Management Consulting Project – Behind the S…

What is the aim of this course?

People by nature are extremely curious. We want to see what others are doing, how they are achieving planned goals, and what makes them successful. If you want to work as a Business Analyst or Management Consultant you may wonder how consulting projects are done. What is the secret sauce that they are using?

I will give you the unique opportunity to look behind the scenes at a consulting project that I have done for one of my customers. You will see how I managed to outwit 2 of my competitors and how I delivered value to my customers. I will show you every step in detail and provide you with the tools and knowledge you would need to do such a project. You will also see how I managed to build part of my business, using to the full extent the results of the project.

This course is based on real-life examples. Data are altered to some extent to hide the client’s identity.

In this course, I will show you how to win and deliver consulting projects fast and efficiently.

This course is based on my 15 years of experience as a consultant in top consulting firms and as a Board Member responsible for strategy, performance improvement, and turn-arounds in the biggest firms from Retail I have carried out or supervised over 90 different performance improvement projects in different industries that generated a total of 2 billion in additional EBITDA. On the basis of what you will find in this course, I have trained in person over 100 consultants, business analysts, and managers who now are Partners in PE and VC funds, Investment Directors and Business Analysts in PE and VC, Operational Directors On top of that my courses on Udemy were already taken by more than 224 000 students including people working in EY, Walmart, Booz Allen Hamilton, Adidas, Naspers, Alvarez & Marsal, PwC, Dell, Walgreens, Orange, and many others.

I teach through case studies, so you will have a lot of lectures showing examples of analyses, and tools that we use. To every lecture, you will find attached (in additional resources) the Excels as well as additional presentations, and materials shown in the lectures so as a part of this course you will also get a library of ready-made analyses that can, with certain modifications, be applied by you or your team in your work.

I do not like to overcomplicate things so in every lecture I will be quite straightforward. Most lectures will have also a lot of additional resources: calculations in Excel, procedures, list of tools. The idea is to give you everything you need to replicate such a project on your own in your company or for your customer (if you are a consultant). If you don’t find something that you need let me know - I will try to prepare something and I will add it to the course

Why have I decided to create this course?

For our teams, we have created courses that help us improve the consultant onboarding and the teaching process. We have started to use them extensively also with customers that we work with and their teams. Since we made them available to a wider public we got many requests, especially on Quora to show how to win and conduct consulting projects. Finally, we gave in and decided to prepare such a course that would show all the important aspects of winning and conducting consulting projects.

This course is based on our extensive experience in working and running consulting companies. The project I will be showing was done by my company with great success and you will learn a lot from this, especially how to optimize processes in retail.

In what way will you benefit from this course?

The course is a practical, step-by-step guide loaded with tons of, tricks, hints, and examples that will significantly help you to conduct such a consulting project on your own or to improve your operations, using the same methods and hacks. There is little theory – mainly examples, data, and facts from our project. Our intention is that thanks to the course you will know:

How to win a consulting project?
How to talk with the customer during negotiations?
How to prepare for a consulting project?
What could be your competitive advantage?
How to make you the customer happy and get new projects from him?
What can be done to boost your profits as a consultant?

You can also ask me any question either through the discussion mode or by messaging me directly.

How the course is organized?

The course is divided currently into the following sections:

Introduction. We begin with a little intro to the course and consulting.
Getting the project. I show you how I got the consulting project. The project was around the performance improvement of processes in the store. It was done for a DIY (home improvement) retail chain in Eastern Europe.
Preparation for the project. Preparation is of utmost importance in every consulting project. In the third section, I will show you how to prepare for such a project in advance and use your customer help to a large extent.
Project Execution. In this section, I will show you in detail what I did with the team during the project and what were the results of the projects.
Follow-up and End of the project. In the last section, you will see what the outcome of the project was, both for my customer as well as for me.

You will be able also to download many additional resources

Calculations in Excel,
Files supporting the project in Word, PowerPoint
Presentation of slides shown in the course
Links to additional presentations and movies
Links to books worth reading

At the end of my course, students will be able to…

Conduct similar consulting project with a small team
Optimize processes
Improve results in retail
Improve customer experience in retail
How to talk with your customer to sell a consulting project

Who should take this course? Who should not?

