Internal Consulting Excellence - Course Description

 

Presented by Greg Lee

 

This powerful and intensive three-day course is designed for managers and specialists, whether working as individuals or as members of a team, who seek to maximise the value and benefit of their services to the organisation. The course is aimed at those involved in:

 

  • Identifying, capturing, and/or scoping business requirements
  • Managing relationships with business representatives/sponsors
  • Deploying and managing IT services to support business operation e.g. Service delivery managers, Help Desk Support, Software developers
  • Solving organisational issues

 

Developing the depth and quality of the internal consulting function has never been more important. As organisations continue to transform their processes and systems to meet increasing client demands, more and more value is required from the delivery of IT services. Today’s IT departments need staff to produce tangible, sustainable results through their interactions with all stakeholders.

 

Internal consulting encompasses all service functions within the organisation, whether they are formally set up as consulting units mirroring external consultancies, or whether they are individuals or informal groups who provide services to the rest of the organisation. In-house IT consultants, like their external counterparts, need a range of professional skills in order to maximise their effectiveness and the value they contribute to the organisation.

Internal Consulting - the Critical Skills

No matter where your original expertise lies, this unique training program will build upon your existing technical skills and knowledge to equip you with the right consulting skills and competencies.

 

You will learn how to develop a consultative approach to your work that is both systematic and effective and that will enhance your individual and departmental standing with the business. The program provides an effective framework for running focused consultancy meetings, undertaking well-structured projects, managing demanding clients, and designing and facilitating customer workshops.

Key Benefits

Over three days of intensive and interactive training you will learn proven best-practice consulting techniques. By the end of the program you will be better able to:

 

  • Deliver relevant and responsive in-house consulting services to your organisation
  • Improve your organisation’s business performance through better IT services
  • Develop a consultative approach to your work that is both systematic and effective
  • More successfully drive internal projects and initiatives
  • Gather and analyse information through client interviews
  • Manage team dynamics to improve project effectiveness
  • Apply facilitation techniques to improve meeting and workshop outcomes
  • Develop problem solving techniques to resolve business issues
  • Develop change management awareness to improve roll-out effectiveness
  • Influence stakeholders to improve project outcomes
  • Accurately clarify client requirements and manage expectations
  • Attract and optimise higher calibre staff
  • Deliver clear and concise insightful findings
  • Remain focused on client outcomes and value
  • Make compelling recommendations and generate buy-in
  • Generate challenging engagements and increased repeat requests
  • Jump-start your consulting career and further develop your potential

Who Should Attend

This course offers powerful benefits to anyone whose job involves providing services or facilitation to members of their organisation or to external customers. Key IT roles include:

 

  • CIO / MIS / IT Managers
  • Service Delivery Managers
  • Project and Process Managers
  • ITIL Professionals
  • Helpdesk Support
  • Pre & Post Sales
  • Business Analysts and Consultants
  • Database Developers
  • Software Developers and Engineers
  • Internet Designers/Developers
  • IT Security Managers
  • Product Managers
  • Program Managers
  • Team Leaders
  • Technical Writers
  • Architects
  • Strategists

 

* The key consulting techniques taught in this course are also of benefit to all external service providers and their consulting teams *

Special Features

 

  • Intensive three-day format with class size limited to 12 participants to maximise effectiveness of training
  • High impact experiential learning techniques featuring latest best-practice consulting methods and developments from both the commercial and academic sectors
  • Results oriented. The emphasis throughout is on achieving tangible results that can be immediately applied upon return to the workplace
  • IT-focused case study to maximise relevance to IT departments and professionals

Experiential Learning

A critical differentiator of this program is its use of high-impact experiential learning techniques combined with extensive use of realistic, IT-based scenarios. Throughout the program, participants apply their newly acquired consulting skills to solve business issues contained within these scenarios. Participants work within a team based environment and experience realistic time pressures to create tangible project deliverables. The scenarios allow for very challenging and pressurised exercises - but it is all contained within the context of a low risk learning environment. Opportunities for individual, peer/team and group feedback are provided throughout the program to enhance learning outcomes.