1st Edition

Managing Professional Service Delivery 9 Rules for Success

    167 Pages 8 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Although the nature of service delivery varies significantly from profession to profession, the way the service is delivered tends to be fairly consistent among professions—or, at least, it should be. A step-by-step guide, Managing Professional Service Delivery—9 Rules for Success describes in detail how to achieve the internal discipline and control necessary to manage professional service engagements and long-term success in the professional services industry. It details engagement-tested methods for success at every step in delivering a professional service and includes real-life examples from a number of professional service organizations.

    Here’s What You Get:

    • The steps for how to develop your niche in the marketplace
    • A structure for how to manage professional service delivery, from start to finish
    • Tips on how to set up an environment and develop a culture that will result in superior service delivery—such that the delivery process incorporates rigorous internal discipline and control
    • Discussion of rapid implementation and deployment concepts that can be attained without compromising internal discipline and control
    • Examples of documentation standards for professional service proposals and deliverables (reports)
    • Discussion of application of the 9 Rules for Success in two engagements conducted by the authors

    The authors draw on their many years of experience in the field of management science to lay out procedures, tools, and techniques that address each step of the life cycle of an engagement—from definition of the services to be delivered, to evaluation of the results with the client. They take a back-to-basics approach that can be used in any size organization, from a sole practitioner to a firm of up to 75 practitioners and support staff as well as larger firms that also may be experiencing sustainability issues with their process improvement initiatives. The book guides you—starting with the 9 Rules—through the maze of obstacles in delivering your professional service.

    Creating Your Niche in the Market
    What Drives Your Work?
    Foundational Decisions
    Shaping Strategic Success
    Two Strategic Planning Models
    Elements in Defining a Strategic Direction
    Sample Professional Service Strategic Plan
    Tips for Sole Proprietors and Small Firms
    Wrap-Up
    Endnotes

    Developing a Culture of Internal Discipline and Control
    Internal Discipline and Control Defined
    Why Is IDC Important?
    IDC—Three Dimensions
    Organizational Culture and Resistance to Change
    Establishing an IDC Philosophy and Culture
    Documenting and Communicating the IDC Methodology
    Organizing and Staffing for IDC
    Setting Up the Supporting Tools and Technology
    Walk the Talk (or Practice What You Preach)
    Tips for Sole Proprietors and Small Firms
    Endnotes

    Selling the Engagement
    Defining Services to Be Delivered
    Identifying and Contacting Potential Clients
    Responding to a Proposal Opportunity
    Closing the Sale
    Entering into a Contract
    What to Do if Your Proposal Isn’t Accepted
    Tips for Sole Proprietors and Small Firms
    Endnotes

    Setting Up the Engagement
    The Engagement Team
    Initial Meeting with the Client
    The Engagement Control Process
    Engagement Control System
    Engagement Documentation (Work Papers)
    Engagement Guide
    Detailed Work Plan, Schedule, and Budget
    Resource Loading the Engagement
    Risk Mitigation Strategy and Plan
    Communications Strategy and Plan
    Conducting Further Research
    Developing a List of Engagement Orientation Interviews
    Preparation of an Introductory Letter
    Getting Organized to Show Up
    Tips for Sole Proprietors and Small Firms
    Endnote

    Adapting the Engagement Plan to the Real World
    Internal versus External Client
    Cultural Accommodation
    The New Paradigm: Rapid Change and Rapid Deployment
    Tips for Sole Proprietors and Small Firms
    Wrap-Up

    Conducting the Engagement
    Pre-Kickoff
    Activities
    Engagement Kickoff Meeting
    Engagement Management and Supervision
    Engagement Control Process
    Deliverable Preparation and Presentation
    Tips for Sole Proprietors and Small Firms
    Wrap-Up

    Closing the Engagement
    Final Deliverables
    Final Billing and Collection
    Final Review of the Engagement with the Client
    Wrapping Up Engagement Documents and Files
    Independent Evaluation of the Engagement
    Tips for Sole Proprietors and Small Firms

    Applying the 9 Rules
    9 Rules for Success
    Case Study 8.1
    Case Study 8.2
    Wrap-Up
    Endnotes

    Appendix A: Proposal Preparation
    Pre-Proposal
    Assessment
    Proposal Preparation
    Proposal Presentation
    Post-Proposal
    Follow-Up
    Post-Decision
    Review
    Sample Proposal Outlines for Legal and Consulting Services

    Appendix B: Deliverable Preparation Guide
    Types of Reports
    Preparing the Technical Report
    Internal Discipline and Control Considerations

    Biography

    BARRY MUNDT Barry earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University and a master of business administration degree from Santa Clara University. He began his professional career in the aerospace industry, first with Aerojet General Corp. and then with Lockheed Missiles and Space Company. He joined a consulting arm of C-E-I-R, Inc. (a large computer service firm) in 1961, which was headed by three of his former Stanford professors. Barry has been a consultant to private- and public-sector organizations since that time. In 1965, Barry was asked to join the management consulting department of what was then known as Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (PMM), a global public accounting, tax advisory, and management consulting partnership. He was appointed partner in 1973. When Peat Marwick International merged with Klynveld Main Goerdeler in 1987 to form KPMG LLP, Barry assumed the role of international management consulting coordinating partner in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Barry was assigned to the firm's Department of Professional Practice for the two years prior to his retirement. During that time, he took the lead in preparing KPMG's Performance Improvement Consulting Services Manual. When Barry retired from KPMG in 1995, after thirty years of service, he set up his own management consulting practice, specializing in services to professional service firms. In that capacity, he has written KPMG's Global Management Consulting and Advisory Services Engagement Conduct Guides and participated in the preparation of Adjusters International's suite of Disaster Recovery Consulting Operational Guides, which includes an Engagement Conduct Guide. Barry is a fellow, life member, and past president of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. He is a member of the board of directors of Adjusters International, Inc., a nationwide group of public insurance adjusters and disaster recovery consultants. FRANK SM

    "The authors are the foremost authorities in the subject area with vast experience in developing strategies for effectively designing and managing diversified professional groups to achieve the highest value to owners and shareholders of organizations. If you want to develop, manage, and be very successful with your professional group, then this book is a must."
    —Gavriel Salvendy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA


    "… this book has potentially broad applicability for professional services delivery in many fields, including accounting, architecture, information technology, and management consulting. It would also be an appropriate book for people seeking entry-level consulting jobs, to familiarize themselves with the professional services environment, or for the independent consultant who is starting to manage his or her own engagements."
    Dr. Nicole Radziwill in ASQ: Quality Management Journal, October 2014