organisation as a result of their expertise and approach, even when the work and the decisions to be made are difficult. Interim managers add value by using their skills and expertise to help deliver an outcome, solution, service or mitigate risk that provides a meaningful 'return on investment' to a client. Interim managers are paid on the understanding of goals and objectives being performed and delivered, and not simply on the basis of attendance. Interim managers maintain high professional standards because their future work relies upon referrals and a successful track record. They therefore have a stake in the success of the assignments that they undertake. This contrasts favourably with other 'temporary workers' who may also be seeking 'permanent employment' or simply motivated by a day rate or extending their tenure. Interim managers are available to work on a fractional or part-time basis. Especially in smaller organizations their skills may only be required for one or two days per week. The Fractional Executive saves companies money as they only pay for what they need. Assignment lifecycle Interim assignments vary in scope and requirements, encompassing change management, 'gap' assignments, project management and turnaround management. The following stages of the 'assignment lifecycle' are typical of how interim managers enter into an assignment, reach and carry out the actual implementation, and finally exit the assignment. The assignment should include a plan for making resources available to meet the longer-term goals. The early stages have much in common with consultancy, as do later stages with project management, but the accountability and responsibility that interim managers have for successful analysis and delivery of a fitting solution, is what makes these stages uniquely typical of the interim management approach. Entry. The prospective client and Interim make initial contact and explore the requirement sufficiently for the client to be able to decide to engage the interim manager (or not) to address the situation. This is likely to involve a 'preliminary' assessment of what the client thinks they want and the scope of the interim manager's contribution. It is also likely to involve a due diligence and interview process to make sure the interim manager is the right fit for the business. Typically the entry stage takes place over one or more initial meetings and results in the interim manager's provisional engagement. Diagnosis. The interim manager researches the current situation in order to understand it, how it came