The document provides guidance on preparing for a consulting assignment. It discusses why preparation is important, the key tasks involved in preparation including finalizing the team mix, preparing field work, taking care of logistics, and gathering information. It emphasizes that the engagement manager plays a key role in preparation by overseeing tasks like logistics, information gathering, and field work preparation. Preparation helps avoid issues like missed deadlines or poor quality by ensuring the team is ready on day one.
3. Still, for a lots of reasons, preparing an assignment is not (always) systematic
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What are the consequences?Why would you not prepare?
▪ Field work starts just the day after the case is
won, leaving no time for the preparation phase to
be properly initiated
▪ Team members, and especially the engagement
Manager, are too busy on other assignments to
initiate preparation
▪ The engagement Manager prefers ‘free style’
interventions
▪ The engagement Manager has budgeted no
preparation time and do not want to threaten
profitability
▪ The Actions which should normally be
performed during preparation phase
will either be skipped or done after
the beginning of field work
▪ A lack of preparation
inevitably threatens deadlines, quality
or both
4. Assignment preparation mainly consists in 4 complementary & interconnected tasks
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Finalize team mixPrepare field work
Take care of logisticsGather information
No standard order to perform these tasks as
they are tightly interconnected with one
another
Assignment life cycle
See https://www.slideshare.net/ConsultoramaConsulto/consulting-assignments-
101
5. The engagement manager plays a key role during the preparation period,
even though contributions are expected from all team members
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Take care of logistics
Personal assistants,
support functions and
junior consultants
usually take care of
logistics …. Except for
sales related aspects
that are directly
handled by the
engagement Manager
Gather information
Junior consultants
usually conduct data
gathering work,
supervised by senior
staff and the
engagement Manager
Prepare field work
Field work
preparation is
conducted, for the
most part, by the
engagement Manager
Finalize team mix
The engagement
Manager is
responsible for
finalizing the team
mix if there are
residual issues at the
end of the sales
period*
*see https://www.slideshare.net/ConsultoramaConsulto/how-to-assemble-a-
consulting-team
6. Support functions can play a very critical role in the preparation phase by lightening
the engagement Manager workload and industrializing part of the tasks
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Finance department 3 Create case code
& plan invoicing
Finalize team mix Gather information
Knowledge Management 4
In-house
(credentials, articles)
or public info
5
Gather
templates
Prepare field work
Staffing department 2
Assemble the
team
Human Resources 6
Organise
Recruitment &
training sessions
Personal assistants Travel &
accommodation
1
Take care of logistics
7. Logistics: check
that all bases are
covered for the
field team to be
as operational as
possible on D1
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8. Three categories of ‘logistical’ topics must be handled during the preparation
phase
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Use a check-list to ensure you do not forget anything
1
Client related
1
Team related
1
Firm related
10. Client related issues | What’s at stake
Access badge, parking badge …
Access to the client
intranet, software, e-mail
system + e-mail address
NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) or any other
documents relating to confidentiality
Client phone + phone
numbers for the
team, wi-fi password
…
Access to internal services
such as room & visio or
phone conference
Room, desk, computer, storage
cabinet ….
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11. Client related issues | Best practices
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01
Provide the client with all necessary info to be able to start working:
▪ planning with all team members intervention dates (incl. vacations,
training periods etc.)
▪ equipment requirements
02
Get familiar with confidentiality rules prevailing at the client.
You may access client information only after signing a NDA (Non
Disclosure Agreement). NDA are often signed in own name and not as an
employee of this or that firm.
03 As it can take several days to several weeks to get all necessary access &
equipment, do not hesitate to contact the client as early as possible.
12. Team related issues | What’s at stake
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Establish a staffing plan
Develop the conditions
for a successful
collaboration
Circulate key information
13. Team related issues | Best practices
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04
Draft a who’s who with team photographs & personal details (may be
shared with the client)
Take care of transportation & accommodation arrangements (especially
for team members transferring from another office)
05
Before the assignment start date, ensure all team members get following
information:
▪ client address and access details, meeting point & hour à D1
▪ equipment & documents everybody should bring @ D1 (stationary, files,
computer, cell phone, Wi-Fi router, cords, ID, business cards ….)
