How To Successfully Lead a Consulting Project?
Whether you are in the private sector, public sector, volunteering, or are a student — you may find yourself on a consulting project. You may have all the technical expertise, but might be wondering how to best structure your approach, and how to manage your relationship with the client. Below are some tips that may be useful:
Scope the project: It is important to clarify expectations, and scope the project early. What is in your scope and what is out?
Define and measure: Figure out important key metrics early. Ask yourself: what is important? How could we measure it? The more clearly defined something is, the easier it will be for you to measure, track, and evaluate
Develop hypotheses: It is important that you develop clear hypotheses. Hypotheses can guide your research. You may discover that your hypotheses were not supported by evidence.
Gather evidence: Think clearly about how you will gather your evidence. We found that visiting a library and asking for support can be incredible. You should also talk to experts and ask for recommendations/resources. What kind of evidence is out there? Literature reviews? Quantitative data? Market analyses? It is important to not only gather evidence that may support your hypothesis, but also evidence that is not consistent with your hypotheses.
Learn from the client: Your client has been in this field for a while (probably) and may have very useful resources for you. Ask what data they have, and what connections they have that may be helpful to your project.
Argue with yourself: Spend time defending the opposite side. What are the strongest arguments against your proposals and approach? How would you respond to those? How would you address these issues? How would you think of tradeoffs?
It is about the client: Put yourself in your client’s shoes and try to understand their needs. Trust is essential, so make sure you understand and honor any confidentiality agreements. You should also be communicating with the client throughout, rather than working in silos. Involving your client throughout the process will make them feel part of the solution, and thus more likely to implement it
Think of strategy, process, and culture: As you evaluate your proposals, you should not only think about your strategy, but you should also deeply evaluate what processes would need to be developed and implemented. Think about your client’s culture and whether or not your proposals fit their culture.
Consider analogies: Your client might care about issue X, but issue Y in a totally different context might inform this understanding. For example, I am currently working on a project on healthcare entrepreneurship in Vietnam, but my professors recommended I also consider Boston (a successful healthcare entrepreneurial hub) because it might inform my project.
Examine failures and successes: You should also consider why something failed. Sometimes we focus too much on what worked, or too much on what did not — that we bias our judgment and ignore useful sources of information. In short, think of what failed and consider why it did, but also think about what worked, and consider why it did?
Check for bias: Did your client bring you in so you can confirm a bias they have? Do you yourself have some biases that may be leading you astray? Consider the different sources of bias in your research and how you could potentially minimize them.