Business Analysts
Management Consultants
Retailers
Entrepreneurs

What will students need to know or do before starting this course?

Basic knowledge of economics
Some common sense and logic

What's inside

Learning objectives

Conduct similar consulting project with a small team
Optimize processes
Improve results in retail

Improve customer experience in retail
Manage your relations with your customers

Conduct similar consulting project with a small team
Optimize processes
Improve results in retail
Improve customer experience in retail
Manage your relations with your customers

Syllabus

In this lecture I will show you what the course will be about

In this section I will show you what the course wil be about and what can you learn thanks to the content I will provide in this course. In short you will learn how to optimize process using as an example a retailer and processes in the store. On top of that you will see how I won and carried out a consulting project.

A few words about me and what I do

Before I go into details let's start with short introduction into performance improvement

Here I will show you what to do if a blurry image appears

Here I will show you how to find additional resources attached to the course like Excel files, presentations, links, etc.

In this lecture I will show you what RFP I got for this project. We will talk also briefly about different type of Request for Proposal (RFP) you can get.

In this lecture we will analyze in details the RFP I got from the customer and see what are the implication of it for the whole project, the offer and the real underlying problem

Here I will show you the first proposal I have created for the project. I will explain you the logic behind it and why certain things are presented in such a way

The meeting totally changed the approach to the project and I learned a lot. I will show you what I have learned during the meeting, how it influenced the whole project. I will show you also the result of the negotiations

During the negotiations I learned enough information to adjust the offer for the customer. The aim was to creating more appealing (for both sides) offer that would reflect what we have agreed on during the negotiations

Workshop was very important as I was getting a team that I did not know and that did not trust me. On top of that they did not know how to optimize processes. I will show you in this sections what were the goals of the workshop

In this section you will see what kind of goals were presented to the project team

The team had no previous experience in process optimization. In this section I will show you the techniques that we were using to optimize the processes

Here you will find a short introduction to Lean manufacturing.

Here you will find a short introduction to theory of constraints

Here you will find a short introduction to Queuing problem

Here you will find a short introduction to OEE

Here I will show you how in groups for chosen process the team has chosen the KPIs and cost drivers

In this lecture I will show you an example of 1 process that was optimized with the team. I used this to show them the proper way of defining the KPIs, cost drivers and optimizing the process using this data

Finally, during the workshop I show them the timeline of the project to get confirm that the project is doable within this ambitions timeline

In this lecture I will tell you briefly about the execution of the project and what was different from what we have planned

In this lecture I will show you some information on what we achieved during the process optimization and how the test store looked like

Here I will show you how we optimized the process of changing prices in the store and what savings we managed to generate

Here I will show you how we optimized the process of shelf replenishment in the store and what savings we managed to generate

Here I will show you how we optimized the process of advising customers in the store and what savings we managed to generate

Here I will show you how we optimized the process at cash till and info point in the store and what savings we managed to generate

Here I will show you what other potential improvements we suggested in order to sell new projects

In this lecture I will show the estimation of cost

In this lecture I will show the estimation of costs and savings achieved during the project

I will show you how my customer managed to scale the project in the whole organization

In this lecture I will show you what we have presented to the Board of Directors to convince them that the project is great for the company

I finish by showing you what I got thanks for the project.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Provides a behind-the-scenes look at a real-world consulting project, offering practical insights into project execution and client management

Focuses on process optimization and performance improvement within a retail setting, which is valuable for those looking to enhance operational efficiency

Includes downloadable Excel files, presentations, and other materials, providing a library of ready-made analyses for immediate application

Explores how to win consulting projects and manage client relationships, which are essential skills for consultants and business developers

Requires a basic understanding of economics, which may pose a barrier to entry for individuals without formal training in the field

Covers Lean manufacturing, theory of constraints, queuing problems and OEE, which are concepts that may require additional study

Reviews summary

Practical consulting project behind the scenes

According to students, this course offers a unique, behind-the-scenes look at a real management consulting project. Learners particularly appreciate the practical, step-by-step approach, the real-world examples, and the instructor's extensive experience. The included additional resources like Excel files are frequently highlighted as highly useful. While the specific case study is in retail, students find the principles applicable to various industries. The course is seen as providing concrete tools and strategies for winning and executing projects.

