Consulting in Practice: BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21

This project portfolio for BM562 module assignments covers the consulting practice for a client company facing issues with low employee morale and customer retention. It includes the exploration and agreement of the brief, key deliverables, concerns and limitations raised by the client, and the agreed actions and deadlines. The portfolio also contains a project plan with updates.

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21
CW1 2020-21
BM562 Project Portfolio
Submitted in part fulfilment of BM562 module assignments
Key information
Consultancy group
name
Consultancy group
members and student
ID numbers
1
2
3
4
5
Client company name
Client contact
Supervisor name
Date of submission
Project title

BM518 CW2 Project Portfolio 2020-21
Submission Components
To achieve a pass this portfolio must contain all the following elements:
1. The Project Portfolio GROUP/INDIVIDUAL (80% Group Portfolio
and 20% Client Reference)
This assignment effectively encompasses the reporting of the management of
the whole project. You are asked to compile a portfolio of evidence to show
how you ran the project from inception to completion. This is highly
prescribed in terms of the tasks you need to accomplish and the evidence you
need to provide.
Submitted in part fulfilment of BM562 module assignments
TASK EVIDENCE
1 Copy of original brief provided by the client Taken from Blackboard
2 Exploration and agreement of brief, expectations and
outcomes of the project following first meeting with
client
Meeting notes signed by client
3 Detailed Project Plan with monthly updates Original plan plus two
monthly project progress
summaries
4 Signed Partnership Agreement
Document
5 Minutes of all team meetings At least 3 sets of team
meeting minutes
6 Minutes of all supervisor meetings At least 3 sets of
supervisor meeting
minutes
7 Minutes of all client meetings At least 3 sets of client
meeting minutes
8 Showcase evidence Photos, blog, video etc
9 Exploration and agreement of brief, expectations and
outcomes of the project following first meeting with
client
Template is in this
document
10 CLIENT REFERENCE and assessment
It is your responsibility to obtain this.
(This is worth 10% of the final mark of this submission)
Template is in this document
11 Group log of portfolio contributions Template is in this document
12 Any further Appendices which add value to the portfolio

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21
1. Each task must be completed.
2. The overall portfolio will be marked according to the assessment criteria
grid.
3. The overall Portfolio will be assessed at 80% of the coursework 1 mark.
4 The Client Reference will carry 20% of the mark for coursework 1. Clients
will be encouraged to provide individual feedback
Submitted in part fulfilment of BM562 module assignments

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2019-20
Client Project Brief
The brief taken from Blackboard may be used for this element of the portfolio.
The first and foremost problem that the client is facing is regarding the productivity of the
employees of the company. The management understands that they are not able to provide
required amount of motivation to their employees and it is the reason why they are lagging
behind (Watson and et. al., 2019). It is important for the company to provide satisfaction to
their employees in their job so that they will be able to make sure that they are working
according to the goals and objectives of the company. Job satisfaction can also be created
by provide appropriate working culture to employees, by providing appreciation of their
work, by creating a positive working culture, by increasing benefits which can help them in
earning more. All these factors will help the company in motivating their employees and will
make sure that they are working according to the expectations of the company. the
workforce of the company is one of the most important resource of the company as they
create efficiency and effectiveness in the company. If the company is not able to create a
loyal and effective workforce then they will not be able to survive in the market (Plakun and
Steele., 2017). Training and development activities can play a major role in the
improvement in the performance of the company. It is important for the company to provide
training and development to their employees as it will help them in improving the
performance of the employees according to the dynamic environment of the market and
according to the changes I the trends of the market.
Another issue that the company is facing is that they are unable to meet the demand of the
market which is causing them problems in retaining customers. It is important for the
company to maintain their customer base as it will help them in increasing their sales as
well as their market share. It is important for the company to make sure that they are
working according to the demands of the market as it will help the company in capturing a
big market share and in having competitors advantage in the market (Kalluri and Richman-
Eisenstat., 2019). Again, the problem continues with the lack of productivity as the company
is able to fulfill only 35% of their demand as compared to its competitors who are fulfilling
75% of the market demand. It is important for the company to upgrade their technology
which can help them in becoming more effective and efficient in their workforce. It will help
the company in having competitors advantage in the market and will also help the company
in bringing innovation in the products and services which is yet another factor which can
help the company in creating a low cost and highly efficient product. While the cost of the

products is low the company will be able to attract customers and will also be able to
increase their profitability.
Submitted in part fulfilment of BM562 module assignments

