Management Consulting

Session 4
 Consulting Process – Engagement, Implementation, and Evaluation
Syllabus
 Project management process essentials
 Implementation of recommendations
 Final reporting and evaluation
Cases and Readings
 FC, Chapters 2-6; www.flawlessconsulting.com ; Checklists 9 & 10
 MC, Chapters 10-11
 Consulting assessment & exercise
• Implementation is
– the culmination of the consultant’s and client’s joint efforts
– to make changes that are real improvements from the
client viewpoint
• Why the consultant should be involved in
implementation?
– The plan/project presented by the consultant is the model
of future conditions and relations, based on assumptions.
Mistakes in the model, changing conditions… require
involvement of the consultant
The Global Project Leader
Ideatio
n
Perfor Valida
mance tion

Team Project
managem managem
ent ent
• Client: producer of cooking oil
• Ideation: new, low-cholesterol, cooking oil
• Validation: project for producing the new
cooking oil
 Engagement & Implementation
1. Commit on engagement over mandate and persuasion.
2. Design more participation than presentation: consultants should
participate in conducting the project rather than presenting the
project
3. Address difficult issues early: to draw attention of client.
4. Involve people early for change efforts.
5. Change the conversation to change the culture: new
conversation should help people feel connected to one another
in the room at the moment  avoid the old subjects + dialogue
that people can be vulnerable + personal
6. Pay attention to place + space: there is a spirit, a statement of
intent, a congruence b/w the space + purpose, that reinforces
our reason for being there.
 Creating the Master Project Plan
Master Plan based on Key Performance Measures – Scope, Schedule, +
Cost (three stakes)
1. Action / management plan
2. Roles + Responsibilities
3. Scope statement (business need + problem, objectives, benefits,
justification, deliverables, methodology, + milestones)
4. Work breakdown structure (description of all deliverables)
5. Schedule + costs (identify resources, develop calendar and cost by
time period)
6. Baseline management plan (manage variances)
7. Staffing plan
8. Project quality and risks
9. Communication plan
Source: Elizabeth and Richard Larson, Watermark Learning, 2012
1.Action/Management plan: sales plan, marketing plan, production plan, raw
material purchasing plan
2.Roles and Responsibilities: of functional managers, workers
3.Scope statement (business need + problem, objectives, benefits,
justification, deliverables, methodology, + milestones): fierce competition in
cooking oil market, to increase sales + market share, new product targeted
on high income customers
4.Work breakdown structure (description of all deliverables): low cholesterol
cooking oil
5.Schedule + costs (identify resources, develop calendar and cost by time
period): purchase + install machine, train workers, produce new product,
marketing + sales
6.Baseline management plan (manage variances): monthly compare actual
costs + output with plans
7.Staffing plan
8.Project quality and risks: quality of new product, sales + profit from new
product, market risk, raw material risks,
9.Communication plan: PR plan
 Designing for Engagement
 Design each gathering to strengthen engagement
 Balance between presentation and participation
 Support/encourage full disclosure and public
expression of doubt
 Place real choices on the table
 Initiate new conversations
 Choose a physical space that supports community
and interaction
 Eight Ways to Engage
1. Open with transparent purpose.
2. Renegotiate expectations about participation.
3. Rearrange the room.
4. Create a platform for openness and doubt.
5. Ask ‘What do we want to create together’?
6. Create a new conversation: to get people connected to each other
7. Choose commitment + accountability: real commitment entails
redistribution of powers, which is much more subtle than re-
describing which people decide, who advises, who offers inputs, at
each point in the work process
8. Focus on gifts
Source: Peter Block, Flawless Consulting, 2011
 Supportive Environment
 Leadership support: provide directions + guidelines
 Non-hierarchical structure: maintain democratic
environment
 Appropriate reward systems: salaries, bonus,
promotion, etc.
 Experience with team-based work
Creative Space
Develop a creative space for
teams
 Role of Project Management
1. Definition of project objectives, requirements, and
scope (what, for how much, by when)
2. Breakdown, define + list of work activities, tasks or
jobs (what?)
3. Creation of a project organization (who?)
4. Preparation of a schedule (when?)
5. Preparation of budget and resource plan (how much?)
6. Preparation of time, cost and performance forecast
1. Definition of project objectives, requirements, and
scope (what, for how much, by when): to increase sales
+ profit,
2. Breakdown, definition and list of work activities, tasks
or jobs (what?): importing olive, purchasing machines,
training workers, total quality management (TQM),
advertisement
3. Creation of a project organization (who?): project
management unit (PMU)
4. Preparation of a schedule (when?): 5 years duration
5. Preparation of budget and resource plan (how much?):
capital budget, purchasing budget, production budget,
marketing budget
6. Preparation of time, cost and performance forecast
Source: PMBOK
Project Success Factors
 Agile Project Management
Traditional Project Agile/Smart Project
Monitored team Self-directed team/empowered team