Case study is heavily focused on retail.

"While the retail case study is detailed, I sometimes wondered how easily applicable it would be to other industries."

"The deep dive into retail processes might be less relevant for those not in that sector."

"The core principles are transferrable, but the specific examples are very retail-centric."

Benefits from instructor's vast experience.

"The instructor's 15 years of experience really shine through. Insights are invaluable."

"Learned a lot from the instructor's practical tips and war stories from the field."

"The course is taught by someone who has clearly 'been there, done that'. Highly credible."

Focuses on 'how to' with actionable steps.

"This course cuts through theory and shows you exactly 'how' to do it. Very action-oriented."

"It provided me with concrete steps and frameworks I can use right away in my work."

"I appreciated the focus on winning the project and managing customer relationships, not just the analysis."

Supplementary files are practical and reusable.

"The Excel files and presentations provided are incredibly useful and can be adapted for my own projects."

"Getting access to the templates used in a real project is a huge bonus of this course."

"I found the additional resources section filled with practical tools I can apply immediately."

Provides a detailed look at an actual project.

"The course provides a very realistic view on how a consulting project is done from the very beginning to the end..."

"It's great to see how a real consulting project unfolds step-by-step. Very practical."

"I appreciated the focus on a single case study throughout; it helped illustrate the process clearly."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Management Consulting Project – Behind the Scenes with these activities:

Review Basic Economics Concepts

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Strengthen your understanding of fundamental economic principles. This will provide a solid foundation for understanding the business and financial aspects of management consulting projects.

Browse courses on Supply and Demand

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Read introductory chapters on microeconomics.
Complete practice problems on supply and demand.
Review key economic indicators and their impact on businesses.

Read 'The McKinsey Way'

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Gain insights into the methodologies and practices of a leading consulting firm. This will enhance your understanding of the consulting process and improve your problem-solving skills.

View A Joosr Guide to... The McKinsey Way by Ethan... on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
Reflect on how these concepts apply to the course material.
Discuss the book's insights with peers.

Analyze a Retail Company's Performance

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Apply the concepts learned in the course to a real-world scenario. This will solidify your understanding of performance improvement and process optimization in the retail industry.

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Select a retail company to analyze.
Gather data on the company's financial performance and operational processes.
Identify areas for improvement and develop recommendations.
Present your findings in a report or presentation.

Four other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all seven activities

Develop a Process Optimization Plan

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Practice creating a tangible deliverable that showcases your understanding of process optimization. This will help you develop practical skills applicable to consulting projects.

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Choose a specific process within a retail setting.
Map the current process and identify bottlenecks.
Design an improved process flow.
Quantify the potential benefits of the optimized process.

Read 'Competitive Strategy' by Michael Porter

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Deepen your understanding of competitive strategy and industry analysis. This will provide a broader context for your consulting work and help you identify opportunities for value creation.

View HBR at 100: The Most Influential and Innovative... on Amazon

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Read the book and summarize key concepts.
Apply Porter's Five Forces to the retail industry.
Analyze the competitive landscape of a specific retail market.

Write a Blog Post on a Consulting Project

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Reinforce your learning by explaining a consulting project to a broader audience. This will help you clarify your understanding and improve your communication skills.

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Choose a consulting project (real or hypothetical).
Describe the problem, solution, and results in a blog post.
Share your blog post on social media or relevant online forums.

Tutor a Student in Process Optimization

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Solidify your knowledge by teaching process optimization concepts to another student. This will force you to articulate your understanding and address any gaps in your knowledge.

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Find a student who needs help with process optimization.
Explain the key concepts and provide examples.
Answer their questions and provide feedback on their work.

