INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
New England Chapter

News and Views

In this issue:

Upcoming Events

Member Spotlights

CMC Corner

Welcome New Members

Share Your
Success Story

Member Feature Article
Client Expectations
Part II - Meet them by managing them
by Rob Cimini

Breakfast Brainstorms Calendar

Book and Article Reviews

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group inc.
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News From Committees

Looking For Articles

The Newsletter Committee is looking for articles. Please contact Mike Kayat at if you have an article you'd like to submit.

From the Editor's Desk

Welcome to this month’s IMCNE newsletter.

We’ve started the second consulting quarter of 2005 and from my conversations with a number of IMCNE consultants, we are all busy.

In this month’s issue we have included a feature article by IMCNE member Rob Cimini. Part 2 of two articles he has provided discusses setting and managing customer expectations in the context of project management.

We are interested to hear about any instances of where you have received project leads from other IMCNE consultants, or opportunities to provide articles or make presentations. Have you teamed up with other IMCNE consultants on projects?

The newsletter is an opportunity for you to provide news on your achievements and learn about your fellow consultant’s activities. Please send your news, articles, book reviews and commentary for the next newsletter, the May 2005 issue. Thanks!

Good consulting!
Michael Kayat

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, May 4, 2005
The Thriving Consultant Seminar Series
Marketing Channels -
Which ones work best for you?
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Center for Entrepreneurial Growth, Bedford, MA

Friday, May 13, 2005
Topping Off the Year with Advice from the Master
with Alan Weiss CMC
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Annual Meeting
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Holiday Inn, Newton, MA

Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Annual Summer Retreat
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
All are welcome. details will be available shortly.
Carriage Hill Clubhouse, Southborough, MA

Member Spotlights

Fifi Ball (Squared Away) presented a workshop on April 9, 2005 for the Junior League of Boston entitled, “Organization & Productivity: Finding Work-Life Balance.”

Brooks Fenno, CMC ( SALESMARK) just returned from a 17 day trip to China , to attend an international trade show in  Guangzhou (formerly Canton) and to visit the Chinese factory of his new client, Dah Sheng Inc, in nearby Don Guan. He has undertaken a marketing program for this firm to assist them in planning their penetration of the United States market with their bedding products (mattresses and pillows). His next step is implementation of this marketing program during the balance of 2005. Brooks states that this project represents an interesting twist in my long-standing practice of helping New England manufacturers pursue new product and new market opportunities to avoid direct competition with Chinese products. However, world manufacturing is shifting in its geographic sourcing and the US needs to adapt to it.

Michael Kayat (Metrisys, LLC) is making a presentation to ICCA (www.icca-boston.org) on May 24, entitled, “Winning and keeping big clients”.

Mark Swartz (Accretive Consulting Group, LLC) has an article entitled, “Understand outsourcing basics before jumping to conclusions” in the March 28-April 3 edition of Mass High Tech spotlighting outsourcing.

Alan Weiss, Ph.D, CMC (Summit Consulting, Inc) was the guest speaker for MIT’s Sloan School of Management’s Young Leaders Organization in April. His 24th book, The Million Dollar Consultant™ Toolbox, will be released by Wiley in the fall. His Million Dollar Consulting™ College sold out its first offering, and will be repeated in October in Boston . He is in  negotiation to hold the third College in London. He has also released his first-ever complete home study course based on thecollege. Alan will also be speaking at IMCNE on May 13. In addition, Alan Weiss’ book, entitled "Getting Started in Consulting" is the most successful book in Wiley's "Getting Started" series and is now being translated for release in Russia. Russian marks the seventh language in which Alan's 24 books appear.

Isn't it your turn to be in the spotlight? Send your name, your business name and 1) recent awards/distinctions/professional certifications you've received; 2) public speaking engagements; and 3) published articles. (Be sure to include key facts, such as when, where and for whom.) You must be an IMC member or affiliate to be featured. Email them to Mike Kayat at , Subject: IMCNE spotlight.

CMC Corner

For all of you who have been contemplating becoming CMCs but haven't known where to start, IMCNE will soon begin a 6-month mentoring program aimed at helping you not only get started but also get finished! With the help of an established CMC as your guide, you will complete all CMC requirements and finally get your goal of CMC status off the back burner. For details on this program, contact Bill von Achen, CMC at 978-440-8022 or .