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21
Exploration and agreement of the brief from 1st meeting with client
What is the problem(s) or issue that the client needs to address?
The biggest issue that the client is facing and is needed to be addressed is that the
employees of the company are not able to work according to the expectations of the
company. The employees of the company are suffering from low morale and are unable to
increase their productivity (Johansen., 2020). It is an important factor to be taken into
consideration as the company is unable to meet the demand of the market due to low
productivity and is also unable to achieve efficiency in their work which is creating a situation
of loses for the company.
Another issue is regarding retention of customers. As the company is unable to fulfil
the demand of the market and is facing problems in enhancing their products and services,
the customers of the company are not satisfied and are preferring goods of competitors on the
goods of the company. It is important for the company to enhance their workings so that the
company will be able to retain their customers and create a loyal customer base which is
essential for the profitability and survival of the company.
Why is s/he focusing on this problem?
Low employee morale is hindering the growth of the company. The company is unable to fulfil
tehri market demand and also facing losses whereas low employee morale is also not
appropriate for the growth of the company (Balthu and Owen., 2019, September). If the
company is unable to work effectively and efficiently then they will not be able to survive in the
market. The key here is motivation which can be provided in various ways to the employees of
the company. It is important for the organization to create a workplace which can provide
satisfaction to employees.
Another issue of customer retention is taken in to consideration as without retaining their
customers the company will not be able to create a sales figure which is directly related to the
profitability of the company (Morgan-Jones., 2019). If the company is not earning profits then
they will not be able to survive in the market. It also helps the company in having competitors
advantage in the market which helps the company in capturing a big market share. There is
high demand for the products of the company but the company is unable to fulfil that demand
and id creating losses for themselves.
Further background information about the company/competitors/customers etc, relevant to the
problem
The company named as ClientCo is dealing in clothing and makeup business. The company
is providing fast fashion clothing and organic makeup products to their customers. The
company is making sure that the customers of the company are getting fashionable and

trendy clothes at affordable rates whereas the makeup line of the company is aiming at
providing makeup liner which is organic and is made up of natural ingredients (Cushman.,
2020). The aim of the company is to provide products which can suit every skin tone within
minimum possible side effects.
Competitors of the company: some of the major competitors of the company including Zara
and marks & Spencer. The company Zara is also dealing in fast fashion apparels and is trying
to capture the market on the basis of their trendy collections. On the other hand, Marks &
Spencer are dealing with clothing as well as makeup products.it is important for the company
to make sure that they are keeping a close check on their customers as well as competitors. It
will help the company in increasing their efficiency and will also help the company in creating
a market share.
Customers of the company
The customer segment of the company that the company is trying to capture is customers who
are willing to be in trends and who are aware and are concern about sustainability. It is
important for the company to provide information about sustainable product and to make sure
that that the customers are getting attracted towards the products of the company (Sarkar.,
2021). The company will be able to retain their customers with the help of the products that the
company is providing. It is important for the analyses the needs and demands of the customers
of the company as it will help them in creating products which are suiting the taste and
preferences of the customer.
Key deliverable/What would be a ‘successful’ outcome for the client, by the end of the
project?
By the end of the project, the client will be able to have a talented and motivated workforce
which will help them in achieving their goals and objectives. The client will be able to have
profits with the help of their products and services as the company is able to capture the
market. The company will be able to have competitors advantage in the market and will be
able to retain their customers which is one of the most important factor for the companies in
order to survive in the market. If the company is able to retain their customers then they will be
able to increase their sales and with the help of effective and efficient workforce the company
will be able to meet the demand of the market (Busanich and et. al., 2019) . The talented and
motivated workforce of the company will help the company in making their processes more
effective which will reduce the cost of production of products which will eventually increase the
profitability of the company. It is important for the organization to decrease their employee
turnover rates as it will help the company in saving the training and recruitment cost which
they are spending on recruiting new employees. The employees of the company are their
assets and are needed to be saved so that the company can become efficient in their
workings.

Concerns/limitations raised by the client (e.g. costs, client availability)
It is important for the consultancy firm to understand the concerns of the client and provide
effective solutions to them regarding the issues that they are facing or might face in the
implementation of the plan. The major concerns raise by the clients are as follows:
The first concern that the company is facing is that they are unable to meet the cost of
provide training and development activities to the employees. As the company is facing losses
in the past years it will be difficult for them to allocate high cost on training and development
activities or activities related to upgradation of technology.
Another issue that the company is facing is related to the workings of the market. The
markets are highly dynamic and will be difficult for the company to meet the demands of the
markets as well as customers without making changes in the processes of the company. But
the changes in the processes of the company will have an impact on the performance of the
employees which will again decrease their productivity and will also decrease the efficiency in
the workings of the company.
Concerns raised by the consulting team
Concerns raised by the consultancy firm are as follows:
As the client has shown concern about their budget and are unable to invest much cost in the
development process, it will be nearly impossible for the team to implement effective
measures in the workings of the company(Ross and Morrison., 2019). It is important for the
company to invest adequate amount in the technology as well as training and development
of tehri employees. It will provide long term benefits to the company. Another concern that
the team is facing is to make the workforce of the company more efficient in their work and
motivate them to do their work without any additional cost or factor. It is important for the
company to conveyance their client that this is an investment that they must make in order to
have long term returns and to add profitability in their workings.
What actions were agreed and what are the deadlines for these?
The company has successfully influenced the client to make investment in terms of
technological advancement and small investment required to motivate the employees of the
company. The client has understood the importance of the providing investment to the
activities and how they can provide benefits to the company in the long run. The client has
approved to provide basic training to their employees which can help them in understanding
the workings of the company ( Brown and et. al., 2018).. The deadlines that are set for the
training and development activities are expected to be 10 January 2022. Another factor on
which the client has agreed upon is regarding the changes in the process of the company in
order to enhance the workings of the company. The scheduled date for this activity is
expected to be 20th January.

