Tag Archive: implementation

  1. A Deeper Dive Into Core Catalysts Implementation Recovery Services

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    Our Background in Implementation Recovery

    At Core Catalysts we have a leadership team with over 200 years of project implementation experience and expertise.

    Having “been around the block” (more than a few times), this means that, in terms of implementation, we have pretty much seen it all: the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

    Because of our backgrounds, on many occasions, both existing and new clients have brought us in to help them when ongoing implementation projects and programs they are working on are going awry.

    Symptoms of a Failing Project

    While the specific situations and details differ, once we have “landed” at the client, the symptoms of a failing project that present themselves to us are often similar or the same, including:

    • Missed deadlines
    • Project budgets “bleeding” cash (i.e., significant overspends predicted)
    • Concerns that core business requirements will not be satisfied
    • Potential that the project will “launch” very late, or maybe not at all
    • Stressed out stakeholders and exhausted delivery teams

    Typically, the client teams “on the ground” can describe the issues they are experiencing and the concerns that they have, but no one is quite sure or can tell you exactly (with certainty) what the root causes are, which is obviously very frustrating to client leadership and executive teams, especially if the client has paid a big system integrator who promised that implementation would go smoothly.

    Our Approach to get Implementations Back On Track

    Fortunately, with experience gained over literally 1000’s of projects, our implementation recovery teams have developed keen senses for “pattern recognition” (because, while the situations are different, root causes typically fit into common “buckets” that we can run through like checklists, almost from memory) that allow us to swiftly identify the exact reasons that the implementation is failing.

    Sometimes, once we have diagnosed the symptoms and key drivers of the implementation problems, clients are able to fix them on their own. Unfortunately, even with these key pieces of information, more often than not, client teams are overwhelmed and, with the implementation issues continuing to mount, we are asked to step in and help.

    With our experience across multiple implementation recovery engagements, Core Catalysts have developed proven methodologies to both identify and quickly begin to fix what is wrong with failing implementation, getting them back on track fast, and assisting clients to complete implementations successfully (on time, on budget, to scope and requirements).

    Results

    Typically, within two weeks we will be able to:

    • Identify key implementation issues, and the major roadblocks currently preventing client teams addressing them.
    • Develop initial “game-plans” to fix them, in logical and pragmatic ways, adopting easy to follow, sequential, step-by-step methods and approaches.
    • Begin to execute these proposed solutions, gently but firmly, working with client teams and within existing implementation structures and resources.

    Clients usually see close to immediate reductions in “pain,” with implementation quickly moving back in the right direction, followed soon after by meaningful improvement in results and outcomes over the medium to long term, as our teams help work through and alleviate the issues identified and implement the required fixes.

    Equally, our teams do not use a “scorched earth policy” of placing blame on the client team members while taking all the credit – rather, we assess the people related issues that may be discovered and discreetly recommend changes and improvements where needed for the benefit of all involved.

    Benefits

    Benefits of engaging Core Catalysts assistance in implementation recovery efforts include:

    • Saving your team (from burnout, turnover, and taking eye off “day to day” priorities)
    • Saving money (reduction in budget overruns, using what you already have and have spent money on)
    • Saving time and effort (getting implementations back on schedule for go live, with minimal fallout or “taking eyes off the ball” of day-to-day operations)
    • Teaching client team members what “good” looks like, so that future projects can be sustained and successful, even when we are long gone

    Our key focus in implementation recovery is enabling our clients to take back control of their implementations, and the achievement of the original projected end outcomes and deliverables.

    What’s more, we have a 100% success rate in these types of projects, a long history of third-party collaboration (including with “Big 4” consulting firms), and are platform agnostic … plus, our goal is to just find out why there is pain, fix the problems quickly and cheaply, help take the project over the finish line fast, and then step back / away.

    If You Are Experiencing Implementation Issues

    Are you experiencing implementation issues or any of the symptoms of a failing project implementation?

    Do you want to stop hoping things will get better and start getting your implementation project back on track?

    If so, reach out to schedule an initial call or meeting with our implementation recovery team, where you can tell us about your situation, we’ll ask questions and listen until we understand, and then offer suggestions on next steps.

