- Chapter 31: Working with Consultants
- Working with Consultants
- What Are Your Needs?
- Project Manager and Leadership
- Selecting Individual Consultants
- Work Ethic and Attitude
- Large-Scale Project Team Structure
- Preparation for Consultant: Contracts
- Preparation for Consultant: Rates and Fees
- Preparation for Consultant: Fixed-Price Contracts
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Change Managementx
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Client Involvement
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Reviewing the Original Requirements
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Weekly Status Reports
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Risk and Issues Log
- Controlling Consulting Project Costs: Importance of Database Administrator
- Consulting Work Environment
- Consultant Travel and Costs
- Case Studies of Consultant Behavior
- Case Studies of Client Behavior
- Summary
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Large-Scale Project Team Structure
Large projects require additional attention when assembling the team. The layers of project management might need to increase. However, the issues discussed earlier regarding project management and selecting individual consultants should still hold true. Just because the project is big, does not mean you remove your requirement to help select every individual project member for the team.
It is important that the hiring company maintain an active role in as many aspects of the project as is possible. All projects should be approached with a partnership mentality. Large projects are an excellent example of how the partnership can be most effective.
Consider a peer management style, where a client manager and a consulting manager operate as peers. For example, there might be an overall project manager covering all aspects of the project. Both the client and the consultants should mirror this role. Mid-level managers might be needed for the implementations of Oracle Manufacturing, Financials, and HR/Payroll. Functional managers for each individual module might be required to report to the mid-level managers. In each case, it is advisable to create a team where the consulting manager is matched with a manager from the client.
Another benefit of the peer management project team structure involves knowledge transfer. If the client has functional and technical team members in addition to managers working alongside the consultants, on-going training will occur. This will be much more advantageous than attempting a go-live training course at the end of the project. The client will already have an operational understanding of the individual Oracle Application products and will understand the business decisions that influenced particular setup and configuration solutions.
Large projects should consider dedicating someone to the role of quality assurance (QA). Consistency of deliverables becomes difficult because numerous project team members are working on separate, unrelated project tasks. The QA role is a recommended role for a consultant who is heavily experienced implementing the specific Oracle Applications you are implementing. The QA consultant should review the standards and deliverables produced by all project team members to verify that quality and consistency are occurring.