Before your IT project can begin, establish measures to help guarantee some sort of retribution if the consulting team your hire falls short of performance expectations or tries to cheat you.

Get it in writing

We can't stress the importance of this enough. If your consultant feels that particular goals are unachievable, then it is their responsibility to tell you so. If they promise you a particular outcome in writing, they will be held responsible if that outcome is not achieved.

Make sure you're completely clear on your end

Even the toughest business negotiators are reluctant to get down to the nitty-gritty of outlining a high-tech project because they lack confidence in the area of IT. When you don't know much about technology beyond your word processing and email software, it's not always easy to ask questions like "So what does this mean exactly?" or "Is this absolutely necessary? Why?"

Do business with friends carefully

Also, business people often like to partner with folks they already know, because trust is a big part of it. But just because you play tennis every Saturday morning with head of the IT Consulting firm you've chosen to hire, don't let that keep you from clearly outlining your goals; very often, inadequate performance is just a casualty of misunderstanding.

Get legal assistance

If this is a major, full-scale IT project, have your attorney look over the contract between you and your consultant before any terms are finalized. Obviously, your attorney is another added expense. But you have an attorney to protect your interests. This is one of those times you'll need that protection.