    You won’t regret it!

    –Mark Jacobs, Client Service and Delivery

  2. Inside the Mind of a Consultant

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    Once you understand what is going on in the mind of a Consultant, it becomes a lot easier to make sense of what they are doing and why. So why not take a moment and come step inside a Consultants brain (don’t worry, it’s a bright and fun place to spend some time).

    Editor’s Note: The definition of a consultant used here is more clearly explained in a past blog, Consulting as a Profession, as there are many people claiming to be ‘consultants’ in today’s gig world.

    A Consultant’s mind is always focused on the why they are there

    Consultants work with client companies to solve specific business challenges. This is their “value-add” and their entire reason for “being”.

    Typically, companies hire Consultants for three main reasons:

    • For specialized expertise

    A company may hire consultants to provide a skill-set, that they don’t have internally.

    • To fill resource gaps

    A company may have the expertise to create a solution but could be lacking the person-power to finish the work within a required timeframe.

    • For an outside opinion

    A company may also hire consultants, in order to bring-in an objective third-party opinion or experience, ideas, and insights from outside the organization. Bringing in an outside opinion can provide valuable perspective on the business and empower leadership to make better decisions.

    This often means their projects fits into one of two “buckets”:

    • Advisory

    This is when a Consultant is hired to advise their client on things such as company strategy, market conditions, or operational dynamics within specific industries.

    • Implementation

    An implementation project can be an add-on to an advisory project. For example, after analyzing data, a Consultant may recommend some specific actions. If their client doesn’t have the resources or capabilities required to do this, they may hire the same or different Consultants to implement these recommendations.

    Knowing this helps explain why Consultants consistently focus on what the specific challenge or challenges are they have been brought in to look at, what they have been asked to do (advise, implement, etc.) or “bring to the table” (resources, expertise, experience, etc.), what the client wants, and the budget and deadlines involved with successful project delivery: they want to ensure they are always adding value!

    A Consultant’s mind feeds on data

    One of the first thing a Consultant typically does when starting a project is create a ‘data-request’ (a long, long, long, list of documents, reports, numbers, and other relevant information) for the client. They also ask A LOT of questions.

    Why do they do this and why are they like this?

    Well, one of the worst things a Consultant can do is “shoot from the hip” … they respect that many of the people within their client’s organization have a significant amount of knowledge and experience built over many years, and understand that people from the outside who don’t take the time to analyze and understand the situation and organization have the tendency to say and do stupid things!

    This is why they hate to assume anything (they want to build trust with the client in both themselves and the process) and why Consultants are typically curious people, why they love to consume all that data, and why they consistently want your input … their brains crave information so they can build a strong fact-base, quickly, and be as informed as possible, so that they can effectively collaborate with all their client’s people, to help answer the questions and issues they’ve been asked to look at!

    A Consultant’s mind is organized and analytical

    With all that data and information sloshing around, a Consultants mind needs to be organized: that’s why they love building and applying structures and frameworks!

    Consultant’s often “think in pictures”

    After reaching their findings and forming recommendations, Consultants typically have to present them to their clients.

    It’s important to them that they make their presentations as clear, interesting, and insightful as possible, so they live by the old adage that “a picture paints a thousand words”.

    This explains why Consultants are often “PowerPoint Ninja’s” (they want you to get the full benefit of their work), are constantly drawing pictures, and can have strong attachments to their flip-charts, whiteboards, and colored markers!

    Consultants mind’s think “long-term”

    Consultants live to make a difference: permanently improving organizational effectiveness and performance over the long-term is why they get up in the morning.

    In the mind of a Consultant, the worst thing that can possibly happen is that all their hard work goes to waste and is not implemented.

    This is why they spend a lot of time building relationships, why they focus on building consensus and commitment around their recommendations, and why they love to facilitate client learning (that is, teaching clients how to resolve similar problems in the future) … they want their work to be used and implemented, and they want their clients to be able to do what is needed for them and their company to be successful!

    Now that you understand what goes on inside the mind of a Consultant, and what makes them tick, do you think you might benefit from the help one of them could bring to your company? If so, why not give Core Catalysts a call!

    – Mark Jacobs, Client Service & Delivery