This will be ideal in situations where the program includes setting up a new Cloud, undertaking a big redesign, or accomplishing a goal that no one on the team has achieved before. Administration tasks can remain internal, but any unfamiliar territory requires external help.

Adoption levels will give an answer to that question. If various groups avoid using the platform, it means the platform itself was designed using wrong assumptions about how they operate.

Selecting the support services purely on the basis of cost or number of certifications without considering their industry knowledge and a post go-live adoption strategy. There are certain competencies outlined by Salesforce Consulting Partner Program that would come in handy while comparing various proposals.

Yes, and it is the most common configuration. The internal administrators normally maintain ownership over the running of the business day-to-day, while the consultants do discovery, architecture, and the hard builds.

That depends on what is entailed. To design a process that is focused can take weeks, while implementation of clouds and data migration can take months.

Measurable outcomes such as shortened sales cycles, better forecasting, adoption, or even just having a single customer view.

No. It allows you to remain the decision-maker and leaves the technical implementation and project experience of the consultant.

Failure is not guaranteed, but chances for rework, delays, and poor adoption increase, particularly when dealing with an unfamiliar Cloud or integration.