I’ve been doing Puzzles for the entire 12 years of my professional career.

It’s fun to put the pieces together and watch the big picture being formed. All the merrier if the Customer enjoys the result too.

And it’s not just about solving the Puzzle. As a consultant, I usually need to carefully select Pieces from the Large Box, trying to fit them in the narrow frame, but taking care that the Picture is still coherent – even beautiful – and at least close to what the Customer dreamed up. Sometimes I have to repaint some pieces, or chisel down the rough edges. Maybe even design brand new ones, cutting them to size from scrap, and filling them with my own colours. Once I'm done and the Puzzle is solved, I can still be sure that there is plenty left to polish here and there. Eventually the Customer will want some pieces replaced or the whole Picture extended with more detail. That’s what makes this game challenging and exciting, but also very fulfilling. Even when you know your Pieces thoroughly, the outcome is almost guaranteed to be different every single time. It’s more like a board game, really. 

Well, suppose the Customer prefers to keep a tighter grip on those Puzzles. For one reason or another, you decide to insource the puzzle-solving. Certainly, that’s a valid option, but you really need to weigh the benefits. Can you expect to find the right people for the job? Maybe some of the best puzzle-solvers enjoy the variety and the new challenges, so they don’t want to be tied down to meddling with the same single picture for the rest of their career. Maybe training your existing people into it, is not as easy as you thought? Maybe they had only ever worked with mosaics and straight edges before. So even if you buy them the DIY puzzle kit and I teach them how the usual pieces can be fitted, it still remains too much of a challenge for them to meet the tightest deadlines or the highest expectations. Anyway, are you sure that you picked up the correct box of pieces in the first place? 

Ultimately, you may be better off leaving the puzzle-solving to the Pros.

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