Next client meeting date (or schedule of dates).
20th December 2021.
Submitted in part fulfilment of BM562 module assignments

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21
Project plan
Note: Although you do not need to create a full Gantt chart, you still need to show
clearly which tasks are to be undertaken, by when and by whom.
Two updates on the original project plan should be inserted in your portfolio too.
Activity By whom By when
Training and
development activities
By proper tutor’s ad instructors
who can provide basic and in-
depth knowledge to the
employees
10th January
2022
Changes in the
management of the
company
By the top-level management of
the company.
20th January
2022
Technological
changes in the
processes of the
company.
By the engineering and IT
department of the company. The
knowledge will be provided by
specialists.
10th
February
2022
Development of
product according to
the demand of
customer
By the top level management
and employees of the company.
25th
February
2022

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21
Partnership agreement
This should contain the detailed ground rules and performance management
process which your team will follow, to ensure all consultants in the team are
performing. Guidance for developing this will have been given in lectures.
 More concentration on development: the concentration of the team must be on the
development of the company and its workings. The aim of the team is to provide best
services to the client and to make sure that they are helping client and ensuring that
all the doubts and issues of the client is being resolved. The concentration must be
on the development process and not on the process of just completing the word o the
basis of quantity and not quality.
 Articulate feedback differently: it is important for the employees or team members
to take the feedback as constructive feedbacks which are for their own benefits. They
must not let those feedbacks impact the workings and motivation level of team
members (Bortnikova, M.Н., 2017). Although the feedbacks will help the employees
in making their performance better but the employees must make sure that they
know the difference between actual constructive feedbacks and unnecessary
feedbacks.
 Make it an ongoing process: it is important for the teams to understand that these
activities are an ongoing process and they have to continuously enhance their
performance in order to make sure that their performance is getting better and better.
It is extremely important for the team members to keep a close check on their own
performance and make efforts to enhance their performance which will help them in
achieving success. Development is a continuous process which must be keep on
going without any interruptions.

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21
Minutes of team, client and supervisor meetings
Minutes of (Team/Client/Supervisor) Meeting (state which it is)
Date : 30 November 2021
Present: 20
Absent: 5
Minutes of last meeting
Are these accepted as a correct record?
Yes, these records are accepted as correct records.
Brief summary of any points arising
How to meet the demand without spending extra cost.
How to provide motivation to employees.
Agenda
1 Increase in the productivity of employees
2 Customers retention
3 Employee retentions
4 Fulfilling demands on time
For each agenda item:
Key points
 Increase in productivity will help the company in increasing their stock which is
helpful in meeting demands of the market.
 Customer retention will help the company in creating their own customer base
which will help in having competitors advantage in the market.
 Employee retention is important as it will help the company in saving their
recruitment and training cost.
 Fulfilling the demand of the market will help the company in capturing a big
market share and in surviving with profitability.
Actions agreed and deadlines

Any other business
Date of next meeting: 20 December 2021
Submitted in part fulfilment of BM562 module assignments

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21
Showcase evidence
Please insert photos of your stand or send separate video links to your supervisor.

