Quality consulting major consumer products company

Organizational TQM Assessment
The executive staff was trained on the key components of the Malcolm Baldridge criteria, and facilitated discussions that resulted in a baseline evaluation of the organization's TQM implementation. The Baldrige criteria, used as the basis for this evaluation, provided a focus for next year's operational plan.

Internal Operations Assessment
Interviews were conducted with representatives of the most significant portions of the business to better understand and document the formal and informal operations of the company.
This was instrumental in developing the Macro Process Interface Diagram, which provides a pictorial display of how the business operates and helps to address where improvements should be targeted.
Interpreting the Diagram, we identified problems common to different business units, such as the Strategic Planning Integration process and the Communication of Business Strategies.
Customer Needs Analysis
A group of mid-to-upper level managers used available information about their clients, as well as their knowledge of the business, to build a matrix highlighting the most valuable information about their customer requirements. Through group discussions and review of available data, management then prioritized these needs based on several factors relevant to their business (Voice of the Customer).
Next, the group developed a list of the core processes of the business, utilizing the Macro Process Interface diagram that was developed during the operational assessment. They analyzed the impact of these core processes on the customer requirements.
This resulted in a concise demonstration of the correlation between the business functions and the achievement of critical customer needs.
Finally, the group developed a list of current and approaching problems and opportunities focusing on the business perspective (Voice of the Business).
This list considered internal factors as well as external influences. The problems were prioritized based on importance and business strategy.
A significant problem was the inability of different business units to leverage each other to develop new market opportunities.
These three pieces of information: the Voice of the Customer, the Voice of the Business and the impact of the critical business functions on achieving customer satisfaction, are critical considerations in the further development of the strategy for improvement initiatives.
The company culture had always been dictated by engineers and systems people with a high educational level and professional pride. Their main problem was meeting project deadlines and providing a user friendly environment to their customers.
The company began to shift its focus and placed as much importance on the customer's need to be able to use the technology easily, as on the technical requirements.
Customized Problem Solving Methodology
Technical assistance was provided in the development of a customized problem-solving methodology. This included the tools and techniques used for identification and analysis of problems in a way that can best be assimilated by company employees. In addition to the technical aspects, the methodology also emphasizes
the logic flow,
the importance of the "right" data,
the need for insightful analysis,
the role of human behavior, and
the criticality of proper follow-up.
Employee Training
Implementation of the Problem Solving Methodology included training the employees. Given their high educational level, it was critical to provide a concise, non-bureaucratic course, to gain the employee's acceptance.
The training included a case study and a curriculum that provided the correct mix of group dynamics and technical training.
The results were not only the ability to analyze problems and develop solutions, but also an improved management competence to "sell" and obtain executive approval of their ideas.
The executive staff was trained on the key components of the Malcolm Baldridge criteria, and facilitated discussions that resulted in a baseline evaluation of the organization's TQM implementation. The Baldrige criteria, used as the basis for this evaluation, provided a focus for next year's operational plan.

Internal Operations Assessment
Interviews were conducted with representatives of the most significant portions of the business to better understand and document the formal and informal operations of the company.
This was instrumental in developing the Macro Process Interface Diagram, which provides a pictorial display of how the business operates and helps to address where improvements should be targeted.
Interpreting the Diagram, we identified problems common to different business units, such as the Strategic Planning Integration process and the Communication of Business Strategies.
Customer Needs Analysis
A group of mid-to-upper level managers used available information about their clients, as well as their knowledge of the business, to build a matrix highlighting the most valuable information about their customer requirements. Through group discussions and review of available data, management then prioritized these needs based on several factors relevant to their business (Voice of the Customer).
Next, the group developed a list of the core processes of the business, utilizing the Macro Process Interface diagram that was developed during the operational assessment. They analyzed the impact of these core processes on the customer requirements.
This resulted in a concise demonstration of the correlation between the business functions and the achievement of critical customer needs.
Finally, the group developed a list of current and approaching problems and opportunities focusing on the business perspective (Voice of the Business).
This list considered internal factors as well as external influences. The problems were prioritized based on importance and business strategy.
A significant problem was the inability of different business units to leverage each other to develop new market opportunities.
These three pieces of information: the Voice of the Customer, the Voice of the Business and the impact of the critical business functions on achieving customer satisfaction, are critical considerations in the further development of the strategy for improvement initiatives.
The company culture had always been dictated by engineers and systems people with a high educational level and professional pride. Their main problem was meeting project deadlines and providing a user friendly environment to their customers.
The company began to shift its focus and placed as much importance on the customer's need to be able to use the technology easily, as on the technical requirements.
Customized Problem Solving Methodology
Technical assistance was provided in the development of a customized problem-solving methodology. This included the tools and techniques used for identification and analysis of problems in a way that can best be assimilated by company employees. In addition to the technical aspects, the methodology also emphasizes
the logic flow,
the importance of the "right" data,
the need for insightful analysis,
the role of human behavior, and
the criticality of proper follow-up.
Employee Training
Implementation of the Problem Solving Methodology included training the employees. Given their high educational level, it was critical to provide a concise, non-bureaucratic course, to gain the employee's acceptance.
The training included a case study and a curriculum that provided the correct mix of group dynamics and technical training.
The results were not only the ability to analyze problems and develop solutions, but also an improved management competence to "sell" and obtain executive approval of their ideas.

Managing Partner, Management Resourecs, Inc.

Project Management Consulting

Projects are, in general, specific tasks that run on a finite schedule: the building of a new headquarters, for instance, or the development of a new accounting system. Once the project is over, you no longer need a roject management consulting team, and by extension, you no longer need a project manager.

Project management consulting, therefore, is a job of frequent changes and travel. It is demanding on the project manager, and the company hiring a project management consulting team needs to ensure that they choose the right person the first time.

Choosing Project Management Consulting

Your project manager is your primary hiring consideration. Your project manager should have experience in your industry, and he or she should be able to describe to you how they were successful with previous consulting jobs. Most crucially, they should be able to tell you how they put together a team.

Your project manager is going to be the head of his or her team, and will be making the hiring and distribution decisions for the project management team. They will be telling you which members of your team theyll need for the project, if any, and how much stress it will put on your organization to lose their skills for the amount of time they are crucial to the project. Your project manager should also be able to tell you who they have in mind for other team members, and what their track record is. By the time you hire a project manager, you should know not only who they are and what theyve done, but what kind of project management consulting team they will be putting together and how they will work together and with your company to successfully complete your project.

Being Chosen For Project Management Consulting

If youre trying to land a project management consulting job with little or no experience, its probably not going to happen. To become a project manager, or even a member of a project management consulting team, youll need to have a track record of working in an important capacity as a member of a consulting team.

This is not a catch-22. You dont start at a company as the CEO, and likewise you dont start project management consulting as the lead project manager. One of the best way to enter the project management consulting world is as a team member in a company when your employer is working on a project.

Another way to find a job in project management consulting is by finding a position with a consulting company. You may need a previous track record in your specialty, or you may be able to enter a consulting company right after college; but its certain that if you want to become a project manager, youll need further education as well as plenty of experience. When you begin working for a project management consulting firm, let your supervisor know what your goals are. They know the best way to get good project managers is to grow them in their own company.

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.managementpilot.com. Learn about change management, interim management, project management, corporate governance, management consulting and business development.