is far more common than it should be.
Because organisations don’t know what “right” looks like, they’re vulnerable to being told they need more resources than they actually do. They’re sold project managers, business analysts, change managers, and technical specialists at premium rates—some of whom provide genuine value, others of whom are simply billing opportunities.
Honest consulting requires transparency about this distinction.
The Permanent Hire Temptation
Faced with capability gaps and the cost of consultants, many organisations’ instinct is to hire permanent staff. It seems logical: build internal capability rather than paying consultant rates indefinitely.
But this solution carries its own significant risks, particularly for functions that aren’t core business.
Consider a mid-sized organisation hiring a project manager to oversee a major software implementation. This seems sensible. But several challenges emerge:
The sustainability question: Is there a genuine full-time role beyond the immediate project? Once the implementation completes, what does this person do? Without ongoing transformation work, they become underutilised or redundant.
The support structure problem: A lone project manager or business analyst, however capable, needs surrounding expertise to be effective. They need experienced colleagues to collaborate with, established methodologies to leverage, and organisational knowledge to draw upon.
Without these support structures, even highly skilled individuals struggle. They’re isolated, operating without the frameworks and peer support that enable effectiveness. They may lack the authority or organisational influence to drive necessary changes.
The core business focus: Here’s the fundamental question: is managing complex technology transformations actually your core business?
For most organisations, the answer is no. Their greatest positive impact comes from focusing on what they do best—whether that’s providing aged care services, manufacturing products, delivering professional services, or operating in any other sector.
Building permanent capabilities in technology project management diverts resources and attention from core business. It’s expensive, risky, and often ineffective.
The Specialist Expertise Advantage
This is where the right external expertise genuinely adds value.
Specialist consultants bring:
- Deep experience from managing similar transformations across multiple organisations
- Established methodologies proven to work
- Peer networks for collaboration and knowledge sharing
- Dedicated focus without competing business-as-usual demands
- Scalable capacity that flexes with project needs
- Vendor relationships that improve outcomes and issue resolution
Importantly, they can walk away when the work is done. You’re not left with permanent overhead for capabilities you only need intermittently.
But—and this is critical—this only works when consultants are genuinely focused on client outcomes rather than maximising billable hours.
What Ethical Consulting Looks Like
At Emergent, we approach resourcing questions through the lens of what genuinely enables client success:
Honest capability assessment: We have frank conversations about where organisations genuinely need external support versus where they’re being sold resources they don’t need. Sometimes this means recommending less consulting than we could sell.
Focus on core business: We help organisations understand that their greatest positive impact typically comes from focusing on their core business, not from building permanent capabilities in non-core functions like technology transformation.
Appropriate team composition: We match resources to genuine project requirements, not to billing opportunities. If a project genuinely needs senior expertise, we provide it. If junior resources with appropriate supervision are sufficient, we don’t inflate titles and rates.
Transparent value proposition: We’re clear about what we bring and why it makes sense to engage external expertise rather than building internal capability.
This approach sometimes means smaller engagements and less revenue. But it creates sustainable client relationships built on trust rather than dependency.
Questions to Ask Your Consultants
When engaging technology consulting services, probe deeply on resourcing recommendations:
About capability requirements:
- What internal capabilities does our organisation need for this project?
- Where do you see genuine gaps versus areas we can manage ourselves?
- What are the risks of building permanent capabilities in non-core functions?
- How do you determine the right balance between internal and external resources?
About resource justification:
- Why is each proposed role necessary?
- What would happen if we didn’t include specific resources?
- Are there alternative approaches with smaller teams?
- How do you ensure we’re not paying for resources we don’t genuinely need?
About sustainability:
- What capability will remain in our organisation after the project?
- Are you building dependency or enabling independence?
- What’s your approach to knowledge transfer?
The goal isn’t to minimise consultant involvement at all costs. It’s to ensure that every resource serves a genuine need and delivers genuine value.
The Balance Point
The right answer isn’t always “use consultants” or “build internal capability.” It’s finding the appropriate balance for your organisation’s specific context.
Small, straightforward implementations might genuinely be manageable with internal resources and vendor support. Large, complex transformations touching multiple systems and processes typically require specialist expertise that doesn’t make sense to build permanently.
The key is ensuring this assessment is being made in your interests, not in the consultant’s billing interests.
Making Better Decisions
Here’s what helps organisations navigate these challenges effectively:
Be realistic about internal capacity: Don’t underestimate the time commitment required from your team. Factor in that people have existing responsibilities.
Question permanent hires for non-core functions: Before hiring someone permanently for project management or business analysis on a transformation, carefully consider whether there’s a genuine ongoing role and adequate support structure.
Demand transparency on resourcing: Insist on understanding why each proposed resource is necessary and what value they’ll deliver.
Focus on outcomes, not activity: Measure consultants on the value they deliver, not the hours they bill or the size of their team.
Prioritise core business: Remember that your organisation’s greatest positive impact comes from excelling at your core business, not from building capabilities in technology transformation.
The Path Forward
Technology transformations fail when organisations are under-prepared. But they also fail when consultants exploit this vulnerability rather than addressing it honestly.
The solution requires both sides to act differently:
Organisations need to:
- Be realistic about internal capability and capacity
- Ask tough questions about resourcing recommendations
- Resist the temptation to build permanent capabilities in non-core functions without genuine ongoing roles and support structures
Consultants need to
- Provide honest assessments of what organisations actually need
- Recommend resources based on genuine requirements, not billing opportunities
- Help clients focus on their core business rather than creating dependency
When both sides get this right, technology transformations become genuine enablers of business success rather than expensive struggles that consume resources without delivering value.
The consulting industry can serve organisations far better than it currently does. It starts with honest conversations about capability, realistic assessments of what’s genuinely needed, and a focus on sustainable outcomes rather than maximised billings.
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How has your organisation approached the balance between internal capability and external expertise? What challenges have you faced in resourcing technology transformations?
Anthony Butler is the Founder and Managing Director of Emergent, a digital transformation consultancy that helps organisations select, implement, and optimise software solutions. With experience consulting to over 60 organisations across more than 15 industries, Anthony advocates for transparent, client-centred consulting practices that prioritise genuine outcomes over billing opportunities.
