One of the things clients criticize consultants for most is a tendency to bring pre-defined solutions to unique problems, to be rigid in a rapidly moving environment. Thus, while planning and project control are high on the agenda when it comes to good consulting, they are superseded by pragmatism in truly excellent consulting. As one client put it, ‘Planning is essential to reducing risks and increasing the chances of success, but planning can only take you so far. After that, success is dependent on a flexible and cooperative approach which enables changes in scope and timescales to be accommodated and overcome.' ‘You should choose your consultants on what they can do for you, and not how much they will cost,' agrees another.

Pragmatism is not just an attitude of mind: it is also a testimony to the way in which shared risk contracts are fundamentally changing the way in which clients and consultants work together. ‘The consultants rolled up their sleeves and behaved like true partners. It felt like we were in it together.'