Managing the Consulting Engagement

The Consulting Engagement Lifecycle

Evaluation

Commitment

Engagement

Closure

Maintenance

Project Management

Knowledge and Practice

Subject Matter

Expertise

General Management Knowledge

and Practice

Management Disciplines in a Consulting Engagement

Several management disciplines come to play in a consulting engagement• General management knowledge

generally used to plan, organize, staff, execute & control operations of an enterprise• Subject matter expertise on

technical elements (software, construction) or industry elements (automotive, financial)• Project management knowledge

and practice that this material will focus on in slides ahead

Deconstructing the Consulting Project

Project Management Responsibilities

Project Management Processes

Consulting Engagement Lifecycle

The following sections examine

each of these dimensions

The Consulting Engagement Lifecycle

The Consulting Engagement Lifecycle

Evaluation

Commitment

Engagement

Closure

Maintenance

Evaluation

Activities• Lead qualification• Client organization

analysis• Approach development• Opportunity assessment

Output• Value proposition, potential

benefits, risk ratings• Engagement approach:

stakeholder identification; scope & objectives; effort and cost estimates; project plan outline; skills required;

Ensure that all factors related to the opportunity are considered prior to committing resources to the proposal.

The delivery organization decides whether the engagement is aligned to its core competencies and whether the client belongs to its target market segment.

Commitment

Activities• Proposal and contract

development– Scope definition– Project approach

development

• Contract negotiation and agreement

Output• An approach, scope and

objectives to the potential project

• One of the following:– A signed contract– Decision not to propose– Client decision to not accept the

proposal

Agree on the engagement parameters of scope, outcome, cost and execution method.

If the opportunity is one that the delivery organization wishes to pursue then it builds commitment to the assignment.

Engagement

Activities• Mobilize team• Analyze issues &

envision solution• Implement

recommendation

Output• Project management

documentation • Sign offs on deliverables &

work products • Final deliverable to meet

the project objective

Transition to the envisioned state within the agreed scope.

This stage is the ‘‘main course’’ of the project. The consultant builds on output from previous stages and proceeds as per the method decided earlier to achieve the outcomes agreed in the contract.

Closure

Activities• Measure client satisfaction• Harvest project knowledge• Confirm project

completion• Demobilize team• Finalize billing

Output• Plan ongoing

maintenance• Formal closure report,

including measurement criteria & results

• Debriefing report & updated knowledgebase

Close the project with client agreeing that contracted outcomes have been achieved.

Evaluation of project results determine the extent to which anticipated goals have been achieved.

Maintenance

Activities• Keeping client updated

with industry trends and consultant events

• Receiving client feedback on success resulting from consulting assignment

Output• Enhanced relationship

between the client and the consultant

• A returning client for a subsequent assignment

It isn’t over until it’s over. For the successful consultant it is never over. Consultants develop a strategy for maintaining client contact, protecting their investment, and expanding to other areas within the account.

Project Management Processes

Project Management Processes

Initiating

Planning Executing

Controlling

Closing

Process Iterations and Overlaps

Maintain

Close

Evaluate

Commit

Engage

Initiating

Planning

Executing

ControllingClosing

Project management processes overlap with each other and repeat in each stage of the engagement lifecycle

Activities

InitiatingDefining a project and organizing to start a project or a project phase. A detailed project plan may not exist in the Evaluation phase. However, follow-on phases are initiated based on the plan developed as a deliverable of the previous phase

• Mobilize infrastructure for project• Identify all project

stakeholders and their goals or interests

• Communicate with stakeholders to firm up their commitments

Activities

Planning

Developing / maintaining a plan to execute the project phase. Planning defines what needs to be done when, by whom, & required resources. It’s a continuous process. The Level of detail depends on project phase and intended use.

• Scope planning• Resource planning• Activity planning• Expense budgeting

• Infrastructure planning• Training to project team• Risk mitigation plan• Communication strategy• Project charter

Activities

Executing

Coordinating and authorizing people or other resources to carry out the plan. The project management activities in this phase are implementation of management mechanisms defined in the planning process.

• Plan execution• Team development• Scope verification

• Communication management

• Project procurement administration

Activities

Controlling

The purpose of the project management control process is to identify potential problems early and prevent them from happening, or if that is not possible, minimizing their impact. Preventing problems is far easier and less costly than solving them.

