In today’s fast paced, ever changing HCM technology world, not every consulting team is created equal. There are a number of qualities that you should keep an eye out for from your potential consulting partners before beginning any new implementation. While HRchitect consultants strive to be the best in every aspect of HCM consulting, these are five of the most important qualities of any great consultant.
- Team Player
Consultants must always work as a cohesive team with the same goal in mind. During an implementation of a new software, consultants must work closely with their team members to meet their clients’ needs and successfully complete a project. As a team, each person is responsible for meeting their deadlines, communicating effectively, and building on the strengths of others. A consulting team consists of many roles including technical, functional, project management, and integration consulting roles. As a consultant, it is sometimes easy to focus solely on your role and the tasks associated with it, but great consultants will look at the bigger picture in order to work together toward the same goal.
- Expert Knowledge
Consulting companies are approached for their expertise in the industry, and specifically in the software that they consult on. With a thorough understanding on the industry, these experts are able to provide guidance on best practices and enable the client to accomplish the desired goals of the implementation. Consultants should remain current by keeping up with HR trends in the market, as well as new system features within their respective software.
- Flexibility
The business world is constantly changing and it’s up to the consulting team to remain flexible and roll with the punches. Change can occur at any point in a project, from scheduling needs to updated business requirements to new project team members. Consultants need to be able to adapt quickly to these changes in order to keep a project on track. By staying on top of new business trends and maintaining constant communication, great consultants are able to adjust to any situation.
- Communication Skills
Good communication skills are key in almost any role, but especially for consultants. A consultant must have excellent oral and written communication skills in order to explain difficult topics in an understandable way. Whether discussing best practices, product capabilities, or system features, this should be done in a clear and concise manner to avoid confusion throughout the implementation.
- Listening Skills
Each implementation of an HCM software is different, and this all depends on the client’s wants/needs. It is up to a great consultant to be able to listen to those requests and put them into practice. Consultants must ask many questions in order to truly understand the needs of a client, but must also be able to actively listen to the feedback they receive in order to build the best solution. Every client team is made up of different people with different communication styles, so listening skills become even more important as each of those styles come into play.
Over the past two decades, the HRchitect consulting team has exemplified these skills to help thousands of clients with their Human Capital Management technology implementations. Through ongoing education, working collaboratively, practicing effective communication/listening skills, and adapting to every situation, we have a team that can help your organization next. Our services span from helping organizations create HCM technology strategic plans, evaluation and selection services for new or replacement systems, change management, and implementation services.
Written by: Chris Henien, MBA, PMP
Chris joined the HRchitect team in 2016 as a Senior Consultant. With 5 years of experience in software consulting, Chris specializes in the Workforce Management implementations. He currently works most closely with companies implementing a WorkForce Software solution as a Technical Delivery Manager.