IS Consulting Process (IS 6005) Masters in Business Information Systems 2006 / 2007 Programme in Professional Information System Practices Fergal Carton Business Information Systems

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Monday Themes from group exercise Group proposals –Scope, Objectives, Goals, Deliverables Bank organisation –Branches –Operations (Regionalised) –IT (Centralised and outsourced) Context view of retail bank activities (who are the players?) –Entities: Credit card, money transfer services, internet services, mobile phone operators, … Take a process view of bank activities (start with physical map of branch layout) –Cash (Lodge, withdraw, currency exchange, ATM, …) –Non-Cash (Transfer money, Bill-pay, …) –Product sales (Loans, Mortgages, …) –Customer validation (Identity, address, income, credit rating, …) IT costs (transparency, orientation and governance) Strategic grid (Sullivan 85) The consultancy sales process

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Today The proposal process Writing a good proposal

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Propose, or not to propose? “Changing” your spots just to snag a project Fit of project with your capabilities Trade off between need to grow and comfort zone Challenge the sales team? Respond with a polite “no-bid” letter

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Qualifying prospects: propose if: A real potential project exists There’s a budget Right decision makers are engaged Technical and cultural fit Reasonable chance of winning the deal

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Honest self-assessment Are we really a good fit for this work? Can we deliver the level of quality the client is expecting? Are we engaged at the right level in the organisation? Is there a real prospect of winning? Is this a “fair bidding” exercise with a pre- determined outcome? Competitor positioning?

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Good proposals take time and energy Select the right leads / RFP’s to respond to Manage the response effort like a project –Conserves resources –Amplifies % of wins Prospects in the firm’s strategic interest Prospects in the firm’s capabilities “sweet spot”

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Group assignment Branch of the Future proposal Client is a retail bank Bank has identified need to look at –Costs –Channels Some key questions –Why are they asking consultants? –What are the deliverables? –Who are the stakeholders? Strategy required on how to proceed Due 02/03/2007

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Writing a good proposal Executive Summary Project Background Objectives Scope Approach Roles and responsibilities Deliverables Stakeholders Schedule and budget Risks Assumptions and constraints

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Feedback from initial meeting Older wealthier customers Used to face to face contact Need to win them over (hearts and minds) Might not use internet Tired of being subject of marketing campaigns Transaction processing needs to happen, but where?

MBS (BIS) / 6005 / IS Consulting Process Reading between the lines Why are consultants being used, not IT? Do you only address concern voiced, or look at the bigger picture? …