1. What does project management mean?

Project Management means planning, executing, scheduling and controlling activities to

provide solutions to identified problems. Successful consulting projects encompasses the
understanding and using of the forms of the project management tools.

2. Project plan serves as the nucleus of a consulting engagement and provides a guide to staff
assignment and completion dates. It provides consultant with an updated status at any point
during the period through updating the project plan at least weekly, providing an ongoing
comparison of planned and actual resources and results
1. a. Review of the engagement proposal- it summarized what has taken place to date and as a
springboard for looking ahead to the project objectives and work required. It concentrates on the
objectives, scope and benefits to be realized from the engagement.
b. Discussion of the work objectives- clear definition of the final product must be formulated so that
everyone will know when the end has been reached.
c. Definition of intermediate work results- this serves as the beginning point for development of the
detailed work plan, for measuring points of the progress towards objectives and to break the project up
into mini projects with psychological and emotional feelings of satisfaction for reaching a goal.
Milestones should be keyed to scheduled milestone review points.
d. Responsibility assignments and client participation- establish responsibility for various aspects of the
project. It includes general assignment of duties for project planning and management, project task work
and review of project progress at milestone points. Agreement should also be reached on using the
clients staff as resources. Review committee members should also be designated at the kickoff meeting.
e. Project Completion date- tentative and target completion date must be taken up towards the end of the
kickoff meeting. The kick off meeting must end with review of the decisions and agreement reached,
statement that outlines the general steps in the project and that focuses on the development and every
participant understanding how the engagement will proceed. Time, venue, participants, and the agenda for
the meeting must be also decided.
4. Key elements of detailed work plan:
A. Task identification and description- involves identifying each activity required to accomplish both
intermediate and end work results.
B. Task relationship- determining relationship among the tasks through methods of PERT, gantt chart
and bubble charts
C. Estimating the work effort and completion time- estimating involves determining how long,
preferably in terms of worker hours, each tasks will take.
D. Scheduling tasks- the process of taking the task estimates and dependencies as well as the project
team assignments and availability and matching them against a calendar to determine who will
perform which task when and when the work effort will be completed.
E. Determining review point- measuring the project progress through review points to engagement
milestones.
F. Staffing the project- develop a tentative schedule of needed staff members to assessed availability.
G. Project Costing- Developing a detailed cost estimate of the engagement. The approach for
determining work costs is to calculate the total number of hours scheduled for each staff member and
multiply this number by the staff members billing rate.
H. Detailed work plan review- this is where client expectations come to the surface and the future
success of the engagement can be affected. The work plan becomes the consultants means of
explaining to the client how the project results will be accomplished.
5.
CHAPTER 13

QUESTIONS

1. In what ways will the selection and development of consulting staff impact the future business
development of a consulting firm?
The single most critical function of management in building a successful consulting practice is
selecting and developing the consulting staff. The people selected to represent the consulting firm provide
services to the firms clients and develop future business will determine:
the level of success, the rate of growth, and the future of the consulting practice.
2. Give at least 3 basic considerations that the firm takes into account in selecting the consulting staff
Some basic considerations should be taken into account are:
1. The kind of consulting practice one plans to build- specialist or generalist
2. The targeted principal market: corporate (big business) or proprietorship (small business)? product or
service related?
3. The kind of image and reputation the consultant wants to project and develop
4. The long-range plans for the consulting practice

3. Explain briefly the following profiles that should be determined and developed before the process of
hiring and training staff personnel.
a. Practice Profile- The first step in staff selection is to develop a profile of the type of person the
consultant firm needs to achieve business objectives.
b. Position Profile- This will be a two-part description of the specific position that should be filled in. It
should be developed for each position to be filled. First part should be general in nature, describing
the overall role of the position in the organization. Second part include the specific responsibilities
and duties of the person in this position
c. Person Description- This consist of three parts: academic credentials, experience and personal traits
and characteristics.

4. Distinguish between the nature of work and responsibility between the consultant and technical
specialist.
Consultant- the manage projects while developing new business. The consultants, because of experience
and track record, will oversee a consulting project and will direct the activities of others in conducting
problem analysis and researching a clients needs. He is the key person who will conceptualize and put
the pieces of the puzzle together and also see the bigger picture.
Technical specialist- by reason and training, usually functions as an individual contributor providing input
and recommendations on a specific or limited number of subjects. Generally, less experienced, has
limited or no managerial experience, and works in a support role to the consultants.

