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transcript
Northwest ASSIST
How to obtain maximum value from consultants
Northwest ASSIST
How to obtain maximum value from consultants
3rd April 2008
Nadine Fry
Julian Todd
Agenda
Introductions All
Aims Nadine Fry
ASSIST/Tribal Relationship Nadine Fry
Consultant or Contractor Nadine Fry
Exercise All
COFFEE
The Consultancy Assignment Pathway
Julian Todd
A Quick re-cap All
Commission Deliver Consolidate
Introductions
A show of hands from:
Informatics Staff
Others ?
Who has recruited and managed consultants before?
How many have worked directly with consultants?
Who may employ and work with consultants in the future?
Tribal and ASSIST
Relationship from the outset between Secta (now Tribal) and ASSIST
ASSIST agreed to our formal partnership last year
Shared objectives e.g. brand recognition, sharing information and supporting regional workshops
Potential events: Developing the intelligent customer/informed client Consultation on new national NHS policies HIS Benchmarking club “Catalogue" of lessons learned Building blocks for a new information strategy
Aims
To demonstrate through example and exercises:
How to get the best fit consultancy to support you in your business – The Commission Stage
How to get the best out of the consultants during the consultancy assignment – The Deliver Stage
How to manage the handover process to achieve the most benefits – The Consolidate Stage
Consultancy Assignments – Main Stages
Commission Deliver Consolidate
Consultant or Contractor?
Consultant Project resource Not managed by the client In depth knowledge of the
project Independent in terms of
supervision, timekeeping and place of work
Creates value for an organisation
Contractor Operational resources Fills a permanent vacancy or
meets a temporary increase in workload
Managed directly by client staff
Exercise
What makes a good consultancy assignment ? i.e. what has worked well and why
What makes a poor consultancy assignment ? i.e. what causes poor results and why
Let’s compare our findings…
What works well?
Clear, open communications Open to new ideas Participating and supporting Mutual respect for skills and experience Strong sponsorship Working in partnership Commitment to get a good result
What causes poor results?
Poor definition of requirements Changing requirements Lack of ownership/leadership/ responsibility Lack of trust and respect Expected to do ‘sensitive’ work without full briefing Financial difficulties A lack of energy A lack of understanding
Consultancy Assignments – Main Stages
Commission Deliver Consolidate
Stage 1: Commissioning Consultancy (1/3)
What sort of relationship do you want and expect? What type of support do you need?
Specialist expertise New thinking Filling a resource gap Independent view A facilitator A challenge to the status quo
Have you clearly defined the requirement? Do you want and expect knowledge transfer? Are the objectives clear?
Commission
Stage 1: Commissioning Consultancy (2/3)
How will you pick a winner? Experience Reputation Price Value for money
Are you ready to support the assignment? Governance Sponsorship Support resources Stakeholder engagement
Commission
Stage 1: Commissioning Consultancy (3/3)
Are you “really” open to new ideas? What are you prepared to reveal before and after the
contract award? History Context Constraints Culture
Are you clear on the procurement process and is it fast enough and flexible enough? Catalist Competitive tender
Commission
Stage 2: Delivering the assignment (1/2)
Discovering the real scope of the requirement
Clear roles and responsibilities
Admin and project support, working arrangements and access to information
Acceptance and quality control of outputs
Deliver
Stage 2: Delivering the assignment (2/2)
Stakeholder engagement and communications
Dealing with senior stakeholder ‘power struggles’
Making decisions in a timely way How to deal with dissent How to balance competing views
Keeping a focus on the ‘success’ of the
assignment Deliver
Stage 3: Consolidating the assignment
Hand over to ensure ownership Who What How
So what has changed? Is it accepted? Is it sustainable?
Is there a bigger plan? Learning from the experience – both parties
Consolidate
A Quick Re-Cap - Our Aims for the Day
Commission How to get the best fit
consultancy to support you in your business
Deliver How to get the best out
of the consultants during the consultancy assignment
Consolidate How to manage the
handover process to achieve the most benefits
Clear definition of what needs to be done and by when
Clarity over the type of support required
Clear roles and responsibilities
Staying focused on the ‘success’ criteria
Clear definition of what is to be handed over to who and how
Commission Deliver Consolidate
Your feedback would be appreciated…
Contact Details
Nadine.fry@tribalgroup.co.uk
Julian.todd@tribalgroup.co.uk
CHECKLISTDefining your requirements for a Consultancy Assignment
What do you want to be delivered (hard/soft outputs and outcomes)
What are your timescales What are the constraints Who will deliver what and who
will be involved and for what amount of time
What is in scope and out of scope
What reporting mechanisms need to be met
Who are the ‘customers’
What known risks and issues exist
How is ‘success’ defined How do you and the
consultancy benefit from success
Do you want and expect knowledge transfer
Are your objectives absolutely clear