Good article. One that should be passed along.

Let me add a point or two:

Probably the best point that Tom made was 'Know thy Contractor'.

Many contractors are hardworking and competent. Many though are something less. I've heard more than one story of an incompetent consultant coming in, doing little (or creating damage) and spending significant time on the phone arranging his next job. Find people you can trust and do what it takes to keep them around.

Maybe we can add "Know thy Contracting Agency". This is particularly true with overseas consulting groups. I've worked at companies that were wowed with the line "we've got experienced, talented people who will work for a fraction of what it costs in your country". Once engaged, it was discovered that the agency was pulling people off the street and giving them a "learn (name the technology) in one weekend" book. My favorite (and real!) example was a field in a table created by an overseas consultant called "What is your date of birth". By the time anyone found out what was going on, hundreds of apps were pulling data from this field. Had I not been hired and asked to review the system, hundreds of horribly inefficient practices would eventually brought it to a standstill.

I'm tempted to go on, but I guess most of what I'd say relates to these points...