EDTC 6350 Reflective Journal

Ethics and Consulting

After reading the article, it makes sense of what was mentioned earlier in our readings. Consultants can have the same reputations as lawyers. I can see how it is very easy for a consultant to become short sited, and not provide to the needs of the customer. We are human beings, and I think that as such it is very easy to become attached to what we ourselves create and try to mold it to fit everyone's needs. It makes sense that in no way is it fair to provide the client such a solution since the reason the consultant got hired was to solve a problem and not try to bring yet another one into the business environment.

Develop a Client Proposal

This proposal is to focus on the redesign of the EdTech Website.

Developing My Elevator Speech

Areas that I would like to focus on

• Content
• Specialist
• Custom
• Implementation

General statement without any specifics:

Content specialist with a focus on custom implementations

Review Elevator Speeches or as they might otherwise be called:

• Mission Statements
• Identity Statements
• Client Services Information

Troubleshooting the Consulting Relationship

A world without politics would be a perfect world for many consultants. Unfortunately, those who decide to disregard politics while consulting and focus on the technical might not become very effective. As long as we are working with other humans, we will have politics. Below are some suggestions to that will help us to enhance our political skills.

• Overcome negativity
• Develop your natural authority
• Understand the political environment
• Remain pure
• Learn negotiation and compromise

As a consultant comes into a foreign environment, the idea of generating change will bring about resistance. We need to be proactive when it comes to resistance. We need to turn it into a positive trait in that it can indicate where there might be faults in communication or involvement of the consultants customers.

A Blueprint for Development

One of the requirements of being a consultant is that you keep up with your education all the time. The technology business is one that is currently changing. We need to create a profile of our skills so that we know what we need to focus on learning. Below are some ways that we can enchance our technical skills.

• Trade publications,
• Vendor Training,
• Technical Books,
• Classroom Training,
• User Groups,
• Internet,
• Team reviews and seminars,
• Techncial mentoring

In addition to working on our technical skills, we need to work on our business skills, project management skills, communication skills and sales skills.

Deliver Business Results

This section focuses on finishing up the project. It consists of the actual implementation of the project and the delivery. As the actual implementation occurs, it is of great importance to work collaboratively with the client. It is in the interest of both parties to have an open communication when finishing up the project. It is important to remember have a focus on the technical goals and advisory relationship. Just focusing on the technical part might prove to be quite detrimental to the project.

Remember the Three C's when delivering:

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Culture

Refer back to you initial goals when delivering. This will provide you with a measure as to when you have completed the project.

• An Approach to Implementation
• Implementation planning
• Communication
• Training
• Technical implementation
• Transition to operations
• Implementation review
• Client acceptance

Ask the client to sign acceptance agreement once all or single phases of the project have been rolled out. Do not start on a new enhancement of the system until you have finished your original project. Adding additional modules will bring ambiguity when one project ends and the other begins.

Delivering the Full Value

One of the most important tasks to focus with a client is to provide services even after the project has been completed. It is important to create a relationship with the client that can support the accounts that are already in place. One of the most complicated tasks is having to write proposals for new clients time and time again. This process takes much time and as mentioned in the book, hours spent in focusing on sales are hours that cannot be billed.

The following are some areas in which the consultant can advise the client:

• Operational policies and procedures
• Support and maintenance services
• Documentation
• Asset management
• IT human resource planing,
• IT product procurement and
• Security.

The areas described can provide a value-element to the needs of our clients in which the client has better support of their systems, and the consultant gets to attract hours that are billable.

Interviewing an actual consultant was a great experience. It was obvious that this person had found their perfect job. Even though she worked long and hard hours, she never really complained about it. The tone set by this consultant was one of being very happy with what she was doing. One of the most interesting comments was that she used all of her previous experiences in consulting. She mentioned that being a consultant is where all of her skills had come together. One thing that she emphasized is listening to the customer and trying to understand the problem from their point of view.

