1、Title,*,Click to edit Master text styles,Second level,Third level,Fourth level,Fifth level,MBA Introductory Training,The Art of Consulting,October 2000,Learning Objectives,a greater understanding of how the firm will evaluate your performance and the implications for what you need to do and how you
2、need to do it,a greater awareness of what you can expect when you arrive on a project and an understanding of how you can contribute,new(or refreshed)skills for data gathering and interviewing,a preliminary personal development plan for the next 6-12 months,At the end of this session,you will walk a
3、way with rules of thumb to help you thrive in the,PwC,consulting environment.,Toward this end,the session will help provide:,Agenda,Welcome and Introduction,Warm-up Activity:“Traits of an effective,PwC,consultant”,Roles&Responsibilities of a Consultant,Project Overview,Framework,Table discussions-“C
4、onsultant Critical Success Factors/Behaviors”,Break,Data Gathering&Interviewing,Break,Personal Development Planning,Framework,Individual planning,Summary and Closing Activity,Table Discussions-“What recommendations would you have for next years MBAs?”,Warm-up,Warm-up Activity-Class-wide,What behavio
5、rs do you associate with an,effective,PwC,consultant?,Roles&Responsibilities of a Consultant,Simply stated,the objective of our consulting practice is to improve the performance our clients,while generating profits and enhancing staff capabilities,Thought Leadership,Repurposed,Content,Relevant,Lever
6、ageable,Experience,Enhanced Staff Capabilities,(skills,knowledge,experiences),Client Shareholder Value,Firm Profits,Engagement,The need to balance the demands of the firm,clients,and staff can at times require making a series of tradeoffs,Developing a broad skill set by working on a broad range of p
7、rojects and industries,Leveraging prior relevant knowledge of industries/subject matter to deliver project,Holding staff for the“perfect”job,Investing in thought leadership to expand firms product offering,Developing a unique,“blank sheet”of paper approach for a client problem,Continually cycling th
8、rough different clients to develop a broad experience base,Meeting utilization targets,Selling proven,easily repeatable projects,Leveraging previously developed content,Developing deep client relationships,VS.,For the firm to be successful,it must be able to do three things well-develop staff,market
9、 and execute projects,Critical Factors for Success,Develop Staff,Develop,skillsets,via training and on-the-job experiences,Develop and share knowledge,Market the Firm,Maintain an appropriate level of investment and return on investment,Leverage prior experiences,Execute Projects,Achieve an optimal b
10、lend of new and,repurposed,content,The roles and responsibilities of a consultant can be grouped into the same three categories-these responsibilities remain constant throughout ones career,although the underlying tasks will shift,Develop Thought Leadership,Manage Products,Promote Capabilities,Build
11、 Client Relationships,Generate Projects,Develop Team,Manage Resources,Solve Core Problems,Communicate Results,Develop Staff,Do the Work,Market the Firm,Recruit,Develop Skills and Transfer Knowledge,Network,Motivate and Retain,For each these responsibilities,a consultant should know:,What is my role,
12、and what are my responsibilities?,How will these roles and responsibilities evolve as I progress?,Level 3 Consultants have a range of recruiting,skill development,and knowledge transfer responsibilities,Responsibilities,Examples as to how a Level 3 Consultant can contribute,Energetically participate
13、 in recruiting events,Identify high-potential candidates through personal contacts,networking,resumes,Deliver clear,well structured,case-based interviews,Sell,PwC,to prospective employees,Maintain a“current contact”roster of former classmates,Deliver recruiting presentations,Recruit,Proactively unde
14、rstand performance expectations,requisite industry/process knowledge and needed consulting skills and proactively seek training,identify project-based development needs with minimal supervision and define plan to address,Clearly educate project team members/clients about new methodologies or analyti
15、c techniques,Provide ad hoc guidance to assist junior staff and client personnel complete assigned tasks,Proactively seek consulting best practices,industry and process insights and other skill transfer opportunities,Identify replicable tools or analysis and communicate to relevant practice group me
16、mbers,Take an active role in mentoring junior staff in the practice group,Participate in developing“white papers”and thought leadership pieces,Develop Skills and Transfer Knowledge,Do the,Work,Develop,Staff,Market the Firm,Do the Work,Level 3s also network with,train,and retain other staff,Responsib
17、ilities,Examples as to how a Level 3 Consultant can contribute,Do the,Work,Develop,Staff,Market the Firm,Tackle personal assignments with enthusiasm,pride and commitment,Proactively seek project assignments and tasks which are personally challenging and engaging,With guidance from coach and/or other
