Consulting company external brain service refers to the professional knowledge, experience and methodology provided by consulting company to help customers solve management and operation problems, seize new opportunities, implement changes and improve performance. Working with the consulting company's external brain services requires customers to have clear goals, needs and expectations, as well as to establish a good communication and coordination mechanism with the consulting company to ensure the smooth progress of the project and high-quality delivery. From the customer's point of view, this paper introduces the skills and methods of how to choose a suitable consulting company, how to formulate a reasonable project scope and plan, how to establish an effective communication and coordination mechanism, how to evaluate the progress and results of the project, and analyzes and explains the specific cases of Shangpu consulting service customers.

Consulting company external brain service refers to the professional knowledge, experience and methodology provided by consulting company to help customers solve management and operation problems, seize new opportunities, implement changes and improve performance. Working with consulting firms outside the brain services, can bring the following benefits to customers:

With the professional perspective and the third-party role of the consulting company, we can analyze the problem more objectively, comprehensively and deeply, and find out the root cause and the best solution;

With the rich experience of consulting companies and industry databases, information can be collected and processed more quickly, accurately and systematically, forming a convincing data support;

With the innovation ability and methodology of consulting companies, projects can be designed and implemented more effectively, flexibly and scientifically, and valuable output can be formed;

With the brand influence and professional endorsement of the consulting company, it is easier, smoother and more successful to promote the internal communication, recognition and landing of the project.

However, not all projects that work with consulting firms outside the brain services have yielded satisfactory results. Sometimes, customers may encounter the following issues:

Choose a consulting company that is not suitable for your needs or is not professional enough, resulting in low project quality or failure to land;

Not clear or unified their own goals, needs and expectations, resulting in unclear project scope or frequent changes;

failure to develop or adhere to a reasonable project plan, resulting in project schedule delays or over budget;

Failure to establish or maintain effective communication and coordination mechanisms, resulting in blocked or conflicting project information;

There is no evaluation or feedback on the progress and results of the project, resulting in the quality of the project can not be guaranteed or improved.

Therefore, working with the consulting firm's external brain services requires customers to have clear goals, needs and expectations, as well as to establish a good communication and coordination mechanism with the consulting firm to ensure the smooth progress of the project and high-quality delivery. From the customer's point of view, this paper introduces the skills and methods of how to choose a suitable consulting company, how to formulate a reasonable project scope and plan, how to establish an effective communication and coordination mechanism, how to evaluate the progress and results of the project, and analyzes and explains the specific cases of Shangpu consulting service customers.

1. how to choose the right consulting firm

Choosing the right consulting firm is the first and most important step in working with the consulting firm. Choosing the right consulting company can lay a solid foundation for the success of the project, otherwise, it may cause the failure or waste of the project. Choosing the right consulting company requires customers to examine and evaluate from the following aspects:

Qualifications and reputation of the consulting firm. Customers need to know the basic information of the consulting company's registered capital, establishment time, professional qualifications, industry associations, honorary certificates, etc., as well as the comprehensive information of the consulting company's reputation, evaluation and influence in the market, so as to judge the scale, strength, professionalism and credibility of the consulting company.

Consulting company's service areas and industry experience. The client needs to understand the type, scope, content and features of the services provided by the consulting firm, as well as whether the consulting firm has relevant experience, cases, databases and other resources in the industry to which the client belongs or is concerned, to determine whether the consulting firm can meet the client's needs and expectations.

The executive team and working mechanism of the consulting firm. The client needs to understand the composition, background, capabilities and commitment of the executive team assigned by the consulting firm to the client, as well as the manner, frequency, channels and tools of communication and coordination between the consulting firm and the client, to determine whether the consulting firm can ensure the quality and efficiency of the project.

Quotation and contract terms of the consulting firm. The client needs to understand the consulting firm's quotation method, standards, structure and level of the project, as well as the project scope, plan, deliverables, responsibilities, risks, confidentiality, etc. involved in the terms of the contract signed between the consulting firm and the client, and determine whether the consulting firm can meet the client's budget and interests.

When choosing the right consulting company, customers can collect and compare information in the following ways:

Network search. Customers can search through the web1or professional website2and other channels to find the official website of the relevant consulting company3or third party evaluation4and other information to understand the basic situation and market performance of the consulting firm.

