My Life as Associate Consultant
By Matthias Schulz (Consultant)
“Would it be possible for you to come to Wiesbaden - today? We have an appointment tomorrow for a follow-up project in Mannheim.” At the time I was sitting in the canteen in Schweinfurt and really only wanted to tuck into my Wiener schnitzel in peace before finishing a job for a client. Not a chance. I ended my phone call with my manager, finished eating and took the next train to Wiesbaden. I had been an associate consultant at INVENSITY for about three weeks, had just completed my first small client project and was due to start another the next day. Dynamic, varied and challenging - I think that’s the best way to sum up working in the consulting environment.
Since that day in Schweinfurt almost 9 months have passed. The project in Mannheim was indeed implemented and since then I have been there working in project management for an OEM for commercial vehicles. In general, consultants spend the first 2-3 weeks after joining INVENSITY in the offices in Wiesbaden, where they can become accustomed to the working processes and the internal environment until a suitable project is found. Occasionally, however, there are exceptions to this rule – as in my case.
Once you begin working on a project, you first need to gain an overview, i.e. you need to establish the exact objectives and the approach, become familiar with the client and the client’s processes and identify and familiarize yourself with interfaces (and there are usually plenty of those!). Once this first hurdle has been taken, one can make an almost immediate start on the individual work packages thanks to the structured planning of the client project. After the objectives have been achieved, the result is reviewed together with the client and the project is officially closed. This process, from order to completion, may take anything from 3 weeks to 3 years; it all depends on the area and the project definition. I myself work for the INVENSITY CoE project management, where client projects tend to require longer than in other CoEs.
Just as much importance as working on a client project is attributed to internal activities. These include on one hand internal training courses and CoE meetings, and on the other working on previously determined internal objectives. But one thing at a time: internal training courses usually take place once a month and come in a wide range, covering either the development of soft skills or other professional training. On these courses, I learned how to divide my working day in a more efficient and effective way, how to plan meetings professionally and how to adjust to my communication counterpart. In the breaks and when the course day is over, there is, of course, the chance to talk with colleagues who you would otherwise only have contact with over the telephone. CoE meetings usually take place every couple of months. Here, current topics from the particular area are discussed, methods are reviewed, further approaches are planned and work packages are defined. “My” project management CoE regards its primary objective here as developing methods that can then be implemented in everyday project work, as well as training courses, which provide project managers with a foundation accordingly. The CoE also serves as an internal project management office. Due to the flat hierarchy in the CoE I was able to take on responsibility very quickly and also quickly contributed to an internal foundation training course on project management. This has also enabled me to learn how to use project management frameworks, such has PRINCE2. Armed with this knowledge, I will soon take my test to gain my foundation certification in project management in accordance with PRINCE2 at the official representative of the APM Group in Cologne.
The internal appraisal objectives are individual, short-term and precisely formulated tasks for the individual member of staff. One objective from each of the areas of business, CoE, mentoring and “important general objective” (of INVENSITY) is developed within six-monthly appraisal intervals and the achievement of the last objectives is evaluated. I am also in regular contact with my personal mentor by telephone and fortnightly telephone conferences for the individual CoEs are organized in order to ensure work packages are progressing as they should.
Basically, I spend between one day and three days in the office in Wiesbaden each month, working on internal topics. This varies depending on how much I am needed by the client, and changes depending on the career level; internal activities tend to increase with growing responsibility and the higher the position within INVENSITY. In this regard, I consider it to be very positive that one’s own expectations regarding career and personal development form the basis of career planning at INVENSITY. This means that everyone can (within a realistic timeframe) decide for themselves where they would like to be in three, four or five years’ time and where one’s priorities lie. This enables a good work/life balance and one can regularly take stock of one’s own career.
All things considered, I am very happy with how my first year at INVENSITY has panned out. I have made a lot of interesting contacts and been able to develop my skills in regular training courses. What’s more, I have broadened my horizon thanks to the diverse insight and experiences gained during day-to-day project work and by exchanging ideas with my colleagues. This naturally requires a great deal of ambition, commitment and enjoying working in a dynamic environment daily - I can only recommend it to everyone.
