In this challenge, learners undergo the basics of project management—creating schedules, RACI matrices, and a status update template. The goal of the challenge is to teach learners about the behind-the-scenes work that’s required to see a project through from start to finish. Furthermore, many consultants may end up doing the actual project management work described in this challenge.
Gantt Chart Schedule
The first deliverable is a Gantt Chart schedule of the project, which tests learner’s understanding of the phases of a consulting project. This may be learners’ first exposure to the steps involved in a consulting project, so exact answers may vary, but a high-level schedule should include some or most of the following steps—note that this should match the information in their resources:
Business Development
Project pitching
Proposal writing
Scoping & Staffing
Defining the scope
Establishing the budget
Prepare Statement of Work
Figuring out who’s on the team
Current State and GAP Analysis
Client Meetings/Workshops
Stakeholder Interviews
Requesting Information
Current State Analysis Deliverable
Recommendation & Feedback Phase
Project Research
Creating Recommendation Decks
Recommendation Pitching & Feedback
Solution & Implementation Phase:
Project rollout (processes/ technology)
Client training
Project Handoff
The exact scheduling of the Gantt Chart is not quite as important—learners are not expected to have a solid understanding of how long each of these phases may take (and given the lack of specificity, could vary significantly). Instead, focus on an understanding of Gantt Chart schedules, which are built to show dependencies (i.e. what must first be completed in order to move on to the next step?).
Next, learners are asked to create a RACI Matrix, which details the roles and responsibilities of each member on the team. Again, the specifics of responsibilities are not the main thing being tested, but rather the ability to segment the phases above into concrete tasks for the various roles (Manager, Consultant, Associate, etc.).
Finally, learners create a Status update template, which should contain the following items:
What happened during the previous period:
Tasks
Deliverables
Meetings
Decisions
What is happening during the current period:
Tasks
Deliverables
Meetings
Decisions
This is intended to be a template, rather than reflect any actual work.
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Week 3 Mentor Guide
