MANAGEMENT CONSULTING: A HOLISTIC APPROACH

Management consulting is a profession that takes a holistic view of an enterprise’s mission, resources, operating environment, and intended results. It seeks to improve enterprise performance. Professional management consultants complement and integrate the work of talented specialists in such disciplines as project management, enterprise architecture, acquisition, finance, human resources, information security, and knowledge management.

Management consulting services are important to mission outcomes and project success. This is true for government as well as for commercial enterprises. Management consultants have made significant contributions in the Federal Sector. Early leaders helped the U.S. Government to structure the mobilization of national resources for World War II, and they devised the strategies for making the early NASA space missions a success. Their imprint continues with information technology, change management, organizational restructuring, and innovations in human resource management. More information and a critical discussion are available in the book The World’s Newest Profession by Christopher D. McKenna (Cambridge University Press, 2006).

Focus on Enterprise Results

Programs and projects seek to enable an enterprise to accomplish strategic goals, eliminate barriers (gaps) to organizational performance, and achieve mission and program outcomes. Yet results are not automatic. The rude truth is that it is possible for projects garner inconsequential results for the enterprise, even while complying with all of the  procedural best practices, introducing state-of-the-art technology, and achieving stellar Earned Value Measurement metrics.

Qualified management consultants look beyond individual projects and disciplines. They approach problem solving and goal attainment with an inclusive enterprise-wide focus. They work with specialists and stakeholders, serving as the “glue” that binds many complex elements into solutions. They know the importance of gaining and maintaining executive buy-in. They cut across disciplines to address the complex organizational processes that are required to achieve change. They stay focused on enterprise results and outcomes. They can broker and “translate” between various stakeholder groups.

Management Consulting Support Is Affordable

Management consulting services are usually a small portion of the overall cost of management and project investments. Most of the budget goes elsewhere. For information technology, for example, most of the outlay goes to hardware, software, technical resources, other services, and project management.

Yet disappointing programs and failed projects happen because too many organizations decide to bypass qualified management consultants and select a “silver bullet,” a project or solution that someone has heard about … or that a vendor’s sales force has presented. Action without strategic preparation is like hunting for a Kodiak bear while blindfolded. You may have bought the best rifle in the world, but what will be accomplished may be hit or miss, literally.

Alliance with All Capable Professionals

We management consultants are not exclusive. When working on behalf of a client, we welcome the contributions of capable professionals who are not management consultants. Indeed, all enterprises need the best technical consultants, project management professionals, systems architects, and business analysts available. They are part of the enterprise’s success story. 

When Management Consultants Are Needed

Following are thought starters about situations where management consultants can often contribute to enterprise and project results.

• Strategic planning and alignment of projects with results
• Enterprise analysis and assessment
• Aligning technology with business strategy and architecture
• Facilitating changes in organizational structure, business methods, processes, and technology that cuts across the organization
• Coordinating management processes with capability maturity models
• Modeling and documenting new organizational processes
• Negotiating interagency partnerships
• Improving stakeholder communication
• Teambuilding and consensus building
• Assessing financial and human resource requirements
• Developing project charters 
• Aligning strategy, budgets, acquisitions, and program management
• Formulating enterprise-wide performance measurement
• Conducting project and program evaluation
• Implementing workouts for troubled projects

 
Certified Management Consultants

The worldwide standard for individual professionals in management consulting is the CMC designation for Certified Management Consultant. It means that the individual has met strict certification requirements including education, time and experience in a management consulting practice, and independence. CMCs pledge to abide by their Institute’s code of professional conduct (ethics). Certification requires examinations, sponsors, and references.

The worldwide governing body is the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI), which recognizes Institutes of Management Consultants in 44 nations. The Measure of Excellence brochure provides more information.

Guide to Selecting Consultants

IMCUSA, the Institute for the United States, also has a brochure about How to Hire a Management Consultant. If you live in Washington, DC, you can find out more at our local chapter meetings.