Please choose an organisation as your consulting client, and develop a consulting report. The consulting report will need to be developed in three parts.

Part $1$: Establishing the $$Engagement Contract$$

$($or signed Project Proposal$/$Charter$)$

This part involves:

$$ Making contact with a client

$$ Identifying the issue$/$problem that is to be the topic of the report

$$ Negotiating a clear understanding of the obligations of both parties

$$ Establishing a clear understanding as to the scope of work and form of the report

$$ Establishing a timeline and delivery date

$$ Establishing clearly who will be the recipient of the report

$$ Agreeing respective roles and responsibilities, any key risks and dependencies $($on people, information, etc.$)$ that may need to be managed.

Note:

$$ Do not underestimate the problems that can result from ambiguity about any of the points listed above.

$$ The issue$/$problem may be primarily $$internal$,($i$.$e$.$ something very specific and operational within the organisation$).$ Alternatively, it may be primarily $$external$,$ i$.$e$.$ a broad matter of concern upon which the client would like a report $($e$.$g$.$ inter$-$firm alliances in the xyz industry$).$

$$ Whatever the selected issue, the onus is on you to make sure that it is one where the agreed report can reasonably be accomplished within the available time$-$frame.

$$ At the crux of this assignment is problem definition $($influences part $2)-$ a key management consulting skill that may differentiate the project for this module from others on the MBA.

$$ The report must be original, that is$,$ it must not replicate one which has been prepared previously for some other purpose, whether in$-$house or as part of an educational qualification.

Part $2$: Analysis$/$Collecting the Data$/$Developing Insight

This part involves intensive investigation of an agreed issue, and should include:

$$ Incorporation of information on the issue as available in various secondary sources $($e$.$g$.$ journals, the Internet$)$

$$ Collection of data from inside the client$$s organisation $($where appropriate, such as where the negotiated issue is internal to the organisation$).$

The critical activity on which you will be assessed will be your ability to add insights and value $$ not to reproduce or restate what is already known unless this is structured$/$framed in such a way that it brings new clarity to bear for the client.

Part $3$: Developing the Client Report$/$Presentation

$$ Identifies the issue$/$problem

$$ Summarises the analysis and reasoning

$$ Presents a practical set of recommendations

$$ Provides an implementation approach and$/$or timetable

The activity on which you will be assessed will be your ability to structure a logical flow of reasoning and to argue in a tight, compelling way $($a$)$ what is being addressed, $($b$)$ why it is an issue, $($c$)$ what the key dimensions and implications$/$impacts of the problem are, $($d$)$ what the proposed solution encompasses; and of course, $($e$)$ how you have arrived at the proposed solution$/$recommendation$.$