18、 senior practitioners,proactively create,PwC,career plan,Identify and position yourself to attract opportunities consistent with career plan and desired personal growth,Organize and lead internal team building events,Assist project managers to develop highly motivated junior staff and client personn
19、el,Serve as a coach for new undergraduate hires,Work with practice leadership to address practice issues,Motivate and Retain,Develop an informal network of fellow practitioners to leverage project insights and experience,Maintain strong awareness of practice groups current projects and pending proje
20、cts,Allocate adequate time in,PwC,office to develop strong relationships with fellow,practitioners,Direct recent hires and others to appropriate people and resources,Network,Level 3s support and engage in a variety of marketing efforts for,PwC,Responsibilities,Examples as to how a Level 3 Consultant
21、 can contribute,Draft citations to communicate key project insights throughout practice group,Develop and share innovative analytic techniques,Develop and author the proposal,receiving limited input where necessary,Understand,PwC,product and service offerings methodologies and key citations,Understa
22、nd,PwC,MCS,and SC strategies/goals,Display strong competency in 1-2 tools,including knowledge of detailed steps,strengths/gaps,and citations,Develop Thought Leadership,Manage,PwC,Products&Tools,Convincingly describe personal roles and contributions to recent engagements,Credibly discuss recent wins
23、for the Firm and results of high-profile engagements,Demonstrate awareness of the Firms major practice groups,competencies,and specialty practices,Promote Capabilities,Maintain positive relationships with client staff with key information or resources,Proactively understand and consistently meet or
24、exceed all client expectations,Establish firms reputation with client personnel,Develop relationships with client managers that yield competitive insights,market intelligence,Build Client Relationships,Author major portions of successful written proposals(e.g.,problem structuring,credentials),Identi
25、fy and preliminarily scope promising follow-on project sales opportunities,Develop competitive insights(e.g.,with respect to competitors and key buying influences)for potential follow-on work,Assume“front to back”ownership of proposal materials,Generate Projects,Do the,Work,Develop,Staff,Market the
26、Firm,Level 3s serve critical roles in team development,resource management,problem solving,and results communication,Responsibilities,Develop,Staff,Market the Firm,Do the Work:Level 3 Roles,Do the,Work,Implement team building activities,Seek and respect input from team members,Proactively support te
27、ammates,Manage assigned client staff and/or,PwC,consultants,Identify potential team members with relevant skills&interest,Identify information needed for fact-based analysis,and develop work plans,Ensure each hour of time and out-of-pocket expense charged to a project is an effective,efficient inves
28、tment,Proactively monitor progress,and provide timely,accurate forecasts of prospective difficulties,Identify team management opportunities,Begin to manage client teams,Manage Resources,Develop Team,Seek out relevant knowledge to apply,Synthesize findings logically,defend a point of view,and define
29、recommendations,Develop interview guides,conduct interviews,lead focus groups,and facilitate working sessions,Demonstrate strong knowledge of analytic techniques,frameworks,and methods,Solve Core Problems,Clearly synthesize results of data collection/analysis,Author sections of written deliverables,
30、Deliver portions of presentations with clarity and confidence to client management,Serve as a key facilitator at client workshops and presentations,Communicate Results,Examples as to how a Level 3 Consultant can contribute,Beyond problem-solving capabilities,each new consultant is expected to posses
31、s certain additional critical skills/traits,Defining Question,Independence,Tolerance for Ambiguity,Sense of Ownership,Creativity,Persistence,Can the consultant operate with minimum direction?,Can the consultant survive,and even thrive,when faced with an ill-defined,unfamiliar situation?,Is the consu
32、ltant willing to take ownership of a problem or task and be held accountable for its resolution?,Can the consultant develop unique,“out of the box”approaches and solutions that leverage existing content?,Is the consultant unwilling“to take no for an answer”when it comes to data collection and analys
33、is?,Key Skill/Trait,Critical skills/traits(continued),Key Skill/Trait,Defining Question,Solution Orientation,End-Product Orientation,Collaboration,Organization,Multi-level Thinking,Is the consultant continually focused on identifying solutions or alternatives rather than emphasizing problems?Is the