Word of mouth recommend. Customers can obtain word-of-mouth recommend or feedback from relevant consulting companies through their own or friends, colleagues, partners and other contacts in the same industry to understand the service quality and customer satisfaction of the consulting company.

Bidding. Customers can invite a number of consulting companies to participate in the bidding by issuing bidding announcements or inviting letters of intent, and require the consulting companies to provide business plans or technical plans and other information for comprehensive evaluation and comparison.

Early communication. Customers can communicate by phone5or on-site visit6And so on, with the intention of cooperation with the consulting company for early communication, understand the consulting company's understanding of the project and recommendations, as well as with the implementation team to establish a preliminary contact.

Case study: A large manufacturing company wants to carry out digital transformation, improve production efficiency and management level, but lacks relevant experience and methodology, and decides to seek the help of external professional institutions. Through online search and word-of-mouth recommend, the company initially selected three consulting firms with experience in digital transformation services, namely, Champ Consulting, McKinsey and Accenture. The company invited the three consulting companies to submit business plans and technical plans through bidding and bidding, and arranged the time for preliminary communication. In the preliminary communication, the enterprise learned about the qualifications and reputation of the three consulting companies, service areas and industry experience, executive team and working mechanism, quotation and contract terms, and made a comprehensive comparison and evaluation. In the end, the company chose Champ Consulting as a partner, mainly based on the following considerations:

Shangpu Consulting is a consulting company focusing on digital transformation. It has rich experience and cases in digital transformation services. It can provide customers with strategic planning, business processes, organizational structure, human resources, information systems, data analysis and other aspects. Comprehensive solution;

The executive team of Shangpu Consulting is composed of senior consultants and experts with many years of practical experience in digital transformation. It can provide professional advice and guidance, as well as effective communication and coordination according to the actual situation and needs of customers;

The quotation method of Shangpu Consulting is to charge according to the project results, not according to time or manpower, which can better motivate the consulting company to improve the quality and efficiency of the project, and can also better protect the interests and budget of the client;

The terms of the contract of Shangpu Consulting clearly stipulate the project scope, plan, deliverables, responsibilities, risks, confidentiality, etc., and have fully communicated and negotiated with the customer to ensure that there is no ambiguity or dispute between the two parties in the cooperation process.

2. how to develop a sound project scope and plan

Developing a reasonable project scope and plan is the second and very critical step in working with the consulting firm. A reasonable project scope and plan can provide clear guidance and basis for the smooth progress and efficient delivery of the project. Otherwise, it may cause confusion or waste of the project. The development of a reasonable project scope and plan requires the participation and agreement of the client and the consulting company, which mainly includes the following aspects:

Project objectives. Project objectives are the specific results or values that the client wants to achieve through the project and are the basis for the project scope and plan. The client needs to clarify with the consulting firm what the project objectives are, why the project is being done, and how to measure whether the project objectives are being achieved.

Project requirements. Project requirements are specific problems or tasks that the client needs to meet or solve in the course of the project and are part of the project scope and plan. The client needs to clarify with the consulting company what the project needs, what must be done, what can be done, and what does not need to be done.

Project deliverables. Project deliverables are specific results or outputs provided by the consulting firm to the client during the course of the project, as a result of the project scope and plan. The client needs to clarify with the consulting firm what the project deliverables are, what must be delivered, what can be delivered, and what does not need to be delivered.

Project Plan. Project planning refers to the specific steps, time, resources and responsible persons of the project requirements and deliverables that the consulting company breaks down and arranges in accordance with a certain logic and sequence during the project process, and is the implementation of the project scope and plan. The client needs to clarify with the consulting firm what the project plan is, whether it is reasonable, feasible and efficient, and how to monitor and adjust the project plan.

When developing a reasonable project scope and plan, customers can communicate and negotiate in the following ways:

Document writing. Customers can express their expectations and requirements to the consulting company by writing documents such as project objectives, requirements, deliverables, etc., and ask the consulting company to provide documents such as project plans for two-way information exchange and confirmation.

Meeting discussion. Customers can hold face-to-face or remote discussions and communication with consulting companies by holding project kick-off meetings, requirements analysis meetings, scheme review meetings and other meetings, and invite relevant internal or external stakeholders to participate in multi-party opinion collection and coordination.

Tool support. Customers can use tools such as project management tools or collaboration platforms to share and update information with consulting companies in real time or asynchronously, and take advantage of the functions and features of the tools for effective progress tracking and risk control.

