Consulting
Here is my preferred kind of engagement:
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Before I visit, I have a phone conference
with some subset of the opinion leaders on the
project. Those are the people who, if "infected" with an
idea, are best able to infect others. I'll also have a
private phone chat with the manager who's bringing me
in. The point of those meetings is to find out what
people are worried about, where they see the
opportunities, and where their pain lies. It's also to start
establishing a personal rapport: my consulting will be
successful to the extent that I make those people
successful.
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I come out for a week. Some of this time I'll spend
sitting down and talking to people. But I'll spend most
of my time working with people on whatever they'd be
doing if I weren't there. The picture on the right shows
me being unusually reserved: I'm more likely to walk up to
someone and say, "I'm bored. What're you doing? Let's
pair." (I have indeed used exactly those words.)
Almost invariably, such sessions will both lead to useful work getting done and also generate ideas for improving future work. I'm also always on the lookout for cases where two people need to work together and share knowledge but don't know it.
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Throughout, I'll talk to people about what I've been seeing. Sometimes, I'll organize little group meetings to experiment with ideas or different ways of doing things, but my bias is toward doing things in the context of existing tasks. (I don't like the idea that my week there slows the team down, even in the short term.)
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At the end of week, I debrief the person who hired me about what I've seen and what my suggestions are. Within a week, I'll follow up with a written report that I hope will be distributed to the entire team.
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A month later, we do it again, continuing until I cease to be worth the money.
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If, after the first session, you don't feel you got good value, you pay only travel expenses.
I will certainly adjust these preferences to meet your needs.