Career center

Learners who complete Management Consulting Project – Behind the Scenes will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Operations Consultant

An Operations Consultant assists organizations in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations. This course is directly relevant to the work of an Operations Consultant, as it provides a behind-the-scenes look at how consulting projects are won and delivered. The course's emphasis on optimizing processes, improving retail results, and enhancing customer experience aligns perfectly with the goals of an Operations Consultant. By learning how to manage client relationships and deliver exceptional value, as demonstrated in the course, an Operations Consultant can significantly enhance their skills. The practical, step-by-step guide provided in the course, filled with real-world examples, makes it an invaluable resource for new and experienced Operations Consultants.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Consultant

Strategy Consultant

A Strategy Consultant advises organizations on high-level decisions with the aim of improving performance. This course is valuable for individuals aspiring to be Strategy Consultants, as it provides insight into how consulting projects are won and executed. The course offers practical examples of analyses and tools used in consulting, along with a library of ready-made analyses that can be adapted for various projects. Learning how to outwit competitors, deliver exceptional value, and build a strong business, as demonstrated in this course, is essential for career success as a Strategy Consultant. This course will benefit those seeking to enter the consulting field by providing a solid understanding of the consulting process and the skills required to excel.

See salaries and explore the career path for Strategy Consultant

Performance Improvement Manager

A Performance Improvement Manager leads initiatives to enhance organizational performance and effectiveness. The course provides relevant insights into the methodologies and strategies used in performance improvement projects, making it highly valuable for this role. The course's focus on real-life examples from consulting projects and delivering value to clients equips a Performance Improvement Manager with tools to drive meaningful results. The emphasis on optimizing processes makes the course a practical resource for those looking to enhance performance across various departments and functions. Learning how to identify and address key performance indicators, as demonstrated in the course, will help a Performance Improvement Manager drive improvement within their organization.

See salaries and explore the career path for Performance Improvement Manager

Management Analyst

A Management Analyst proposes ways to improve an organization's efficiency. This course fits perfectly with the role of a Management Analyst, as it demonstrates methods for optimizing processes and improving performance. The course focuses on real-life examples from consulting projects, offering practical tools and knowledge that a Management Analyst can directly apply. By learning how to efficiently deliver value to clients, as taught in this course, aspiring Management Analysts will gain a competitive edge. The course's emphasis on data-driven decision-making, using Excel analyses and other resources, enhances an analyst's ability to provide actionable recommendations. Taking this course provides a clear advantage in understanding how to approach and resolve complex business challenges.

See salaries and explore the career path for Management Analyst

Process Improvement Specialist

A Process Improvement Specialist identifies and implements ways to improve operational efficiency. This course aligns well with the role of a Process Improvement Specialist, as it focuses on optimizing processes within a retail context. The course will show individuals how to conduct similar consulting projects, optimize processes, and improve customer experience in retail. By understanding these strategies, a Process Improvement Specialist will be better equipped to drive meaningful change within an organization. The practical examples and step-by-step guidance in the course, loaded with tricks, hints, and examples, will help a specialist conduct process improvements within their own organization.

See salaries and explore the career path for Process Improvement Specialist

Project Manager

A Project Manager plans, executes, and closes projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget. This course directly correlates with the skills needed for a Project Manager, particularly in a consulting setting. The course offers a behind-the-scenes look at how consulting projects are managed, from winning the initial bid to delivering value to the client. Learning how to prepare for a project, manage a team, and optimize processes, as demonstrated by this course, is crucial for any Project Manager. The course provides practical tools and real-life examples, offering guidance on how to handle project execution efficiently. The insights shared in this course, regarding how to ensure customer satisfaction, are invaluable for a Project Manager aiming to build strong, lasting client relationships.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Business Development Manager

A Business Development Manager identifies and pursues new business opportunities to drive revenue growth. This course, which provides a unique behind-the-scenes look at winning and delivering consulting projects, directly translates to the skills needed to excel as a Business Development Manager. The course highlights strategies for outwitting competitors and delivering value, which are crucial for securing new clients. The course content on how to talk with customers during negotiations and prepare compelling proposals helps develop the persuasive skills a Business Development Manager needs. The real-life examples provided in this course offer practical insights into building and expanding business relationships.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Development Manager

Turnaround Manager

A Turnaround Manager steps into struggling companies and orchestrates their recovery. This course is particularly relevant for a Turnaround Manager, given the instructor's extensive experience in turnarounds within large retail firms. The course content, focused on winning and efficiently delivering consulting projects, will help a Turnaround Manager quickly assess situations and implement effective strategies. The lessons on optimizing processes and improving results, especially in retail, provide a practical toolkit for driving rapid improvements. In addition, the course's insight into building client relationships is valuable for securing buy-in and collaboration during a turnaround effort.

