Entries from October 2009 ↓

 
by nDevilTV

In most cases when you follow the rules or do it by the book you succeed. So, what are the rules for conducting successful consulting gig? Got book?

I am on continuous hunt after good consulting books .Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used by Peter Block seems like one of best of breed. It is chocked with prescriptive guidance that can perfectly serve both aspiring and seasoned consultants. My favorite part is his description of 5 stages for each consulting gig: [1] Entry and Contracting, [2] Discovery and Dialogue, [3] Feedback and Decision to Act, [4] Engagement and Implementation, [5] Extension, Recycle or Termination.

Getting or giving consultation? Read on.

 
by Philo Nordlund

Customers want immediate results. That is the name of the game – fast results. If you cannot offer fast results you are out of the game.

Have you asked yourself what bogs you down? What are the constraints that hold you back from producing great results fast?

I have few ideas after reading a book by John Arthur Ricketts Reaching The Goal: How Managers Improve a Services Business Using Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints. Rickets applies the Theory of Constraints [TOC] presented by Goldratt in his book The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement to Consulting Practice.

Here are 5 core steps  for applying TOC in Consulting Practice according to Rickets:

1. Figure out where the constraints are
2. Utilize the constraint to its fullest extent
3. Make sure that non-constraints keep the constraint busy
4. Improve productivity of the constraint
5. Repeat the previous steps