Finding Your Way in the Consulting Jungle or The Executives Guide to Information Technology

Finding Your Way in the Consulting Jungle: A Guidebook for Organization Development Practitioners

Author: Arthur M Freedman

Chart your path in the consulting jungle!

Finding Your Way in the Consulting Jungle--a book in The Practicing Organization Development series--offers OD consultants the information and guidance they need to understand their place in the consulting network, differentiate themselves from other types of consultants, and work with both clients and colleagues to make sure everyone's needs and expectations are met.

Finding Your Way in the Consulting Jungle offers practical advice on how to:

• Differentiate and market yourself
• Interview prospective clients
• Write proposals

"Transports the reader from the safety of the classroom into the complex, unpredictable and often hazardous world that they describe as 'the consultant jungle.' It is a great resource for graduate level OD programs, consultant training courses, AND corporate managers who hire consultants."
--C. Patrick Fleenor, Ph.D., director, International Business Programs, Albers School of Business and Economics, Seattle University

Booknews

Because there are no regulatory, legal, or financial barriers to entering the field, virtually anyone can claim to be a consultant. This guide provides information to help professionals in the field of organization development understand their place in the consulting network, distinguish themselves from the crowd, and work with clients and colleagues most effectively. Includes tools such as sample worksheets and check lists. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Table of Contents:

	Foreword to the Series
	Introduction to the Series
	Statement of the Board
	Acknowledgments
	Introduction
1	Contacts with Potential Client Systems	5
2	Does the Organization Need a Consultant?	19
3	Types of Consultants	39
4	Consulting Philosophy	69
5	Consultant Competence	87
6	The Selection Interview	107
7	Consulting Proposals and Contracts	141
8	Management of Change	155
9	Consultant Ethics	177
	References	197
	About the Authors	221
	About the Editors	225
	Index	229

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The Executives' Guide to Information Technology

Author: John Baschab

The Executive's Guide to Information Technology is a sophisticated and comprehensive guide to running a cost-effective, efficient, and business delivery-focused corporate Information Technology (IT) unit. Eschewing the theoretical for the practical, the book gives managers the guidance they need to handle any problem effectively. It provides specific policies, approaches, and tools for each critical IT management functionó from application management to vendor management.

IT management experts John Baschab and Jon Piot provide the techniques IT managers and executives need to accurately assess their current operations. Further, they offer a step-by-step improvement plan designed to raise productivity and service levels while reducing costs significantly. The authors begin by examining the symptoms and causes of waste, inefficiency and underperformance in typical IT departments before offering in-depth analysis of each operational area of IT management. They present current and emergent best practices for transforming the department into a world-class service organization.

Packed with prescriptive advice and hard-earned insight, this comprehensive resource is organized into stand-alone chapters that provide quick access to important information when managers need it. In addition, spreadsheets, documents, and checklists are designed to aid in planning and decision-making and can be easily accessed on the included CD-ROM.

Designed to help IT managers and top executives get the most out of their departments, their budget and themselves, the book covers such topics as: managing the department, establishing leadership roles, assessing the organization, costmanagement, project demand management, operations management, infrastructure planning, vendor selection and management, technical standards setting, investment evaluation, and productivity and quality measurement programs.

With The Executive's Guide to Information Technology, IT managers will understand the main sources of waste in their departments, identify major management issues, learn and implement critical steps toward improvement, and manage more effectively. The book will help managers improve their performance and stature within their organizations by providing the tips and tools to overcome typical areas of friction and miscommunication between IT departments and other business functions. Executives will understand how to work effectively with the CIO or IT director, as well as provide constructive management input to the IT function, achieving the best return on their IT assets.