Case study: A large manufacturing company selected Champ Consulting as a partner and worked out a reasonable project scope and plan together with Champ Consulting. The enterprise and Shangpu Consulting jointly determined that the project goal is to improve production efficiency and management level through digital transformation, and formulated the corresponding index system and evaluation method. Together with Champ Consulting, the company has identified project requirements that include the following:

Current situation diagnosis and problem analysis of current production process, organizational structure, human resources, information system, data analysis, etc;

Propose strategic planning and business process optimization for digital transformation based on diagnostic results and best practices;

Design and implement organizational restructuring and human resource training programs for digital transformation according to plans and programs;

According to the plan and plan, select and implement the information system construction and data analysis tool development required for digital transformation;

Develop and implement effectiveness evaluation and continuous improvement mechanisms for digital transformation based on plans and programs.

Together with Champ Consulting, the company has identified the following project deliverables:

Status Diagnostic Report

Strategic planning for digital transformation

Business Process Optimization Scheme

Organizational restructuring programme

Human Resources Training Programme

information system construction scheme

Data Analysis Tool Development Scheme

Effect Evaluation Report

Continuous improvement program

Together with Champ Consulting, the company has identified the following phases of the project plan:

The first stage: diagnosis of the current situation (2months)

The second stage: strategic planning (1months)

Phase III: Business Process Optimization (2months)

The fourth stage: organizational restructuring (1months)

The fifth stage: human resources training (2months)

The sixth stage: information system construction (3months)

Phase 7: Development of Data Analysis Tools (2months)

Phase 8: Effect evaluation (1months)

Phase 9: Continuous improvement (1months)

In the process of developing the project scope and plan, the enterprise and Shangpu Consulting conducted many communications and consultations through document writing, meeting discussion and tool support, and finally formed a written document of the project scope and plan, which was formally signed and announced at the project kick-off meeting.

3. how to establish an effective communication and coordination mechanism

The establishment of an effective communication and coordination mechanism is the third and very important step in the cooperation with the consulting company. The establishment of an effective communication and coordination mechanism can provide a good communication and collaboration environment for the smooth progress and efficient delivery of the project, otherwise, it may cause obstacles or conflicts in the project. The establishment of an effective communication and coordination mechanism requires the customer and the consulting company to comply with and implement it, mainly including the following aspects:

Communication objectives. The communication goal refers to the main purpose or significance of the communication between the client and the consulting company in the course of the project, and is the direction of the communication and coordination mechanism. The client and the consulting firm need to clarify what the communication objectives are, such as for information exchange, problem solving, program review, progress reporting, risk control, and delivery of results.

Communication content. Communication content refers to the specific information or data communicated between the client and the consulting company during the project, and is the content of the communication and coordination mechanism. The client and the consulting firm need to clarify what the communication is about, e.g., project requirements, deliverables, plans, progress, risks, issues, recommendations, etc.

The way of communication. The way of communication refers to the specific form or method of communication between the client and the consulting company during the project, and is the form of communication and coordination mechanism. The client and the consulting company need to clarify the communication methods, such as telephone, email, WeChat, video conference, on-site meeting, etc.

Frequency of communication. The frequency of communication refers to the specific time or cycle of communication between the client and the consulting firm during the project, and is the rhythm of the communication and coordination mechanism. The client and the consulting company need to clarify the frequency of communication, such as daily, weekly, monthly or according to the project phase.

channels of communication. The communication channel refers to the specific platform or tool for communication between the client and the consulting company during the project, and is the carrier of the communication and coordination mechanism. Customers and consulting companies need to be clear about the communication channels, such as telephone numbers, email addresses, WeChat accounts, video conferencing software, project management tools, etc.

Communication leader. The person in charge of communication refers to the specific person or role responsible for communication between the client and the consulting company during the project, and is the main body of the communication and coordination mechanism. The client and the consulting firm need to clearly communicate who is responsible, such as the project manager, project team members, stakeholders, etc.

When establishing an effective communication and coordination mechanism, customers can regulate and implement in the following ways:

Develop a communication plan. The client can work with the consulting company to develop a communication plan for the project, clarify the specific requirements and arrangements for communication objectives, content, methods, frequency, channels, responsible persons, etc., and sign and publish the communication plan as part of the project scope and plan.