5. Describe briefly the nature of the following training methods for the employees of the consulting firm
A. Formal Training- This is where the instances that a personnel may need to attend formal training
classes that will enable the project members to acquire a working knowledge of the functional and
technical aspects of the package.
B. Ongoing Training- Every suitable consulting firm should provide ongoing training that employs a
variety of educational methods and covers various subjects. May be a combination of in-house and
out-of-house training programs.
C. Informal Training- Every consulting firm should maintain an assortment of periodicals, research
materials, reference manuals, and past project documentation within its library and files.
6. What are some ways that the consulting firm can adopt that will increase the degree of commitment of
its staff members to the practice?
a. Select people who share the consultants values and business philosophies.
b. Provide an environment that people are comfortable with and enjoy working within.
c. Demonstrate personal interest in each individual employee
d. Provide opportunity for career growth and personal development.
e. Involve the staff in decisions and commitments that affect them
f. Maintain open lines of communication within the organization.

7. Distinguish between the short-term and long-term motives that a new consultant may have in joining a
consultancy firm
Short term objectives- include gaining as much broad experience as possible in the shortest time
frame. These experiences gained might provide an entree to private industry and a higher management
position.
Long term objectives- include using the practice as a stepping stone in which a consultant clearly
understand what the owner/consultant expects and should bring specific skills and talents to the practice
during a period of growth. This is a combination of the credentials of seasoned technical skills and
managerial maturity.

8. Explain briefly some of the intrinsic factors that influence the structure of teams and the way in which
they work.
a. Group size- the larger the group, the more latitude there is for individuals to specialize their roles.
b. Stage in group formation- functions of group changes over time. Productivity of a group depends on
the stage it has reached.
c. Individual expertise and specialisms- Shape and function of the group will be affected by the
expertise and specialism of an individual.
d. Group norms and culture- Social norms influence the way in which the group works. The group itself
develop its own local culture.
e. Leadership- Effective leadership is essential if the team is to maintain its coherence and to be focused
towards its objectives.
f. Individual personalities- The cognitive style and strategy of individuals are elements of personality
that are pertinent to the way team members interact, identify issues and solve problems
g. Group motivation- critical dimension in the cohesiveness and performance of the group is motivation
of its members.

9. Explain briefly some of the extrinsic factors that influence the structure of teams and the way in which
they work.
a. Group task- nature of task is an important shaping force. Familiarity of the team with the task,
complexity of the task and significance of outcomes are some of the aspects of the tasks which are
relevant.
b. Resource Availability- level of resources made available will influence the way the team works. The
optimal level of resources is one at which objectives are attainable but which demands that resources
be worked hard to achieve them.
c. Group rewards- Group rewards are classified into material, in which work is undertaken for financial
benefits, next is, social, team working is a way for people to interact and share a social experience and
last is, personal development.
d. Interaction with other groups- the way in which the team integrates within the wider organizational
context will influence the way it works with tat organization.

10. What are the four stages of team development. Explain briefly.
1. Formation- the members of the group come together for the first time. There is considerable
uncertainty about the goals of the group, the roles of individual and how the group will function.
2. Brainstorming/ Deliberation- People will be jostling for position in the group. Several may be
claiming the leadership role. There will be disagreement about goals and how they should be pursued.
3. Emergence of Consensus- Consensus will recognize the roles individual members will play, the
overall goals for the group and the process through which individuals will interact. The consensus
will gain general acceptance, through some member s will be happier with the norming outcomes
than others.
4. Performance- Once the group contingencies have been agreed through consensus, the group can move
on to undertake the tasks it exists to perform. It may continue to develop incrementally as it learns to
do its job better.

11. Explain briefly some of the useful general ground rules in managing conflicts in a team.
a. Address the issue- team leader must grasp the nettle and manage conflict early
b. Identify parties- first stage of management conflict is to recognize who is involve. Recognize all
parties who have an interest in the conflict and its resolution
c. Assert the need for resolution- If the conflict is dysfunctional and threatens the achievement of goals,
the conflict must be resolved even if the outcomes are not those one or both parties would wish.
d. Understand both sides- listening skills are particularly useful as to the views of both sides.
e. Look for common ground- A synthesis of the views of the two sides maybe stronger than either
position alone.
f. Give parties a back route- it is important that triumphalism by one party is discouraged. Emphasis
should be given to the positive elements of both positions that are included in the final synthesis
g. Be prepared to impose a solution- imposing a solution calls upon all the leaders authority and power.

12. When and how may external or outside experts be availed of for advice and support in resolving a
team conflict?
No team will be able to acquire all skills, expertise and insights to tackle every issue. It may be advisable
to to call on outside experts for advice and support. Understand what issue you need advice or support on,
define objectives, identify who can help, approach positively and ensure understanding and integrate
findings are some of the ground rules that will make the process more successful.