The 540 Professional Consulting Engagement: the Proposal

To current and future students:  A common scenario plays out in the 540 experience.  Our student meets with the client and is bombarded with overwhelming immediate, context-specific information, enough to make his or her head spin. It is the student's job to bring this information back and allow us to help structure a suitable project. We abstract away from the immediate and irrelevant data to ask, “What kind of problem is this?” We separate the noise (e.g., opinion and situational details) from a credible understanding of the problem and solutions.

Then, our students (you) work with the Academic Leader to structure a two-page formal project proposal consistent with our standard template, available from me.  The proposal constitutes an informal contract between you and the Otago MBA concerning the 540 requirements for graduation: this is an internal document only and not for circulation to the client.

The proposal also represents a very important working document intended to remove the grey and confusing mess of a complex business situation and add clarity. The proposal should provide sufficient structure to allow you to work efficiently in collecting data and completing your analyses. We do not want you to grope your way through the project.

Your proposal will contain the following: information about you, client profile, current challenge, your project (description, purpose, objectives, scope of work, and methods), schedule of deliverables, start and finish dates, as well as contact information for your client.

• Client profile: Offer a short (two or three sentence) profile of the client, emphasizing information required to understand the challenge this company or non-profit agency faces: create a context. 

• Current challenge: Briefly describe the complex business problem, a challenge, this company faces (e.g., increased competition, lagging performance or untapped market – the reason for your project.

• Academic frame: Capture the challenge in an appropriate business frame (e.g., marketing, finance, economics, operations, strategy, sustainability or international business) that informs your methods and analyses (e.g., right data, collection methods and data analyse). 

• Any 540 project focuses on business concepts. Some concepts delimit the project scope (this product or those competitors), while other concepts are defined by your analyses. You need to clearly identify the concepts of focus for your analyses.

• Project description: You next describe the project scope, purpose and objectives for your analyses.

• Define the project scope based on concepts: limited to this market (countries), performance (financial), operations (supply chain) or other concepts / delimiters that enable you to focus your work.  The purpose defines the intended benefit to your client and objectives describe the specific questions addressed.

• Methods: Every project requires the student to collect and analyse data. You should include hard data whenever possible and may conduct content analyses (i.e., of annual reports), a survey (i.e., questionnaire data) or interviews with key constituents or industry experts.

• Clearly describe (1) the data; (2) how you will collect data; (3) specific research tool – an interview instrument; (4) sources of data; and (5) how you will analyse the data.

At this point, you should have a well-honed grasp of the work required to complete your 540 project with minimal wasted effort.  Please ask if you have any questions.  

Future students: Few opportunities exist in your professional career to perform on a big stage,

with the spotlight on you and the backing of professionals who will help you look good.

This is your chance to advance your career or make a transition to a new career.

Express your interest now.

David

See also: Conceptual Reasoning and Mentored Consulting Engagement.