3. Management Disciplines in a Consulting
Engagement
Project
Management
Knowledge and
Practice
General
Management
Knowledge
and Practice
Subject
Matter
Expertise
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
4. Deconstructing the Consulting Project
Project Management
Processes
Consulting
Engagement
Lifecycle
Project
Management
Responsibilities
The following
sections examine
each of these
dimensions
7. Evaluation
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.
Activities
Output
• Value proposition, potential
• Lead qualification
benefits, risk ratings
• Client organization
• Engagement approach:
analysis
stakeholder identification;
• Approach development
scope & objectives; effort
• Opportunity assessment and cost estimates; project
plan outline; skills required;
8. Commitment
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.
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
9. Engagement
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.
Activities
Output
• Mobilize team
• Analyze issues &
envision solution
• Implement
recommendation
• Project management
documentation
• Sign offs on deliverables &
work products
• Final deliverable to meet the
project objective
10. Closure
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.
Activities
Output
• Measure client satisfaction
•
• Harvest project knowledge
•
• Confirm project
completion
• Demobilize team
• Finalize billing
•
Plan ongoing maintenance
Formal closure report,
including measurement
criteria & results
Debriefing report & updated
knowledgebase
11. Maintenance
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.
Activities
Output
• Enhanced relationship
• Keeping client updated
between the client and
with industry trends and
the consultant
consultant events
• Receiving client feedback • A returning client for a
subsequent assignment
on success resulting from
consulting assignment
14. Process Iterations and Overlaps
Project management
processes overlap
with each other and
repeat in each stage
of the engagement
lifecycle
Maintain
Evaluate
Close
Commit
Engage
Executing
Planning
Closing
Initiating
Controlling
15. Initiating
Defining 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
Activities
• Mobilize infrastructure for
project
• Identify all project
stakeholders and their goals
or interests
• Communicate with
stakeholders to firm up
their commitments
16. 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.
Activities
• Scope planning
• Resource planning
• Activity planning
• Expense budgeting
•
•
•
•
•
Infrastructure planning
Training to project team
Risk mitigation plan
Communication strategy
Project charter
17. 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.
Activities
• Plan execution
• Team development
• Scope verification
• Communication
management
• Project procurement
administration
18. 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.
Activities
• 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
19. Closing
Formalizing the acceptance of the
project or project phase and
documenting lessons learned
Activities
• 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
22. Project Integration Management
Ensures coordination of all project elements such
as infrastructure, resources, end client buy-in and
other project management responsibilities.
Activities
Output
• Project plan development
• Project plan execution
• Overall change control
•
•
•
•
Project plan
Stakeholder analysis
Project charter
Agreed project management
methodology
23. Scope Management
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
•
•
•
•
• Scope / requirements
definition
• Work breakdown structure
• Product baseline control
• Project baseline control
Scope planning
Scope definition
Scope verification
Scope change control
24. Quality Management
Ensures that the project will satisfy the agreedupon requirements. Quality management
includes quality planning, quality assurance and
quality control.
Activities
Output
• Quality planning
• Quality assurance
• Quality control
• Quality management plan
• Operational definitions and
checklist
• Rework and process
adjustments
25. Cost Management
Ensures that the project is completed within the
approved budget. Cost management comprises
estimating resources & cost, and monitoring &
control of cost.
Activities
Output
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Resource planning
Cost estimating
Cost budgeting
Cost control
Resource requirements
Cost estimates
Cost management plan
Budget updates / corrective
action
26. Time Management
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
•
•
•
•
• Activity list
• Project network diagram
(Gantt chart, PERT chart)
• Project schedule
• Schedule updates
Activity definition
Activity sequencing
Schedule development
Schedule control
27. Risk Management
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
•
•
•
•
• Risk event statement
• Opportunities to
pursue/ignore, threats to
accept/ respond to
• Risk management plan
• Corrective action
Risk identification
Risk quantification
Risk response development
Risk response control
28. Communication Management
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
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Communication planning
Information distribution
Performance reporting
Administrative closure
Communications plan
Project records and archives
Change requests
Formal acceptance
Lessons learned
29. Organizational Impact Management
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
• Organizational readiness
assessment
• Stakeholder management
• Organizational change plan
• Training / knowledge transfer
30. Human Resource Management
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
• Project organization planning
• Staff acquisition
• Team development
• Role & responsibility
definitions
• Project organization plan
• Team directory
• Input to performance
appraisals
31. Procurement Management
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.
Activities
Output
•
•
•
•
• Procurement management
plan
• Contracts
• Procurement documents
• Payment requests
• Formal acceptance and closure
Procurement planning
RFP preparation
Source selection
Contract negotiation and
administration
32. Thank You for your interest
Managing the Consulting Engagement by Saumya Ganguly is licensed under a
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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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33. Acknowledgements & Credits
Contents sourced from
Project Management Methodology, City of Los Angeles
A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMI
Picture credits
Title Slide: Aleksandar Markovic.jpg
The Consulting Engagement Lifecycle
Project Management Processes
Project Management Responsibilities
Clipart: Microsoft Office