See salaries and explore the career path for Turnaround Manager

Retail Operations Manager

A Retail Operations Manager oversees the daily operations of retail stores. This course is beneficial for a Retail Operations Manager, as it shows how to optimize processes within a retail environment. The course provides a practical, step-by-step guide loaded with examples that can significantly help improve operations, using the same methods and hacks. The Retail Operations Manager will learn how to improve customer experience, optimize processes, and enhance overall store performance. Given the course's focus on performance improvement in retail, it offers tools and strategies that directly address the challenges and opportunities in this role. The course's emphasis on real-world examples from the retail sector makes it particularly relevant and useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Retail Operations Manager

Business Intelligence Analyst

A Business Intelligence Analyst analyzes data to identify trends and insights that support business decisions. This course may be useful for a Business Intelligence Analyst as it provides practical examples of analyses and tools used in consulting projects. The Excel analyses and presentations included in the course can help a Business Intelligence Analyst enhance their own data analysis skills. The course's focus on performance improvement in retail can also give analysts valuable insights into optimizing processes and improving results in this sector. By understanding how to extract meaningful insights from data, as demonstrated in this course, a Business Intelligence Analyst can make a greater impact on their organization.

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Supply Chain Analyst

A Supply Chain Analyst examines and optimizes supply chain operations to improve efficiency and reduce costs. This course may be useful for a Supply Chain Analyst, especially if their work involves the retail sector. The course provides insight into optimizing processes in retail, including areas like shelf replenishment, which directly impacts supply chain efficiency. The course content highlights performance improvement strategies that are applicable to supply chain management. Although the course does not exclusively focus on supply chain, the content provides a broader understanding of operational improvements that can be relevant to a Supply Chain Analyst.

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Sales Operations Analyst

A Sales Operations Analyst focuses on optimizing sales processes, improving sales team productivity, and analyzing sales data to improve performance. This course may be useful for a Sales Operations Analyst, as it touches on strategies for improving customer experience and optimizing processes, which can indirectly impact sales performance. The learning regarding how to talk with customers to sell a consulting project can be useful for a Sales Operations Analyst. While the course primarily focuses on consulting projects and retail operations, the underlying principles of process optimization and customer engagement are transferable to the sales function.

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Merchandise Manager

A Merchandise Manager plans and oversees the buying, display, and sales of merchandise in a retail setting. This course may be useful to a Merchandise Manager, as one of its learning objectives is to improve results in retail. The course's practical examples and step-by-step guidance can provide insights into optimizing processes and enhancing customer experience, which directly impact merchandise sales. Understanding how to improve customer experience in retail can lead to better merchandising strategies and increased sales, making the course relevant for this role.

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Investment Analyst

An Investment Analyst evaluates investment opportunities and provides recommendations to investment firms or clients. This course may be useful for an Investment Analyst, as understanding business process optimization and efficiency improvements can inform investment decisions. The course provides a view into how consulting projects can lead to improved financial performance and operational efficiency, which are factors an Investment Analyst considers when assessing a company's value. For an Investment Analyst focused on the retail sector, the course's specific examples from retail projects can be particularly useful.

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Quality Assurance Manager

A Quality Assurance Manager oversees the processes to ensure products or services meet certain standards and requirements. This course may be useful for a Quality Assurance Manager because it provides information about optimizing processes. The course's emphasis on improving customer experience in retail aligns with the goals of quality assurance, as customer satisfaction is a key metric. Learning how consulting projects are planned and executed can give a Quality Assurance Manager a broader perspective on project management and client relationships.

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