▪ administrative details (case code for time-tracking & expenses …)
06
Organise the assignment collaboration environment:
▪ Create common drive or share-point,
▪ Upload templates,
▪ Create team contact & distribution list …)
▪ …
14. Firm related issues | What’s at stake
Time-tracking and
Invoicing Client contract
Performance
assessment
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15. Firm related issues | Best practices
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07
Have the engagement partner sign the contract with the client.
It can be difficult as not all partners have the authorization to sign
contracts and most of those who do must travel a lot
Get familiar with rules prevailing in your firm (incl. p.p. signatures)
08
Have a case code created and ensure administrative processes are
properly initiated:
▪ Staffing
▪ Time tracking - accessible by all team members,
▪ Invoicing
▪ Profitability monitoring
09
Initiate the performance assessment process
Objective sheets or other documents may need to be filled in prior the
assignment start date
17. Different circumstances require decisions or adjustments on team mix
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Formalize a staffing plan and a
team register to be shared with
client and team mates
Adjustments
requested by
the client
No team
mix
presented in
the financial
proposal
‘last-
minute’
availability
problem
with team
member(s)
Team mix
partly
presented in
the financial
proposal
18. Some DOs when it comes to solving staffing issues …
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Take advantage of the
engagement partner
influence
When arbitration or
negotiation is required
Keep a proactive
attitude
Staffing issues never
ever solve themselves
Cultivate good
relationship with the
staffing department
… and develop your
internal network
19. … and some DON’Ts to avoid
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Do not take
inappropriate risks
‘Sell first deliver next’
is not always the best
you can do
Do not treat
clients like fools
They hate it when you
overpromise or lack
transparency
Do not be naive
Most of tense times
between managers
occur about staffing
issues
21. Several sources of information can be used during the preparation period …
and throughout the assignment life cycle
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Public
Press & scholar articles
Public & paying databases
Books & training material
Financial statements
In-house
Financial Proposal & related
documents
Non confidential assignment
documents & templates
Feedbacks from colleagues
In-house publications &
training material
Client
RFP documentation
Client internal
documentation
Per definition, during the
assignment preparation, you
have (almost) no client
document -> send a list to your
face-off with the key information
you would like to have upon
arrival
22. Keep a track of all documents
processed
via a document register
4 key areas to collect information on during the preparation period
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Standard issues
Analysis techniques
Templates
Technical Issue
Client
Activities
Key figures
Organization
Function
Benchmark elements
Hot topics
Recent publications
Industry
Key figures
Key players
Business trends
24. The approach presented during the commercial phase is a first draft that often
needs adjustments, enhancements and deepening
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gathering useful templates
(assignment documentation, team
monitoring, client monitoring &
deliverables templates)
starting the ‘framing’ document
But it can be initiated during the preparation phase by:
Most of the adjustment work will
be done after the actual
beginning of the assignment,
based on client feedbacks and info
collected on the field.
25. Consulting work is obviously not conducted at random
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Given the high level of uncertainty and the
limited amount of info available at this
stage, it is impossible to build a workplan
covering in detail the whole assignment
period during the preparation period.
