Three situations where interim is right
A vacancy that cannot wait
Senior recruitment takes months. If contracts are renewing, a tender is running or a supplier relationship is deteriorating in the meantime, the cost of leaving the seat empty usually exceeds the cost of filling it temporarily.
A defined piece of work needs senior ownership
A major renewal, a procurement transformation, a post-acquisition integration. Work with a beginning and an end that needs someone senior enough to make decisions rather than recommend them.
You do not yet know what the permanent role should be
An experienced interim will tell you what the job actually needs to be, which makes the eventual job description considerably better than the one you would have written first.
What to brief
The common mistake is briefing an interim like a consultant. Be specific about three things: what needs to be true in six months, what they are allowed to decide without asking, and who they report to. An interim without decision rights is an expensive adviser.
Interim, fractional or consultant
- Interim. Full time or close to it, for a defined period, holding a role.
- Fractional. Ongoing and part time, usually one to three days a week, providing continuity rather than covering a gap.
- Consultant. Advises and delivers a scope of work. Does not hold the role or the accountability.
The three are priced differently, engaged differently and suited to different problems. Choosing the wrong one is the most common reason these arrangements disappoint.
What good looks like at the end
The specific things you needed done are done, the permanent role is properly defined or filled, and the team is not more dependent on outside help than it was at the start.