Role of Consultant in Project Management

8/12/2019 Role of Consultant in Project Management

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Role of consultant in Project Management A project management consultancy is a professional consulting firm with knowledge a

in the specialized area of assisting organizations to improve their practice of project, p

portfolio management.

These firms also focus on supporting environment and necessary leadership that enabl

programs to accelerate the implementation of an organizations strategy and the a

business results.

WHEN SHOULD YOU USE AN ORGANIZATIONAL PROJECT MA

CONSULTANCY?

Assessing your organizations current practices against industry-recognized best prac

you identify gaps in your practice of project management where a subject matter exper

could help you to focus on opportunities that will drive improvements in your busines

and results.

Using a project management consultancy allows you to draw on its invaluable exp

consultancies work with a broad array of many organizations, they encourage organizat

options unknown to the organization itself and then help select the most promis

implement.

Dontdepend on consultancies to:

Make decisions for youevaluate their recommendations for what will work best for y


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THREE STEPS TO TAKE WHEN PREPARING TO USE AN

ORGANIZATIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY

Step 1:Define what you want to do and plan for it

Step 2: Select the firm

Step 3:Negotiate terms and contract with the consulta

Step 1- IDENTIFY YOUR GOALS AND NEEDS AND PLAN FOR MEETING TH

THROUGH A CONSULTANCY

Before you request proposals or qualifications, or actively seek consultancie

your specific needs and goals. To do so, you need to identify the short- an

goals of the organization and how project, program or portfolio m

consultancies might assist you in attaining those corporate goals. You wan

potential firms with as much detail as possible about your organization and

and objectives so they can develop an accurate proposal.


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Make a list of your current skills

Identify the gaps in expertise

Determine what internal resources are available

Determine the amount of work you can accomplish internally and then the work

consulting firm would accomplish. Clarify roles and responsibilities. Identifying Improvement Areas Depending on your needs you have identified, t

changes you seek will relate to a specific practice area of project management as defin

below. Different consultancies may have various levels of expertise in each area.

Another area where there will be issues which you will need to address in meeting t

goals and needs you have identified is change management. You should also consid

your organizationscommitment to changing your internal processes. This starts with yo

organizationssenior leadership and their commitment to support the change initiative.

Determine how ready the organization is to accept and adopt the changes recommend

by the consultancy. Most importantly, build stakeholder consensus on the need to hire

consultancy.


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2. SELECT THE FIRM

Once your organization has defined its needs, you need to follow a good selection process.Consider these procedures:

Identify a selection team or subcommittee

Identify who will make the final decision

Establish a decision-making process

Dontforget to include a schedule for the selection process

Determine your desired outcome or deliverables

Identify and select the criteria for evaluating the proposals

Identify potential consulting firms

Compile a list of interested and potential firms (Use the PMI (Project Management Institute)Registered Consultant Program directory at

www.PMI.org/rcp.aspx)

Or use firms that your organization knows or has worked with if they fit the criteria

Prepare a Request for Information (RFI) to gain information before writing a Request forProposal (RFP)


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Creating selection criteria: Number of responsespre-determine an acceptable response level for the project so that

if you do not get an adequate number of responses, you can evaluate whether to continue

or redefine your need to get more proposals.

Type of consultancylook for those with experience that closely matches your needs.

Size, geographic reach, typical engagement length

Professional qualificationsincluding: Breadth and depth of experience Familiarity with

your industry or type of project

Technical competence

Ability to develop practical recommendations

Ability to build trust and work effectively with management and staff

Ability to manage an assignment and stay on schedule and within budget

Past experiencedid previous consulting engagements meet the clients goals? Whether

they have completed in an efficient manner?

Proposed work plantheir approach to meeting your goals

Their ability to bring innovation to your particular goals and needs.


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Select the firm. Do not inform short-list firms of selection results until negotiations

are complete with the winning firm.

Step 3

NEGOTIATE TERMS AND CONTRACT WITH THE CONSULTANCY

As with the selection step, the procedure is similar to negotiating and signing acontract with other types of vendors. Legal representation from both parties

should be involved.

A detailed contract will specify:

Scope of services

Services Schedule

Roles and responsibilities of the consultancy

Payment terms

Fees and reimbursement expenses

Termination clauses (cancellation conditions)


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Submit the contract to your legal and/or compliance departments for their review

Make the necessary adjustments as per the comments of the reviewer

Sign the contract You will now be ready to begin working with the consultancy to improve your

organizations project, program andportfolio management processes and work

toward greater business success. Be sure to focus on keeping the effort on course

and on budget and ask for regular written reports and documentation.

By following the steps outlined here in selecting the right consultancy firm for your

organization, not only will you achieve your desired outcomes, but you can build a

strong, rewarding and lasting business relationship.


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Technical Consultancy Organisation (TCO)

TCO were set up in the early seventies/eighties. The IDBI, ICICI in the

collaboration with state level financial development institutions and commercial

banks established a network of TCOs.

TCOs were set up to provide under a single roof package of total consultancy

services covering all stages in the project cycle. It also provides the consultancy to

State Govt, state level development financing institutions and banks. The main

trust of TCOs operations was in the area of preparation of project report and

feasibility studies.


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TCO

Feasibility

studies

ProjectReports

Project

Profiles

Surveys

Studies

Training

Awareness

Camps


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Studies includes Modernization, Rehabilitation, Diagnostics and Functional.

TCO in MaharashtraMaharashtra Industrial & Technical Consultancy Organization Ltd.

(MITCON) established in 1982 operating in Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu having a

paid up capital10 lacs. The sponsoring financial Institution for the same is ICICI.

Young Management graduates are entering the profession substantially. They welcome the

challenge and variety of the assignments. But there is no formal course to develop them as

consultant except for the Institute of Management Consultants of India.

The objective of the institute is to test by examination or competence of persons engaged in

the profession and to incorporate its members only those who satisfy council in this regard.

A college of consulting firm is also be formed which will concentrate on furthering theinterest of management consultancy.

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Role of Consultant in Project Management