References
Books and journals
Balthu, K.C. and Owen, C.D., 2019, September. Understanding the Barriers and Enablers of
Knowledge Creation in Academic Consulting Engagements. In British Academy of
Management Conference 2019.
Bortnikova, M.Н., 2017. THE SELECTION OF METHODS AND METHODICS FOR THE
DIAGNOSING OF CONSULTING PROJECTS IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS. Молодий
вчений, 49(9), p.498.
Brown and et. al., 2018. Effective Consulting Teaching Within a New Curriculum. In Association for
the study of Medical Education Annual Scientific Meeting.
Busanich and et. al., 2019. " Blue Pill, Red Pill, Purple Pill?" The Myths and Realities of Consulting
with Men and Boys in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology Settings.
Cushman, P., 2020. Two worlds or one? Politics inside and outside the consulting
room. Psychoanalysis, Self and Context, 15(3), pp.218-226.
Johansen, W., 2020. 18. Crisis management consulting: An emerging field of study. In Crisis
Communication (pp. 375-398). De Gruyter Mouton.
Kalluri, M. and Richman-Eisenstat, J., 2019. From consulting to caring: Care redesign in idiopathic
pulmonary fibrosis. NEJM Catalyst, 5(2).
Morgan-Jones, R., 2019. Tavistock Approaches to Consulting with Teams and Organizations.
In Group Analysis (pp. 10-23). Routledge.
Plakun, E.M. and Steele, T.E., 2017. Politics in the Consulting Room. Journal of Psychiatric
Practice®, 23(4), pp.281-283.
Ross, S.M. and Morrison, G.R., 2019. Andrew Stewart: Managing Consulting Activities in an
Evaluation Context. In The ID CaseBook (pp. 271-274). Routledge.
Sarkar, S., 2021. Julien Fouret (Consulting Editor): Enforcement of Investment Treaty Arbitration
Awards: A Global Guide. Liverpool Law Review, pp.1-5.
Watson and et. al., 2019. Constraining opportunism in information systems consulting: A three
nation examination. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 20(7), p.12.

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21
Final report – 2500 words +/- 10%
Your report should adopt an evaluative approach and be structured as detailed below. This
structure applies ideas from the Consulting Life-Cycle chapter (Chapter 5) from O’Mahoney and
Markham (2013).
Your report should use line and a half spacing and be suitable for sending to the client as
well as for inclusion in the portfolio. Careful attention should be paid to presentation,
spelling and grammar, as would be the case if you were paid consultants.
Note that each section of the report builds on the previous one(s) so if you divide the work up
between you, you need to be careful that there is a logical progression of argument.
Problem Statement
Briefly explain the problem or issue that your client wanted you to address (once the brief had been
clarified after your initial meetings).
Use pages 142-143 of O’Mahoney and Markham (2013) to help identify what should be in a
problem statement. (See Week 8 on Blackboard).
Research
Summarise what research (secondary and primary) you planned and undertook, to help respond to
the problem/understand more about it.
Solutions
Evaluate and rank the solutions that your team offered, making clear links between your research
findings and your suggestions.
Be as specific as you can s e.g. ‘The primary research showed that 80% of the target group do not
use Facebook, but two thirds do use xyz platform on a weekly basis and this is why route abc is
recommended’.
Outcomes
Summarise what you have delivered to and achieved for the client, in relation to the business
problem (identified in the problem statement).
Handover
Briefly comment on anything that the client needs to do to implement the agreed solution(s) or
continue to focus on, now that the project has been completed.
References
Your reference list should include all sources mentioned in the report.
No appendices are required to the report element itself, but you can add Appendices to the
Portfolio (see last page). You should aim, though, for the report to work as a ‘standalone’
document’, where the client could assess your contribution to his/her business without
seeing the whole of the rest of the portfolio.
Submitted in part fulfilment of BM562 module assignments

BM562 CW2 Project Portfolio 2020-21
Client Reference
What feedback would you like to give the whole group on what they did well for you?
What feedback would you like to give the whole group on what they could have
done better for you?
Please can you give each member of the team a mark out of 10 for their contribution
to your project. (4 out of 10 is our pass mark)
What advice would you give this group on improving their employability?
Are you willing to offer another project next year?
Submitted in part fulfilment of BM562 module assignments
Client name
Company Name
Name of consultancy group
Student name Mark out of 10

BM562 CW1 Project Portfolio 2020-21
Group log
For this, you just need to make clear, who did which sections of the portfolio. You can complete or
adapt the table below to show this. Please all sign the Group Log, to show that you consider it an
accurate record.
TASK Completed by ID numbers
1 Copy of original brief provided by the client
2 Exploration and agreement of brief, expectations and
outcomes of the project following first meeting with
client
3 Detailed Project Plan with monthly updates
4 Signed Partnership Agreement
5 Minutes of all team meetings
6 Minutes of all supervisor meetings
7 Minutes of all client meetings
8 Showcase evidence
9 Final report suitable for sending to the client
10 CLIENT REFERENCE and assessment
(This is worth 10% of the final mark of this submission)
11 Group log of portfolio contributions
12 Any further Appendices which add value to the portfolio
Please print name and sign
………………………………………….. …………………………………………..
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Additional Appendices are optional:
Consultancy team - Please add as final Appendices any relevant additional
information you think adds value to your submission and make sure that you
cross reference these in your report.