34、consultant an“angels advocate”?,Is the consultant continually“working backwards”from a hypothesis?,Does the consultant bring out the best in those around her or him?,Is the consultant able to group together a variety of data into coherent categories?,Can the consultant transition easily from looking
35、 at the“big picture”to diving into the analysis?,PwC,evaluates all consultants and principal consultants along three dimensions,1.Teamwork&cooperation,2.Living our values,3.Evaluating,developing&coaching,4.People program participation,1.Productivity,2.Financial management,3.Revenue generation,4.Know
36、ledge management,Adding value to,our Clients,Adding value,to our Firm,Adding value to our People,1.,Project results,2.Client relationships,3.Innovation,FY2000 version,Project Overview,Lets look more closely at the set of roles and responsibilities associated with“Do the Work”.,Mobilization,Situation
37、 Assessment,Solution Development,Implementation Planning,Learning,PHASES OF TYPICAL PROJECT,Activity-10-minute table discussions followed by a class-wide debrief,We will assign one phase of the typical project to each table,In your table groups,review the responsibilities associated with your assign
38、ed phase,Discuss the things that you believe will make a consultant effective during this specific phase,Record your ideas as“Effectiveness Tips”,Identify one person from your group to report during the debrief,In the first phase,the primary responsibility of theconsultant is to assist the team lead
39、 in preparing for the project and preparing the,workplan,Responsibilities,Effectiveness Tips,Understand study context and scope,Understand client dynamics,Proactively contribute to issue analysis,hypothesis generation,and,workplan,development,Assume ownership for portions of the,workplan,Discuss dev
40、elopment needs/study preferences,Ask structured questions after developing position,Build relationships(with,PwC,and client team members),Read the proposal!,Understand what constitutes success,Understand what can cause failure,Begin forming hypotheses as quickly as possible,Look for opportunities to
41、 assume ownership,Ask questions,with a purpose and a point of view,In the second phase,the primary responsibility of the consultant is to build the“fact base”that will serve as the basis for conclusions,Responsibilities,Effectiveness Tips,Understand purpose and use of appropriate frameworks,analysis
42、 tools,and techniques,Conduct data collection and analysis in assigned area(primary and secondary research),Assume ownership for a portion of the deliverable,Provide guidance/coordinate staff consultant work,Preview work with clients,Build good working relationships with,PwC,and client team members,
43、Understand the editing/report production process,In the third phase,the primary responsibility of the consultant is to develop a strong“pyramid”in support of recommendations,Responsibilities,Effectiveness Tips,Participate in generating and assessing alternatives and recommendations,Assist team lead
44、in developing the story and fleshing out the pyramid,Assume ownership for portions of the work products and deliverables,Test recommendations with clients,Review analyses and deliverables for accuracy and consistency,In the fourth phase,the primary responsibility of the consultant is to develop the
45、detailed plans that link ideas and actions,Responsibilities,Effectiveness Tips,Assist in preparing an implementation plan,Support selected client managers in translating change,Develop a communications plan,Participate in periodic checkups,Identify emerging roadblocks to implementation of potential
46、solutions,In the final phase,the primary responsibility of the consultant is to identify opportunities for both learning and knowledge sharing,Responsibilities,Effectiveness Tips,Prepare the analyses and deliverables for client delivery,Identify lessons learned and practice development opportunities
47、Prepare the,workpapers,(hard and soft copies),Develop a citation for this engagement,and incorporate in your resume,Consultants should know that certain behaviors are key to success,particularly when dealing with clients,Be Honest,When you dont know,say so.When youre not sure,admit it and offer to
48、follow up,Be Prepared,Be prepared for the inevitable questions,both straightforward and leading,Be Discreet,Be careful with what you say assume that the client is listening at all times,Be Sensitive to Client Perceptions,Be aware of clients perceptions,and avoid behaviors that reinforce these percep
49、tions,The key to managing client perceptions is to put yourself in the place of the client,and then to act accordingly,Tips to Manage/Rebut Behaviors that Reinforce a Negative Perception,“,Theyre overcharging us”,Dont perform non-value-add work during working hours and/or in front of the client,Keep
50、 references of“conspicuous consumption”to a minimum,Client Perceptions,“,They think theyre better than us”,Adapt to clients business environment(e.g.,working hours,dress codes),Treat all levels of client personnel well,Be conscious of the clients time,Dont overestimate your own importance,“,They don






