Certificate in Management Consulting Essentials

Aims

To help you learn, as an aspiring management consultant, about:

- The Consultancy Role

- The Consultancy Cycle

- The Client Relationship

- Communication for Consultants

- Effective Project Delivery

- Structured Knowledge, Research and Analysis

Programme

The purpose of this programme is to explore the role of the management consultant. It considers the skills, knowledge and professional behaviours required by an effective consultant. It looks at ethical standards and codes of conduct and will give you a framework to evaluate your current knowledge, skills and behaviours to plan your future development.

It includes an overview of the development of the consultancy market, reviews the phases of the consultancy process and typical consultancy interventions introducing a range of tools, skills and techniques to support effective interaction with clients. The role of effective communication is considered as well as core communication techniques. An overview of project delivery including risk, quality assurance and effective personal contribution is followed by investigating core consultancy skills in knowledge sourcing, research and analysis.

Content

The Consultancy Role:

Understanding:

What management consultancy is

- How the management consultancy role can be defined, and which typical responsibilities and activities are included

- What the challenges, risks and pitfalls of the management consultancy role are

The knowledge, skills and behaviours required

- The range of essential professional behaviours needed by the individual – such as analytical and pro-active thinking, the ability to deal with complexity and take responsibility, interpersonal capabilities, effective delivery and the ability to undertake personal growth

- The principal consulting skills and technical knowledge required for effective performance

- The purpose, role and impact of professionalism, integrity and working within codes of conduct and ethical guidelines in the best interests of the client

The consultancy market

- The structure and historical development of the management consultancy market

- The current market for management consultancy, including issues such as competition, types of consultancy interventions, and relevant legislative, economic, social and political factors, different types of consultancy (e.g. internal, external, publi c sector), and how their products, service and markets may differ

Personal professional development

- The importance of personal growth and continuing professional development

- How to:

- Undertake a self-assessment to determine your current abilities and development needs

- Develop and implement a personal action plan for learning and self-development

- Review and reflect on your learning and development using tools such as the Institute’s Management Consultancy Competence Framework (Appendix 1)

- Request and review feedback to improve your performance and development activities

The Consultancy Cycle:

Understanding:

- The diversity of consultancy interventions and approaches

- The consultancy cycle and typical inputs and deliverables for each stage of the cycle

- The principles and stages of a model for managing the consultancy cycles

- The types of problems, risks and issues which may arise during each phase of the consultancy cycle

- The importance of scoping interventions effectively and agreeing clear contracts with clients

- The need for interventions to have a clear, planned structure

How to:

- Select an appropriate style of consultancy intervention

- Manage client expectation of the intervention

The Client Relationship:

Understanding:

- The principles of consultation and negotiation in managing clients

- Methods of engaging your client

- What quantitative and qualitative information is essential to your role and responsibilities in working with clients

- The importance of professionalism, ethics and confidentiality in building and maintaining client relationships

How to:

- Establish credibility with your client

- Research your clients’ needs effectively

Communication for Consultants:

Understanding:

- The importance of effective communication

- The principles and processes of effective communication and their impact on productive working relationships with clients, team members, colleagues and managers

How to:

- Apply listening and questioning techniques to understand issues and problems

- Recognise different forms of verbal and non-verbal behaviour and their appropriate uses

- Plan and manage meetings effectively

Effective Project Delivery:

Understanding:

- The importance of planning and managing a project and the impact of poor project planning and management on consultancy projects

- The components of a project plan

- The need for effective budgeting of time and resources

- The role and importance of quality assurance

- The management consultant’s personal role in effective project delivery including upward management and client management techniques

How to:

- Apply personal time management techniques within the project context

- Establish an effective infrastructure to ensure project delivery

- Identify potential and actual risks to effective project completion

Structured Knowledge, Research and Analysis:

Understanding:

- The importance of identifying the client issue, applying a structured approach and selecting appropriate analytical tools and techniques to meet this need

- The methods of identifying, validating, filtering and sourcing the knowledge and information needed to take decisions in different contexts

- The importance of confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information

- The resources you have available to you and the role of effective networks in research

How to:

- Identify the client need effectively

- Apply a range of simple, recognised data gathering, problem solving and analytical tools and techniques (such as SWOT, PESTLE, etc) to achieve agreed outcomes

- Draw conclusions on the basis of analysing information both quantitatively and qualitatively

Delivery:

Available as a distance learning programme, customised programme delivered for an employer or occasionally we deliver it as an open programme.

Timescales:

As a guide, this course will involve approximately 45 hours study, excluding the assignments.

Venue:

Dependent on delivery method

Added Value

- As a participant you will receive comprehensive learning materials, which if you are studying through distance learning includes workbooks, core text and additional support materials.

- You will be enrolled as a Student member of the CMI - Membership brings with it professional recognition and a wide range of support services that will aid your development as a manager throughout your working life.

- You will receive a guaranteed minimum number of hours support from us through various methods which may include phone, email, classroom, on-line. Additional support is available when required at a very reasonable rate.

- We are committed to your success and will endeavour to support you to achieve your goal.