Many candidates who approach Arras People express a desire to progress their project management careers within the management consultancy arena (aka. Professional Services); for some reason it is seen by many as highly attractive, in fact I would go so far as to say it is one of the most frequently sought after career paths.
So why are management consultancy based project management roles well regarded by project professionals? Well, when we ask the question, there are often several different responses – some answers are well researched and true, others have been influenced by having worked with people who already do it and others are a little “pie-in-the-sky”.
So what are the potential differences for project management practitioners who work in the professional services and what do the management consultancies look for in their project management staff?
In general terms, as well as delivering your “project management role” you may be exposed to the following challenges and / or opportunities within a management consultancy environment;
- Delivering in a client facing role where the “paying customer” will have high expectations
- Working predominantly on a client site (sometimes with extensive travel and nights away from home)
- An opportunity to work on different and diverse projects in new or familiar sectors
- Delivering within financial and budgetary constraints where your actions impact the bottom line (yes that’s the profit!)
- A requirement to manage against a contract, real change management that again can seriously impact the bottom line (for better or for worse!)
- Becoming a salesperson where your role will include “up selling” the value of your deliverables
- Working with an extended project lifecycle where “pre-sales” is added at the beginning and “support” is added to the end
- Managing a wide range of stakeholders – both internal and external who will all have an eye on the bottom line and the value being delivered
- Exposure to different cost models eg. fixed cost projects, time and materials projects, risk and reward
- Avoiding “sitting on the bench” for too long (it is important to make sure that you have enough billable hours)
So what do management consultancies look for in their project management candidates?
Working through the list above gives a lot of insight into the type of project management professional likely to succeed in a management consultancy environment. Depending upon the level of entry, previous experience and sector knowledge, management consultancies may be looking for;
- Educated, graduate level – professionals with good degrees from good universities. The subject is not always important
- Experienced project professionals with a demonstrable track record of successful delivery. Remember they are charging their clients for the “best” project people available.
- Candidates with relevant training which shows a commitment to their own professional development.
- Graduates who can show the potential required to fit into the environment and ethos. Generally a graduate with a good first degree and some demonstrable work experience will raise interest.
- For more experienced candidates, experience in sectors or fields that the management consultancy may specialise in are a great door opener. Nuclear, SAP, Enterprise Architecture, Smart Ticketing, Renewable Energy being some that spring to mind. It is also worth remembering that the fields they specialise in are likely to change over time as they chase down new opportunities and emerging markets.
- Practitioners who can demonstrate that they are “commercially aware” will be highly attractive. Yes, we want to deliver the project! but we also need to deliver the agreed levels of profit (P&L) and meet all the contractual obligations of the project
- Depending on the career level of the professional, a range of complex project management experience, ranging from high budgets, resource intensive and innovative solutions
- A specialist capability that can be used across a range of projects – for limited resourcing or for longer term bigger and more complex programmes and projects i.e., change management, business process re-engineering, IT strategy, solution architecture or business transformation
- I almost forgot Professionalism! Whilst delivering, wherever you are in the world, whoever you are dealing with and whatever the task in hand you will be the “face of the company”. As such, your professionalism will may secure or lose future revenues for the company!
As ever, it is impossible to paint an exact profile in a piece like this but hopefully this gives the reader an outline of the requirements and expectations when considering project management in a professional services organisation. It won’t suit all, but for those that embrace it, it can be a great opportunity to travel, meet new people and develop a breadth of experience. So if it’s for you, keep an eye on the Arras People job board for future opportunities or register your interest.
Look familiar? 
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Image – dullhunk
