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How to Choose a Senior Automation Consultant (B2B Guide)

January 30, 2025Tai Van
ConsultingAutomationGuide B2B

How to Choose a Senior Automation Consultant (B2B Guide)

Choosing a senior automation consultant isn't like choosing a standard supplier. You're not just looking for capacity. You're looking for someone who understands your systems, takes responsibility for results, and can execute in complex environments.

What You're Not Looking For (and What You Really Are)

You're not looking for:

  • Cheap capacity: You need expertise, not bodies
  • Slides and recommendations: You need execution, not theoretical advice
  • A generalist: You need someone who understands your specific domain
  • An isolated freelancer: You need someone who can integrate into your teams

You really are looking for:

  • Senior expertise: Someone who has seen similar problems before
  • Practical execution: Someone who programs, troubleshoots, commissions
  • Responsibility: Someone who takes responsibility for results, not just tasks
  • Integration: Someone who understands your systems and can work with your teams

Evaluation Criteria: What Really Matters

1. Real Technical Expertise

What matters:

  • Experience on systems similar to yours (Siemens, Rockwell, Beckhoff, etc.)
  • Understanding of your domain (pharma, industry, regulated)
  • Ability to work with your existing systems (legacy, heterogeneous)

Questions to ask:

  • "Have you worked on [your technology] systems in [your domain] before?"
  • "How do you handle integration with legacy systems?"
  • "Can you show concrete examples of similar projects?"

Red flags:

  • Generic answers without concrete examples
  • Overly broad promises ("we do everything")
  • Lack of understanding of your specific constraints

2. Execution Capacity, Not Just Advice

What matters:

  • Ability to program, troubleshoot, commission
  • On-site presence when necessary
  • Delivery of working systems, not just recommendations

Questions to ask:

  • "Do you intervene directly on equipment or only in advisory?"
  • "How do you handle on-site interventions?"
  • "Can you show examples of systems you've delivered?"

Red flags:

  • Focus only on advice, not execution
  • No on-site intervention capacity
  • Deliverables that are slides, not functional systems

3. Responsibility and Accountability

What matters:

  • Clear responsibility taking for results
  • No responsibility shifting between teams
  • Commitment to results, not just tasks

Questions to ask:

  • "Who is responsible if something doesn't work?"
  • "How do you handle problems and delays?"
  • "What are your concrete commitments on results?"

Red flags:

  • Vague or shared responsibility
  • Preventive excuses ("it depends on...")
  • No clear commitment on results

4. Understanding of Your Context

What matters:

  • Understanding of your regulatory constraints (GMP, etc.)
  • Understanding of your operational processes
  • Ability to integrate into your existing teams

Questions to ask:

  • "How do you handle [your domain] regulatory constraints?"
  • "How do you integrate into existing teams?"
  • "Do you understand our specific operational processes?"

Red flags:

  • Generic approach that ignores your constraints
  • Lack of understanding of your domain
  • Approach that replaces your teams instead of strengthening them

Key Questions to Ask During Evaluation

Technical Questions

1. "Can you describe a project similar to ours that you've led?"

  • Evaluates relevance of experience
  • Verifies ability to understand your context

2. "How do you handle integration with [your specific system]?"

  • Evaluates understanding of your technical constraints
  • Verifies ability to work with your existing systems

3. "What technologies do you really master?"

  • Evaluates real technical expertise
  • Avoids overly broad promises

Execution Questions

4. "Do you intervene directly on equipment or only in advisory?"

  • Distinguishes practical execution vs theoretical advice
  • Evaluates real intervention capacity

5. "How do you handle technical problems when they arise?"

  • Evaluates reactivity and resolution capacity
  • Verifies responsibility taking

6. "What are your concrete deliverables?"

  • Evaluates if deliverables are functional systems or slides
  • Verifies execution vs advice orientation

Responsibility Questions

7. "Who is responsible if the system doesn't work as expected?"

  • Evaluates clarity of responsibility
  • Verifies accountability

8. "How do you handle delays and problems?"

  • Evaluates transparency and proactive management
  • Verifies ability to handle difficulties

9. "What are your measurable commitments on results?"

  • Evaluates if commitments are concrete and measurable
  • Verifies results vs tasks orientation

Red Flags: Warning Signals

Red Flag 1: Overly Broad Promises

Signal: "We do everything", "We know all technologies", "We can solve everything"

Why it's a problem: No one can do everything. Overly broad promises often hide a lack of real expertise.

Action: Ask for concrete examples, verify real experience.

Red Flag 2: Focus Only on Advice

Signal: Deliverables that are slides, no on-site intervention capacity, no examples of delivered systems

Why it's a problem: You need execution, not just advice. Advice without execution doesn't solve your problems.

Action: Verify real execution capacity, ask for examples of delivered systems.

Red Flag 3: Vague Responsibility

Signal: "It depends on...", "It's the responsibility of...", no clear commitment

Why it's a problem: If responsibility is vague, problems won't be solved. You need someone who takes responsibility.

Action: Clarify responsibility, ask for concrete commitments.

Red Flag 4: Lack of Understanding of Your Context

Signal: Generic approach, ignorance of your specific constraints, no questions about your context

Why it's a problem: If the consultant doesn't understand your context, solutions won't be adapted. You need someone who understands your constraints.

Action: Verify understanding of your context, ask questions about specific constraints.

Expected ROI: What You Should Get

Short Term (1-3 months)

  • Stabilization: Systems that work reliably
  • Clarity: Clear understanding of system state and problems
  • Documentation: Up-to-date and usable documentation

Medium Term (3-6 months)

  • Improvement: Optimized systems, resolved problems
  • Autonomy: Trained teams, internal maintenance capacity
  • Efficiency: Reduced resolution times, improved productivity

Long Term (6+ months)

  • Reliability: Stable and maintainable systems
  • Scalability: Evolution and extension capacity
  • Positive ROI: Measurable return on investment

Conclusion: Choose for Execution, Not Price

Choosing a senior automation consultant isn't a question of price. It's a question of expertise, execution, and responsibility.

The criteria that really matter:

  • Real technical expertise on your systems
  • Practical execution capacity, not just advice
  • Clear responsibility for results
  • Understanding of your specific context

The red flags to avoid:

  • Overly broad promises
  • Focus only on advice
  • Vague responsibility
  • Lack of understanding of your context

A good senior automation consultant takes responsibility for execution, understands your systems, and delivers measurable results. It's this combination of expertise, execution and responsibility that makes the difference.

At Vanguard Systems, we intervene as senior automation consultants with a practical execution approach. We take responsibility for results, we understand complex systems, and we deliver systems that work.

[Learn more about our execution approach →](/execution)