An invitation to IMCNE CMC members — This section is dedicated to you. If you have commentary you'd like to share, here is a forum for you. Send your commentary to our Editor, Mike Kayat, for consideration. Email Mike at , Subject: CMC Commentary.

Welcome New Members

Lynn Foell CMC
The Walden Group

Share Your Success Story

by Carol Bergeron

Did you get a speaking or writing engagement, new client or prospect or team up on a project or new business venture based on relationships formed through IMCNE? If so, then we want to hear your success story next month!

Member Feature Article

Client Expectations
Part II - Meet them by managing them
by Rob Cimini

Part I on this subject presented the concept that a successful client engagement is achieved by meeting client expectations, with the consultant accepting ultimate accountability for attaining that outcome. But achieving the desired outcome demands that both explicit and implicit client / stakeholder expectations be proactively managed throughout the life of the engagement.

As detailed in Part I, an effective management process is grounded in solid general management skills which support the application of a structure for managing the engagement or project. The degree to which accountability is accepted by the consultant for meeting stakeholder expectations will determine the degree to which he/she actively manages their expectations and therefore relies on general management and project management skills. Part II of this article will present the essential elements for managing stakeholder expectations delivered from the perspective of project management for the non-project management professional.

The key attribute of Project Management, when practiced in its intended structure, is the systemic approach of assigning, managing and enforcing accountability. That is, stakeholders and team members must undertake and be accountable for their contributions to meeting the project objectives if the consultant is to deliver a successful project. So how do stakeholders get assigned and accept accountability? The answer is through their active participation in the development of the project plan. The plan then becomes the tool for managing and enforcing the accountability of all project participants.

In order for the project plan to be an effective tool in managing and enforcing accountability, it must meet four criteria:

1. It must be a formal, written document. This does not imply creation of a major literary work but it must contain essential content in order to be a tool for guiding the project.
2. It must be realistic, reflecting what the team and consultant feel is achievable and not based on hope driven by management objectives.
3. It must be approved to assure awareness of project content by all stakeholders and particularly senior management.
4. It must be bought into or else the project becomes the sole property of the consultant and the assigned accountability cannot be effectively enforced.

The project plan forms the foundation for project success. It is a dynamic document that must be flexible to respond to changes in the project environment as well as adjustments in stakeholder expectations. The ensuing discussion will examine the essential content of an effective project plan, identifying project management processes and knowledge areas that are specifically associated with managing stakeholder expectations.

Project Management Processes and Knowledge Areas

Start the Project – The Initiating Process

Resist the inclination to jump into the work of the project in the interest of showing quick results to the client. Conduct a formalized initiation process that:

• Confirms that the business elements such as financial justification and business plan support are solid and verifiable. In one memorable instance, personal experience in challenging project justification saved a client from pursuing an inadvisable project.
• Identifies the stakeholders, their capabilities and potential role in the project.

The output of the Initiating Process is a formalized document called a Charter, in Project Management jargon. The Charter provides a high level overview of the project, deliverables, objectives, why it is being undertaken and identifies the consultant and his/her authority to manage the project. It is the basis for developing the project plan.

Develop the Plan – The Planning Process

Citing the Gantthead Survey first referenced in Part I, the #4 reason for project failures is poor project plans and planning process. Prevent that deficiency by including the following in plan development:

• Scope Definition: Avoid subjective or qualitative descriptions of project objectives – make them quantitative . Identify all major deliverables. Any work not included in this document is excluded from the project!
• Quality Management: Access measures for controlling and assuring the quality of the final project product.
• Schedule: Individual tasks should be tied to achieving a specific deliverable as defined in the Scope Definition. Tasks should not appear as a random list or resemble a “To Do List”. They should designate responsibility and have realistic time frames for completion.
• Cost: Cost estimates are always subject to refinement. The need for scrupulous cost tracking depends on the project. Be sure to quantify the projected accuracy of cost estimates and manage the costs to meet the key stakeholder expectations.
• Risk Management: Risk is not a popular topic for discussion with stakeholders. But managing risk holds greater potential impact on project success than any other aspect of project management. Experience has demonstrated that clients unwilling to embrace this process leave themselves vulnerable and in a defensive posture when a risk event occurs. Risks can be managed. But the consultant in concert with the stakeholders must be willing to search them out and be proactive in confronting them.
• Communications Management: As the stakeholder roster increases, so does the need for effective communications. The project plan should include a formal communications plan that addresses Who needs to know what, When they need to know it, and How will they get the information.
  
