WHAT EVERY SALESFORCE PARTNER SHOULD KNOW:

Are there issues lurking in your templates that could affect project profit?

What lies below the surface could result in red and unprofitable projects.

Have you had a red project because a deliverable wasn’t comprehensive enough? Did you lose money or profitability on this project?

Now ask yourself these questions:
-Where are your templates?
-Does everyone use the same ones?
-Is there a consistency for repeatable elements of them (i.e. version control section, approval section, summary, table of contents, definitions and out of scope).
-Are they consistently branded and is the client’s name and logo on the main page?

Most consultancies have a mixture of strong templates and those needing improvement. 

Here’s a real life example I experienced with a fortune 500 company.  It illustrates when hidden “issues lurk in your templates”.  I was called in to help fix a red project. Here’s what I found, and the impact on our company.

User Stories 

  • WHAT: The user stories did not contain acceptance criteria.
  • WHY: A duplicate was made from a prior document the consultant was given. it was lacking in the acceptance criteria and several other key elements that help manage scope. 
  • THE RESULT: Never ending user stories. The client pushed back on what was delivered stating that it wasn’t what was in the user story and they wouldn’t accept what was built. The team kept building and rebuilding. 

Test Strategy document

  • WHAT: A very basic template was used, stating they’d do UAT, but no definitions or processes were outlined.
  • WHY: Staff used what they had locally. They did not use the template from the central repository.
  • THE RESULT: Client decided to do whatever testing they wanted when they wanted. They tested items out of scope and reported “defects”. In addition any new feature they wanted was labeled a defect-because there was no clear definition of it.

The Overall Result

Several highly expensive delivery team members and myself were put on the project to turn it around and close it. Our work was all non-billable. The value of the senior staff placed on this project in a non billable capacity was worth more than $700,000. It also meant they could not be put on other projects in a billable capacity.

Comprehensive templates drive consistency throughout your entire practice. This is especially important when you have remote and dispersed teams. Less experienced consultants will see what is expected in a deliverable, and everyone in your practice will deliver consistently. And most important, your clients experience a well delivered project of high quality. 

Below are some core elements, every template must include::

  • Correct branding
  • Version control log
  • Approval log
  • Table of contents
  • A non technical overview of what the intent of the document is and what is being documented and how it will be used in the project. 
  • Definitions
  • Diagrams (as needed)
  • Out of scope section
  • Detailed specifics for each template type

For qualified consulting executives, Order in the House is offering a free health check of your templates. Contact me at [email protected].

5 ways to retain consultants in Professional Services

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)

  1. 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?
  2. 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?
  3. 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?
  4. 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)?
  5. 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.

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