Follow the rules of communication. Customers can abide by the communication rules of the project together with the consulting company, communicate in accordance with the communication plan, ensure the timeliness, accuracy, completeness and effectiveness of communication, and timely feedback and deal with problems or suggestions arising from communication.

Evaluate communication effectiveness. Customers can evaluate the communication effect of the project together with the consulting company, check and analyze the communication process and results regularly or irregularly, and make adjustments and improvements according to the actual situation and needs.

Case analysis: A large manufacturing enterprise established an effective communication and coordination mechanism with Champ Consulting after formulating a reasonable project scope and plan. The company and Champ Consulting jointly developed a communication plan for the project, which clarified the following aspects:

Communication objectives: in order to ensure the smooth progress and efficient delivery of the project, achieve the project objectives, improve customer satisfaction, enhance the cooperative relationship between the two sides.

Communication content: including project requirements, deliverables, plans, progress, risks, issues, recommendations and other project-related information or data.

Communication methods: According to different communication purposes and content, different communication methods such as telephone, email, WeChat, video conference, and on-site meetings are used.

Communication frequency: According to different communication methods and contents, different communication frequencies such as daily, weekly, monthly or according to project phases are adopted.

Communication channels: according to different communication methods and contents, different communication channels such as telephone number, email address, WeChat account number, video conference software, project management tools and so on are adopted.

Person in charge of communication: the project manager is responsible for daily communication with the consulting company, the project team members are responsible for specific work communication with the consulting company, and the stakeholders are responsible for important matters communication with the consulting company; the project manager is responsible for daily communication with the customer, the project team members are responsible for specific work communication with the customer, and the senior consultant is responsible for important matters communication with the customer.

In the process of establishing an effective communication and coordination mechanism, the enterprise and Shangpu Consulting have standardized and implemented the communication rules and evaluated the communication effect, ensuring the smooth progress and efficient delivery of the project.

4. how to evaluate the progress and results of the project

Evaluating the progress and results of the project is the fourth and very necessary step in the cooperation with the consulting company. Assessing the progress and results of the project can provide effective feedback and suggestions for the quality assurance and continuous improvement of the project. Otherwise, it may cause deviation or stagnation of the project. Assessing the progress and results of the project requires the client and the consulting firm to work together and adopt them, mainly in the following areas:

Assessment of progress. Progress assessment is the process of evaluating a project by examining and analyzing the implementation of the project plan between the client and the consulting firm during the project. The client and the consulting firm need to check and compare the steps, time, resources, and responsible persons in the project plan on a regular or irregular basis to determine whether the project is proceeding as planned, whether there are risks such as delays or overruns, and how to respond to and resolve them.

Outcome assessment. Outcome evaluation is the result of evaluating the project by examining and analyzing the quality of the project deliverables between the client and the consulting firm during the project. The client and the consulting firm need to check and compare the various contents, data, formats and standards in the project deliverables on a regular or irregular basis to determine whether the project has achieved the expected results or value, whether there are defects or deficiencies, and how to improve and improve them.

feedback mechanism. The feedback mechanism refers to the communication and consultation between the client and the consulting firm on the results of the progress evaluation and results evaluation during the project process, which is the output of the evaluation project. The client and the consulting company need to timely feedback the evaluation results to each other in written or oral form, and make corresponding adjustments or adoption according to the feedback content.

When evaluating the progress and results of the project, the customer can check and analyze in the following ways:

Data analysis. Customers can use data analysis tools or methods to perform statistics, collation, calculation, visualization and other operations on various data generated or collected during the project process to form convincing data support, and make judgments and inferences based on the data results.

Standard comparison. Customers can use standard comparison tools or methods to classify, sort, match, compare and other operations on the various information generated or collected in the course of the project, form a basis for information support, and make judgments and inferences based on information differences.

Expert review. Customers can invite internal or external experts or authorities to review, comment, suggest and other operations on various results or outputs generated or collected in the course of the project to form valuable opinion support, and make judgments and inferences based on the content of the opinions.

