I work for companies to make services or products and people work more efficiently with each other. This was also the case with a small project agency that consisted of a handful of consultants who, together with the director, operated as functional managers of a project management software tool based on Prince2.
In order to ask the project agency staff for innovation and for positions that offered them more challenge (Project Manager, Business Consultant), I developed various methodologies and products that facilitated them to grow into a larger maturity phase.
After all, as Socrates said before:
“What is not in it, doesn’t come out”.
You get the clients and assignments that suit you. For that reason, I introduced my OPTI (-mal) method within the organization. I gave the employees a tool to look further and to learn to think as a customer. From executive to more proactive action. I invested in brainstrom sessions and the consultants saw a challenge!
I made beautiful simple visual maps of the OPTI (-mally) methodology that everyone could take to the customer. A talking and thinking image-map for both consultant and client.
By using this methodology, the consultants can analyze and upgrade or improve the project organization with all its various components.
The 4 focus components of OPTI (-mal):
1. Organization – Mapping the (project) organization. What does the mission, vision and strategy look like? How are the organization and the project organization organized? How is the line organization involved in projects and who makes the decisions? Who determines if something is a project and what are the criteria for this?
2. Processes – Making the current work processes and change processes transparent (knowledge management, information management, financial management, resource management) and why and how to improve this.
3. Technique – Which software or other resources are used for the project organization and are they compatible with the needs of the organization? Can the current support resources be improved or do we need other resources?
4. Information – Measuring is knowing! What information is available within the organization? Is this relevant information, does it contribute to a good result? Consider also costs and coherence between projects and programs.
These are just a view questions a consultant should ask. Would you like to know more about this method or how you can make your employees work more efficiently for clients or the project organization? I would like to help you!