  It is crucial to have periodic performance review meetings involving the stakeholders and project team. The objective of these meetings is to highlight progress and discuss only by exception those tasks and deliverables that are deviating from the plan. The protocol for good meeting management must be applied to make these sessions productive.
• Human Resources Management: Stakeholders that will actively participate in the project should be identified on a Responsibilities Assignment Matrix (RAM) along with the project deliverables in which they will contribute.

Several revisions may be required for the plan to evolve and meet the four criteria identified above. Once achieved, a kickoff meeting should be held regardless of the size of the project to formalize plan acceptance and to signal the commencement of plan execution.

Making It Happen – The Executing & Controlling Processes

The Executing process is about working the plan while the Controlling process is concerned with controlling changes to the plan. They proceed concurrently. Controlling the project is a notorious area of weakness in most projects. In fact the #1 reason for project failures according to the Gantthead survey is poor project management skills. It is at this point in a project where these deficiencies become most obvious. Taking the position that no news is good news, is ill-advised and not consistent with good project management. Make the effort to stay abreast of all deliverables.

An essential procedure that must be in place during the Controlling process is change control. The combination of Scope / Quality, Cost and Schedule represent a triple constraint on the project. A change in any one of these plan elements will impact the others. Pressure from stakeholders to improve schedule, add functionality (increase scope) or cut cost are typically encountered. In managing the expectations of the stakeholders, the implications of accommodating these requests must be documented, communicated and approved before the plan is modified for their inclusion.

The Executing and Controlling processes are critical in managing both the explicit and implicit stakeholder expectations and rely heavily on the communication plan and performance review meetings. The consistent application of the communication plan helps ensure that all stakeholders are informed on project status, supports controlling project changes, and aids in resolving the myriad of inevitable obstacles that pose a threat to project success, i.e. meeting the stakeholders’ expectations.

An essential output of the Executing and Controlling Processes is verification that project objectives contained in the Scope Definition have been met. Once confirmed, then project closure can proceed.

Finish the Engagement – The Closing Process

This is a formal process of gaining stakeholder agreement that the project objectives have been met and concluding any administrative project activities. A discussion of lessons learned is strongly encouraged both to promote future improvements and to demonstrate to the stakeholders the consultant’s commitment to excellence.

Focusing on meeting stakeholder expectations puts the consultant on the path to a successful project. But achieving this end requires an approach based on accountability, strong management skills and a process to manage the contributions and accountability of the project participants. The key attribute of Project Management – assigning, managing and enforcing accountability, provides that process. Experience has shown that this holistic approach will yield an acknowledgement from the client for the quality of service instead of having to justify one’s value at the end of the engagement.

Rob Cimini, PMP is Director of Project Management for Pragmatic Consulting, Inc., a consulting firm that provides continuous improvement solutions.

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Breakfast Brainstorms Calendar
Free to IMCNE members and affiliates, $10 for nonmembers

Monday, May 2, 2005
7:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH

Monday, May 9, 2005
7:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Rebecca's Café, Burlington, MA

Want to host a Breakfast Brainstorm in your area? Contact for details.

Strategic Partner Events — Check out our Calendar of Strategic Partner and Other Events on our web site for more information on events of interest. Click www.imcne.org/spcalendar.html, then click on the appropriate link for detailed information that could save you money.

Book and Article Reviews

Please send book reviews to Mike Kayat at
If you come across any interesting articles, please send those in.

Consulting life:

Take charge of your life. You can do with it what you will.
Plato

Each relationship you have with another person reflects the relationship you have with yourself.
Alice Deville

We must become what we wish to teach.
Nathaniel Branden

Improving yourself is a lot more profitable than trying to improve others.
Dale Carnegie