N
S
W E
▪ Start crafting own vision of the problem and the
expectations
▪ Agree upon an hour of arrival @ D1 with your client
face-off & send a gentle reminder the day before to
make sure you are expected
▪ Meet for a “team coffee” 45 minutes before
▪ Present yourself to the front desk 15 minutes
in advance to avoid Morning Rush and make
sure that all team members have got an ID or
business cards ready at hand
Nevertheless it is possible to craft a workplan for the
very beginning of the assignment:
Organize assignment Day 1
W1 workplan
▪ Set-up assignment governance & monitoring
26. The team kick-off meeting is the occasion to meet with all other team
members and …
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Get to know each other better,
especially if there are new hires in
the team or consultants from other
offices
Present your working preferences to
the others & share on team
strengths and weaknesses for the
assignment
Share the info on the case that has
been collected so far (through the
RFP, data crunching, client
interviews …)
Discuss collective and individual
objectives with the team
Dispatch remaining preparation
tasks if any
Present working rules on the
assignment (progress review,
templates, workplan for D1 & W1)
27. The team kick-off meeting can take different forms, depending on the context
and your working habits
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Conference call
In-person
Visio conference
29. Key ‘internal’ deliverables should be initiated during the preparation phase
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v
Check list
Assignment
handbook
Staffing plan
Document
register
D1 & W1
workplan
Team register
Framing
document
Key ‘internal’
deliverables
30. Framing document
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▪ Circumstances leading to the assignment
▪ General context
▪ Question / problem to be solved by the assignment
▪ Criteria used by the client to
measure success
▪ Included into the assignment
scope
▪ Excluded from the assignment scope
31. Check list
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▪ The objective of the preparation check list is to ensure that all
logistics related issues are taken care of, during the preparation
phase but also at the initiation of the execution phase.
▪ The check list can take several forms (a simple MS XL list, an app
…). Format and use cases are identical to those of any to do list
(voir https://www.slideshare.net/ConsultoramaConsulto/to-do-
list-template-use-cases )
Key points to be addressed during the preparation phase:
Equipement
Shared drive
Sharepoint
Collaborative tool
Contract
Invoicing plan
Time tracking
Physical and digital
access to client premises
and systems
Key information
clefs on the client
and the problem
Templates
Work plan
Staffing plan
32. Assignment handbook
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▪ RFP document, contract, case code
▪ Time tracking info
▪ Invoicing plan, invoices, expanses,
profitability report
▪ Client address, access plan, face-off
name & contact list
▪ Staffing plan and team register
▪ Financial proposal and all related
documents & research
▪ Workplan
▪ Document register
Some info are
confidential and
therefore not to be
shared with the entire
team
The assignment handbook gathers
info on the assignments and the
client.
The objective is to centralize all
pieces of info in one location to
accelerate on-boarding and
facilitate the integration of new
team mates at all stages of the
assignment.
It can take several forms (share
drive, collaborative app …)
knowing that part of the info is
available in the consulting firm IS
(invoicing, time tracking…)
The assignment
handbook is
initiated during the
preparation phase …
… but it will be updated
throughout the
assignment life cycle
and completed …
Assignment handbook
Table of content
… with client
procedures, useful
contacts …
… and key deliverables
produced in the course
of the assignment
33. Team register
▪ The objective is to explicitly present the names, personal
details, photos and areas of responsibility of all team
members
▪ The team register can take several forms (a simple MS XL list,
a view in a collaborative app, a MS PPT presentation …)
▪ It is all the more necessary that the team counts a large
number of consultants
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The team is experiencing a
significant turn-over (whether it
was expected or not)
Responsibilities & expertise are
very clearly delineated among the
consulting team
A large number of experts or
consultants punctually working on
the assignment
The team needs to meet a large
number of persons throughout the
client organization
It can / should be shared with the client, especially in following circumstances:
34. Staffing plan
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▪ The objective of a staffing plan is to provide
visibility on the consultants who will work on the
assignment, over what period of time.
▪ The field team as well as punctual additions should
be included into the staffing plan perimeter.
▪ It can take several forms (MS XL file, MS PPT
presentation, calendar app …)
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The team is experiencing a
significant turn-over (whether it
was expected or not)
Responsibilities & expertise are
very clearly delineated among the
consulting team
A large number of experts or
consultants punctually working on
the assignment
The team needs to meet a large
number of persons throughout the
client organization
It can / should be shared with the client, especially in following circumstances:
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35. Document register
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v
▪ The objective of a document register is to centralize info on all the
documents collected in the course of an assignment (from the initial
pitch to the execution phase).
▪ The document register should be shared with all team members to
ensure everybody can have a quick access to the info
▪ The document register usually takes the form of a list (MS XL for
instance).
Document name
Title
Reference number
Type
Provided by
Author
Date & version #
Overview
Key ideas or info Status (analysed – not
used yet …)
Location or
access path
Format (digital
or paper)
Main fields in a document register are :