• Project plan tracking• Project review meetings

with stakeholders• Monitor resource utilization

• Incidence management: monitor effectiveness of the issue resolution, scope change procedures

• Identify potential time, cost over-runs

Activities

Closing

Formalizing the acceptance of the project or project phase and documenting lessons learned

• Obtain formal confirmation of project phase closure• Measure client satisfaction• Review plan, scope &

budget

• Obtain formal authorization to proceed to next phase in the project lifecycle

• Plan resources, infrastructure for subsequent phases

Project Management Responsibilities

Project Management ResponsibilitiesIntegration

Scope

Quality

Time

Cost

Risk

Communication

Organization Impact

HR Management

Procurement

Activities Output

Project Integration Management

• Project plan development• Project plan execution• Overall change control

• Project plan• Stakeholder analysis• Project charter• Agreed project management

methodology

Ensures coordination of all project elements such as infrastructure, resources, end client buy-in and other project management responsibilities.

Activities Output

Scope Management

• Scope planning• Scope definition• Scope verification• Scope change control

• Scope / requirements definition

• Work breakdown structure• Product baseline control• Project baseline control

No charging at windmills if your contract does not ask you to. Scope management comprises processes to ensure that the project has planned for all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully.

Activities Output

Quality Management

• Quality planning• Quality assurance• Quality control

• Quality management plan• Operational definitions and

checklist• Rework and process

adjustments

Ensures that the project will satisfy the agreed-upon requirements. Quality management includes quality planning, quality assurance and quality control.

Activities Output

Cost Management

• Resource planning• Cost estimating• Cost budgeting• Cost control

• Resource requirements• Cost estimates• Cost management plan• Budget updates / corrective

action

Ensures that the project is completed within the approved budget. Cost management comprises estimating resources & cost, and monitoring & control of cost.

Activities Output

Time Management

• Activity definition• Activity sequencing• Schedule development• Schedule control

• Activity list• Project network diagram

(Gantt chart, PERT chart)• Project schedule• Schedule updates

Ensures timely completion of the project. It consists of task or activity definition, activity sequencing, resource planning, activity duration estimating, and development & control of project schedules.

Activities Output

Risk Management

• Risk identification• Risk quantification• Risk response development• Risk response control

• Risk event statement• Opportunities to

pursue/ignore, threats to accept/ respond to

• Risk management plan• Corrective action

Identifying, assessing, and mitigating project risks associated with factors such as new technology, schedule constraints, availability of skills needed,, and degree of readiness of the user organization to accept changes the solution may introduce.

Activities Output

Communication Management

• Communication planning• Information distribution• Performance reporting• Administrative closure

• Communications plan• Project records and archives• Change requests• Formal acceptance• Lessons learned

Provides timely and appropriate generation and dissemination of project information to management and other stakeholders to ensure that their expectations are consistent with the realities of the project.

Activities Output

Organizational Impact Management

• Organizational readiness assessment

• Stakeholder management

• Organizational change plan• Training / knowledge transfer

Identifies organizational changes that must occur and develops appropriate communication and training programs for impacted departments and staff to support the new systems and processes

Activities Output

Human Resource Management

• Project organization planning• Staff acquisition• Team development

• Role & responsibility definitions

• Project organization plan• Team directory• Input to performance

appraisals

Provides effective leadership and management of the project team. Personal development and growth are key motivators for the project staff. Therefore, fostering development and growth are important parts of project Human Resource Management.

Activities Output

Procurement Management

• Procurement planning• RFP preparation• Source selection• Contract negotiation and

administration

• Procurement management plan

• Contracts• Procurement documents• Payment requests• Formal acceptance and closure

Includes all the processes required to acquire goods and services from outside the performing organization. Understanding the procurement process of the client organization and obtaining expert support on purchasing critical items for the project to minimize significant project delays.

Thank You for your interest

Managing the Consulting Engagement by Saumya Ganguly is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This means you can download, modify and redistribute this presentation non-commercially, as long as you acknowledge this source and license your new document / presentation under the identical terms. Check for credits in the next slide.

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Acknowledgements & CreditsContents sourced from

Project Management Methodology, City of Los AngelesA Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMI

Picture creditsTitle Slide: Aleksandar Markovic.jpg

The Consulting Engagement LifecycleProject Management Processes

Project Management Responsibilities

Clipart: Microsoft Office