One of the benefits of working for a large consulting firm is the people you get to work with, and the level of expertise they have in their fields. While there is a lot of formal training, and an extensive library of frameworks and information available, it is often the small informal items that make the difference. It’s this informal advice that makes the bigger impact on how I work with my clients. So, I thought I would share some of these with you:
- It’s about people
- People – Proceses – Systems: You need at least 2 of the 3
- Demonstrate value
- Ask questions
It’s about people. What this means is paying attention to what’s going around you. Just because you have a methodology, or a plan, doesn’t mean the project is going to go fine. You need to stay connected to all the stakeholders, frequently. You need to pay attention to rumour, common themes, and what the are the pain points. Projects go badly when you strictly rely on frameworks and forget to pay attention to the stakeholders. This is especially important for those who are analytical rather than people focused, as I know I prefer models and plans.
People – Proceses – Systems: Any business needs about two of these elements to run effecively (three is certainly ideal). A business can run effectively with the wrong people if it has incredibly robust processes and systems. Equally, an organization that lacks processes or a strong system can make up for it with highly skilled and experienced people and either processes or systems. When you’re asked to look at a problem within your organization, keep these in mind. They require you to step back to ensure that you’re not just treating a symptom.
Demonstrate value. The most important thing to do is to deliver on projects and to do so in a timely manner. Equally important is to make sure you provide advise, even if it isn’t taken. The client should know any assumptions, or potential problems with a particular option, or if you have uncovered any other problems or potential problems. Create an issues and risk log, and keep track of anything that may be a problem (risk) and anything is currently interfering with the business creating value (issue). These tools are a great reference and can help the client clearly understand the whole picture.
Ask questions. Don’t make assumptions (believe me). Dig into it and constantly ask why. Only by doing this can we understand all the implications, and know if there were any stakeholders or (system / process) issues not originally explained. This also ties back into demonstrating value.
So, those are some of the best pieces of advice I have received from consultants I work with. Hopefully they can help you in how you approach your next project.
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