Design Solution Options

Use a variety of techniques in designing solution such as those used by engineers. Also, there are a variety of solutions that can be used from structure programming disciplines. If working in a team, make sure that everyone is heard in the team. Any technique to come up with ideas should be used as an aid and not the decision maker. The use of images can save the designer a vast amount of time in trying to get a point through across to a client. Always, make sure to include all parties involved in the any solution before presenting it to the client. It is very important that you consider that when presenting a solution it is also part of the marketing of your services. The client has to be convinced that you are capable of being able to implement what you are talking about.

When creating a design solution, start with the big picture and break it down into modules which can then be thoroughly described. One of the worst mistakes an IT consultant can do is to actually start writing code or designing a network before looking first at the overall needs and the infrastructure at the clients site.

What makes a design "good"

• It solves the problem
• It fits the client requirements
• It is robust
• It is secure
• It is maintainable
• It is documented
• It is understood
• It is flexible
• It is standards-based; and
• It is proven

Collaborate to Select Solutions

It is very important that the client select a solution. This gives the client ownership of the project since they are the ones that are going to be working with the system once it has been completed. Always provide various solutions when presenting. The client will have to select from having a bike, car or limousine solution. These are the options that give the client a choice of cost and complexity in the project.

It is important to be very professional during the presentation. A client won't be impressed if you have an unpolished presentation. It is important to show the client that we have taken the time to review the presentation and know what we are talking about. Also, it is important that the solution delivered is the most cost effective for the client. Be prepared to make changes to the solution presented, the client might have changed their mind about what exactly they need implemented.

Tips on presenting

• Remember that this is a meeting
• Avoid technical jargon
• Avoid making recommendations
• Work with your client
• Don't push the process
• Be ready to make changes.

Visualize Success

Create integration groups that are knowledgeable with the project. They should be able to debate, share knowledge and be able to interact in order to make the project successful. The more informed people are about a project the better it will be to visualize success across the organization. It is important to have a tag line for the project defining exactly what it will deliver. An important question to visualize project is to ask the client, "When this engagement is successful and we go our separate ways, what will we have delivered?" Any processes that are achieved by a goal have to value to the company. Any unnecessary or redundant processes are just a waste of time.

Understand the Client's Situation

It is important to answer the following three questions when trying to understand the client:

How to gain a better understanding of the client's culture and norms of behavior?
How do I develop a holistic view?
How do I set up the client for successful project results?

Enterprise IT Model

Technology infrastructure
Data
Applications
Processes
Business

There are various data collection methods to be used in order to get to know the client such as reviewing the existing documentation, observation, inventory, surveys, facilitated work sessions and interviews. Make sure not to ask questions that can be answered through documentation and inventory during an interview. The consultant is a guest at a company and should take into consideration the clients time. The project that the consultant is working on might only be only one of many that the client is currently working on.

Approaching the Client

This is the first step within the consulting framework. This occurs right after the sales phase of the consulting service. In this phase, the consultant gets to know the client. This phase is getting to know your client and obtaining of sense of the issue at hand. It is of real importance that the consultant listen to what the client has to say and don't offer an immediate solution to the problem. After all, the client is the one who knows their environment better than anyone else. This is a phase in which expectations are discussed but a more thorough review of them takes place later on during the frame work. All of the information that is needed for the project is requested from the client such as network infrastructure or the clients training approaches.

It is important to know the reasons that a client has requested the services of a consultant:

1. They lack the technical expertise to solve their problems without outside help
2. They lack the business expertise to apply whatever technical knowledge they do have
3. They lack confidence in their ability to evaluate the options
4. They cannot convince their management or team that a particular solution is valid, so need independent verification.

Negotiate the Relationship

The three important parts of negotiation are scope, budget and schedule. The scope will determine exactly what you are going to do to assist the client. The budget you will delineate all of the expenses incurred by the client for your services. Keep in mind that you are trying to show the client the value for your services which are intangible. The schedule will enable to you provide a some preliminary dates as to the completion of the various phases of the project. In working with the client, it is of real importance that the consultant does not assume to much more responsibility than possible when dealing with a project. This in the end might end up placing the consultant in a financial bind.

The six rules of negotiation

1. Avoid imposing your role
2. Avoid having a role imposed on you
3. Take out the emotion and the ego
4. Negotiate creatively
5. Table disagreements
6. Document your agreements