Consulting practices typically have high employee turnover, and this industry is not untouched by the Great Resignation, at term coined by Dr. Anthony Klotz, an organizational psychologist. Much has been written about The Great Resignation, one key reason why people resign, which is common to all types of professional services, is burnout. In an interview with Verse, Dr. Klotz, described several key elements. In describing one of them, he said, “Another factor is burnout; people are emotionally exhausted. It’s a strong predictor of quitting, which makes sense, because the only cure for it is taking a break and replenishing who you are.”
Burnout in consulting typically occurs when the staff are working long hours for a while; 60-80 hour weeks are very common, especially when deliverables are due. Dig deeper into the cause for long hours, and they frequently stem from troubled projects.
“Project management problems become increasingly deadly as a professional services business grows”.
Geoff Mcqueen, Entrepreneur Magazine
When a consultancy is in its first few years, the focus is on bringing in revenue and logos. To make payroll, decisions may be made to take on very risky projects. In Entrepreneur Magazine, Geoff Mcqueen writes, “Project management problems become increasingly deadly as a professional services business grows. While securing bigger and better projects and expanding the business feels great, growth also puts the business more at risk if not managed carefully.”
In my experience in managing PMOs and projects, I’ve seen consultants work long hours on challenging projects. They burnout. In addition there are unhappy clients, and unhappy managers. For the burnt out consultant, it makes it easier for them to answer that Linkedin ping from a recruiter when having a bad day.
Many factors go into quitting a job. More money isn’t always the top priority. Consultants want stable and rewarding projects. The foundation of stable projects are a detailed methodology, templates, training and ongoing coaching.
If you are in a leadership position in a Consulting Practice, ask yourself the questions below, followed by this key question:
“If we had the items below, would we have less retention issues?”
5 elements to keep projects stable (and consultants happier)
- Methodology
- Is your methodology beyond a single page or single diagram?
- Do you have details regarding each sub phase?
- Do the details include what meetings must take place, deliverables, roles and responsibilities, and best practices?
- Templates
- Do your consultants use what they have used in the past?
- Do people in the same roles deliver differently?
- Are your templates in a central repository?
- Do you have templates for all sub phases? And does the content and language echo each other?
- Do your templates have consistent branding and formatting?
- Detailed Best Practices
• Do you have these for each role places on projects?
• Do you have these for the different areas of your practice?
• Do you have the basics, such as User Story Writing, and core definitions? - Training program
- Do you have training program for:
- Staff new to the company (solid practitioners, but need to know how “your company” does it)?
- Staff new to consulting (college grads, or even those changing careers)?
- Staff new to the role (promoted staff)?
- Do you have training program for:
- Does your sales collateral (decks and SOW template) match the delivery methodology and templates?
If you answered no to even half of the questions, consider focusing on them. Consultants want rewarding projects for their clients and themselves. When a consultancy provides the foundation for this, you will reap the benefits. Contact me at [email protected] if you’d like more information on how to enhance your foundational project assets.