Take directions Initiative-driven

Seek individual rewards Focus on team contributions

Concentrate on objectives Concentrate on solutions

Competitive Collaborative

Follow processes Look for ways of improving process

Reactive Proactive
 Five (Dys)Functions of a Team
R
e
s

Inattention
u
l
t
s to
A
c
c
o
u

Avoidance of
n
t
a
b
il
it
y

C
o
m

Lack of m
i
t
m
e
n
t

C
o

Fear of
n
f
l
i
c
t

T
r
Absence of u
s
t
Source: Five Dysfunctions of A Team, Patrick Lencioni
 Life Stages of a Global Team
F
o
r
m
a
l

Consensus Stage –
i
z
a

Implement Decisions
t
i
o
n

C
o
o

Organization Stage r
d
i

– Evaluate, Discuss,
n
a
t

Agree i
o
n

F
o

Conflict Stage – r
m
Clarify and a
t
Communicate i
o
n

O
r

Start-up stage –
i
e
n
t
Define task & a
t
Socialize i
o
n

http://youtu.be/NsndhCQ5hRY
 Role of Team Leadership
 Spokesperson – primary contact between team and
organization.
 Source of energy, motivation, and inspiration to team
members and client.
 Maintains visibility for higher goal.
 Keeps team on track and in time.
 Obtains resources.
 Resolves conflicts.
Team Performance Model

Source: Grove Consultants International

 Managing Virtual Teams
 Cultural Influences:
 Time & Distance: among team members
 Relationship:
 Sense of Space:
 Risk-taking: risk averser/risk taker
 Language: same/different
 Communication Style
 Explicit vs. Tacit Knowledge
 Communicating Across Distance
Four Challenges:
 Language – use of common language
 Non-verbal Behavior – verbal/nonverbal understanding
 Managerial Values – relationship-oriented vs. business task-
oriented
 Thinking and Decision-making Processes
– Western problem-solving focus vs. Eastern holistic solution focus
– Western focus on business task vs. Eastern focus on relationship
 Motivate Your Team through Effective
Communications
 Ensure understanding and support of strategy
 Clarify team roles
 Align objectives
 Global plan
 Kick-off meeting
 Interactive agenda
 Streamline communications
 Live meetings
 Email communications
 Web portal
Facilitating Cross-cultural Collaboration

Source: DiStefano and Maznevski 2003

 Global Communication Tips
 Active Listening – as powerful as speech, saves time,
important learning tool
 Observation – survey and examine situation
 Strategic Questioning – closed vs. open, fact-finding,
feeling-finding (praise, hints), clarifying, expanding,
directing
 Information Feedback – Express yourself (direct or
indirect/stories), give and get definitions, don’t
assume, ask questions, speak same language, give
feedback
 Evaluation
• Is the most important part of the termination phase
in any consulting process
• Is to assess
– if the assignment has met its objectives,
– what specific results/benefits (in short-term or long-term)
to the client have been achieved?
– what expected results could not be achieved?
– has the assignment achieved unexpected or
supplementary results?
• Client + consultant can draw lessons from evaluation
• Evaluation of the benefits or results:
– New capabilities: in ordering, accounting, pricing,
marketing, manufacturing, problem-solving…
– New systems: inventory management system, ABC
system/job costing system/process costing system,
debt management system…
– New relationships: with the client, suppliers,
creditors, stakeholders…
– New opportunities: new market segments, new
products/services ….
– New behavior: of staff,
– New performance
• Evaluation of the consulting process:
– The design of the assignment/contract
– The quantity and quality of inputs
– The consulting mode/style used
– The management of the assignment by the
consultant and the client
• Evaluating tools:
– Collecting and examining hard data that permit
quantitative assessment
– Identifying and examining opinions, especially for
evaluating the consultant-client relationship, and
the consulting style
– Classical techniques: interviews, observations,
questionnaires, discussions at meetings
 Follow-up
• If the client has interest and the consultant
has something more to offer the client
• Follow-up of implementation may be every 3
months over 2 years
– to see the progress,
– to help take necessary corrective measures, and
– to find if new problems arisen
 Final reporting
• Before and during the assignment, the client may
receive different reports:
– The report in which the assignment was proposed,
based on preliminary diagnosis survey
– Perhaps inception report, outlining a detailed plan of
work
– Progress report, in which modifications problem
definition and plans may be proposed
– Final assignment report, issued at the time of
withdrawal
• Content of final report:
– Short and comprehensive review of work
performed
– The benefits obtained from implementation
– Frank suggestions to the client on what should be
undertaken, or avoided, in the future