SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats) Analysis is a simple but surprisingly effective technique to assess an organisations positioning and begin the process of turning general ideas for market growth into actionable activities. This brief guide shows how to extend the simple SWOT concept into a tool for defining the actions needed to deal with …
Project Audit – A check List
The primary purpose of a project audit is to find the reasons for apparent failings in the project process, and answer:
* What is the current state of the project
* Is the project going to deliver something useful that meets requirements?
* Is the technical approach being used still appropriate
* Is the business case still valid?
* Is the project organised in an effective way
* Is the project context hindering or helping progress
* Are industry standard project processes being followed
* Is the project following industry best practice development methods?
* What should be changed to improve the project focus?
All cultures have their own preferred styles and strategies for dealing with and managing conflict. Yet it is quite difficult to be culture-specific when discussion how to deal effectively with cross-cultural conflicts. Nevertheless, there are some general skills involved in cross-cultural negotiation and conflict management that can be highlighted.
Simple checklist of what not to do in intercultural negotiation
A big part of your business comes from your email so it makes sense to advertise your products and/or services with every email that you send out. You can do this by having an email signature or ‘Signature Tag’ in your email. Outlook and most email clients (including outlook.com) allow you to set up your ‘Sig Tag’ so it is automatically added to each and every email going out, including replies and forwards. We often add our Facebook or LinkedIn tag in the signature – but why not make it more productive and advertise your products!
The best way to find out whether your project is feasible is to complete a Feasibility Study. This process helps you gain confidence that the solution you need to build can be implemented on time and under budget. So here’s how to do it in 5 simple steps…
The process involves a series of workshops where knowledge and ideas are generated, gaps in understanding acknowledged and actions agreed to acquire the missing information for the following workshop. A marketing template is completed including action plans with clear responsibilities and dates for completion. The process also includes agreement on priorities and specific measurements for success.
Running a meeting is not an easy task; retaining control and keeping the team on task are important tricks of the successful facilitator – in this post I cover some of the key points for you as facilitator of a meeting to ensure you make this part of your consulting practice a success.
Objective setting is a vital part of appraising and managing employees. Both managers and subordinates should be aware of what the objectives are for the current period as well as be working on new draft objectives for the next period prior to discussing them during a future appraisal meeting – where objectives for the forthcoming period can be documented and agreed.
I have loaded a simple contract template for consulting services – mostly clients will have a template already in hand from procurement. If you do not have anything you may find this one useful. It is pretty basic but contains the essential elements. I’ll post an affiliate version is there is any demand.