Certain things in life are fraught with pitfalls. Have you ever spoken with someone who just moved into a new custom-built home? You often hear things such as: "Don't ever build a house," "You will end up hating your builder!" or "Worst year of my life." You know the litany. But sometimes you hear the opposite: "We finally got our dream house," "We love our builder," or "Best experience I ever had." In fact, sometimes you will hear both sets of opinions about the same builder. Makes you wonder whether the problem is the builder or the person who hired the builder.

There is a parallel here to the world of IT consulting. Consultants are as often feared and loathed as they are praised and admired. And a lot of times the only difference between a successful consulting engagement and a dreadful one is the client. Some clients always have failed consulting projects, and some clients always have successful projects. Let's look at some of the things that can ensure you end up on the upside.

It doesn't make much difference whether you are running IT for a Fortune 100 insurance carrier or a regional insurance agency. There will come a time when you do not have sufficient resources in-house to design, manage, and build an IT project. In fact, if you do have the resources available to handle any project thrown your way, you probably are overstaffed and overbudgeted. Most IT organizations have their hands full taking care of business–and that's the way it should be. So, even if you are in the camp that loathes consultants, let's just face the facts and find ways to make an outsourced project work.