Case analysis: After establishing an effective communication and coordination mechanism, a large manufacturing company evaluated the progress and results of the project together with Champ Consulting. The enterprise and Shangpu Consulting jointly used data analysis, standard comparison and expert review to carry out inspection and analysis, and timely feedback the evaluation results to each other in the form of feedback reports or feedback meetings, and made corresponding adjustments or adoption according to the feedback content. For example:

In the first stage: the current situation diagnosis, the enterprise and Shangpu consulting carried out statistics, sorting, calculation and visualization of the current production process, organizational structure, human resources, information system, data analysis and other data through data analysis tools, formed the current situation diagnosis report, and found the following problems according to the data results:

The production process is inefficient, repetitive and wasteful, resulting in low production efficiency and high production costs;

There are too many levels of organizational structure, unclear responsibilities, difficult collaboration and other phenomena, resulting in low management efficiency and high management costs;

The existence of human resources quality is not high, the ability is insufficient, the loss of many phenomena, resulting in insufficient talent reserve, talent training is difficult;

Information systems are obsolete, fragmented, and isolated, resulting in untimely access to information and inadequate use of information;

There is a lack of data analysis, scattered, low quality and other phenomena, resulting in insufficient data support, data value is not played.

In the second stage: strategic planning, the company and Shangpu Consulting classified, sorted, matched, and compared the current production process, organizational structure, human resources, information systems, data analysis and other information through standard comparison tools., Formed a digital transformation strategic plan, and put forward the following suggestions based on information differences:

In terms of production process, it is recommended to adopt lean production concepts and methods to optimize and streamline the production process, eliminate waste and bottlenecks, and improve production efficiency and quality;

In terms of organizational structure, it is recommended to adopt flat concepts and methods, adjust and simplify the organizational structure, clarify responsibilities and authorities, strengthen collaboration and communication, and improve management efficiency and flexibility;

In terms of human resources, it is recommended to adopt the concept and method of digital talents to train and develop human resources, improve quality and ability, reduce loss and recruitment costs, and enhance talent reserves and competitiveness;

In terms of information systems, it is recommended to adopt the concepts and methods of cloud computing to update and integrate information systems to achieve rapid access and sharing of information, and improve information utilization and security;

In terms of data analysis, it is recommended to adopt the concept and method of big data to improve and improve data analysis, realize effective data collection and processing, and improve the support and value of data.

In the third stage: business process optimization, the enterprise and Shangpu Consulting conducted reviews, comments, suggestions and other operations on the current production process optimization plan through expert review tools, resulting in a business process optimization plan, and made the following improvements based on the comments:

In the production process optimization scheme, the intelligent transformation of production equipment is added to realize the automatic control and remote monitoring of equipment;

Intelligent management of production materials is added to the production process optimization scheme to achieve real-time tracking and predictive replenishment of materials;

The intelligent detection of production quality is added to the production process optimization scheme to realize online quality monitoring and abnormal early warning.

In the fourth stage: organizational restructuring, the enterprise and Shangpu Consulting conducted statistics, sorting, calculation, visualization and other operations on the current organizational restructuring plan through data analysis tools, forming an organizational restructuring plan, and made the following judgments based on the data results:

The organizational restructuring program reduces the number of organizational levels from eight to five, improving the degree of organizational flattening;

The organizational restructuring plan clarifies the division of organizational responsibilities, transforms the original functional organization into a process-based organization with business processes as the core, and improves the collaboration and flexibility of the organization;

The organizational restructuring program increases the scope of organizational authorization, transforms the original centralized decision-making into decentralized decision-making, and improves the organization's response speed and innovation ability.

In the fifth stage: human resources training, the enterprise and Shangpu Consulting classified, sorted, matched and compared the current human resources training programs through standard comparison tools to form a human resources training program, and made the following inferences based on information differences:

In the human resources training program, different training contents and methods are formulated for different positions and ranks to meet different training needs and objectives;

A combination of online and offline training methods has been adopted in the human resources training program to improve the coverage and effectiveness of training;

The training content of combining theory and practice is adopted in the human resources training program to improve the quality and effect of the training.

In the sixth stage: in the construction of the information system, the enterprise and Shangpu Consulting conducted reviews, comments, suggestions and other operations on the current information system construction plan through expert review tools, forming an information system construction plan, and made the following improvements according to the content of the opinions:

The consideration and guarantee of compatibility and security of existing information systems are added to the information system construction plan to avoid conflicts or loopholes between information systems;

The information system construction plan adds consideration and guarantee for the ease of use and scalability of the new information system to improve the user experience and future development of the information system;

The information system construction plan increases the consideration and guarantee of the supervision and testing of the information system construction process to ensure the quality and stability of the information system.