As the construction industry and other project-centric businesses increasingly adopt state-of-the-art enterprise applications, they are transforming their supply chains to provide more visibility, less risk, lower total cost and stronger supplier relationships.

So-called 'soft costs' are embedded in operations, but invisibility doesn't mean there any less real or detrimental to the bottom line.

They come, they go, they get paid-and sometimes their reports end up gathering dust on the shelf. Here's how companies can derive the full value from a consulting engagement.