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Blog: William McKnight

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December 4, 2007

The Consultant's Christmas Song

Sung to the tune of The Christmas Song...

Competitors roasting on an open fire
Account Managers nipping at your budget
Buzzwords being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up in business casual.

Everybody knows some statements of work and signatures
Help to make the season bright
Practice Managers with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that next year’s budgets are on their way
It’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on the sleigh
And every friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend is gonna spy
To see if project managers really know how to buy.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase
To Directors from thirty-one to sixty-five
Although it's been said many times, many ways
Merry Consulting to you.

Posted by William McKnight at 8:19 AM | | Comments (1)

July 31, 2007

Oscar the Cat is a Business Intelligence Consultant

By now, I’m sure you’ve all heard of Oscar the Cat, the nursing home cat who, as the story goes, can predict when residents are going to die. Here is a link to the story. I have had some awkward stare-downs with cats this week as a result of learning about Oscar.

Anyway, all I have to say is that the first thing I thought of when learning about this feline forebearer of demise is that he has his counterparts in the business intelligence world. - specifically those consultants or employees whose mere presence on a project can signal its ruin. Sometimes I have to point out the Oscars and rarely, but occasionally, as a practice manager, my screening misfires and I end up with an Oscar on my team though, fortunately, it’s never been too late for the project.

The people on a project are extremely important to its success and generally not easy to find. I have been fortunate to surround myself with the best in the business.

We all know Oscars. Be careful not to be one or hire one!

Continue reading "Oscar the Cat is a Business Intelligence Consultant" »

Posted by William McKnight at 9:58 AM | | Comments (1)

April 30, 2006

Avoiding wishisms in consulting relationships

What is the difference between an outsourcer, a partner and a group of people from a common third-party source? Sorry, no joke here.

Let me explain:

Data warehousing, business intelligence, master data management, or other programs are only useful when they produce ROI, either directly or, more likely, indirectly. Knowing and enabling the chain of business events that must occur to produce that ROI requires business knowledge. The direction of the program and the future business and architecture targets are business functions, most likely rightfully maintained by end-client personnel – though augmented, and often stimulated, by a consulting partner.

It is important for end clients to define precisely the roles and responsibilities of their vendors. It is more than simply labeling a vendor as your outsourcer or partner. In fact, that label is nearly meaningless without an apportionment of roles. Those terms do not carry universal definition. To think that any vendor will take care of everything your program needs is fallacious, and for the end client (employees) to not seek education on the technology and the processes involved in the program is neglectful.

Over time, consulting partners prove their ability to lead, plan and do the necessary DW/BI work for their clients. The key to success for a program manager is making sure all required tasks, including the strategic ones, are done in an efficient manner (i.e., by those competent to do so) within time expectations. The tasks should add up to the program that meets the longevity requirements and deadline constraints. DW/BI programs, with or without consulting partners, spend a lot of time handing off expectations for the strategic tasks involved. To the degree that a consulting partner can participate in the strategic tasks, great. To the degree they can’t, augment those functions and scale the consultancy back to the delivery tasks. Expect to do this unless you are working with those select consultancies with real strategists (on your account!).

Posted by William McKnight at 6:20 PM | | Comments (0)