Author Description

A methodology to sell and deliver profitable fee-for-service consulting engagements that build long-term clients. First, you learn how to identify the needs of client decision-makers. You learn how to identify the performance pressures they face and how to craft the best solution(s). This lets you effectively "sell" the project to the buying client and gain approval. You also learn the tools for assessing the decision-makers' perception of your capabilities and what you offer them.Second, you learn a consulting project methodology that yields projects that are consistently on time and within budget. This methodology is efficient and scalable for any project. It allows you to unearth what the client wants so you can manage their expectations and deliver the business value. Third, you will master project best practices. They include scheduling, estimating and optimizing projects to deliver maximum benefits. You learn seven different estimating methods and multiple schedule optimization techniques. You also learn how to identify and mitigate risks. Fourth, you will learn management and leadership techniques for using performance evaluation and reward techniques that build team members' commitment to the project. You will be able to train your team to estimate more accurately and report their progress in ways that let you identify and solve problems early. Fifth, you learn change control processes for handling change requests to keep the client happy without damaging the project's return on investment. You master a project managers' best tools for controlling the client's expectations. You'll learn to view the project as having four corners and master how to quantify the trade-offs between these four: duration, budget, scope and risk. These trade-off techniques allow you to custom tailor the project to meet the client's needs at the lowest possible cost.Sixth, you learn techniques for spotting problems early and solving them while they are small. We explain how to use e