Project work

1. Project requests

Partners and principals are the key players in securing new projects. While projects come about in a variety of ways, most arise from repeat orders from existing clients or a partner or principal's network of personal contacts, from client introductions or requests made by companies that have participated in our seminars or read articles by our consultants. Projects are confirmed after we provide the requestor with a proposal that is accepted. Sometimes a prospective client will ask several consulting companies for proposals and choose from among them based on such factors as proposal contents and the fee estimate.

Partners and principals continuously leverage their personal networks and maintain close communication with the directors and managers of potential clients in order to establish links for potential future projects. For example, when we publish a book or a newsletter, they visit companies on whose businesses the contents have bearing to introduce themselves and familiarize those companies with Roland Berger. Relationships built in this way frequently lead to future projects.

After receiving a request for a proposal, we hold several discussions with the manager in charge to gain an understanding of the client's current situation, the issues it faces and the value it expects to gain from the requested project before developing a proposal.

2. Project start

Once we have submitted a proposal and reached final agreement on such things as budget and project contents, we are ready to start. The majority of projects last from four to 12 weeks. Although team structure may vary according to a client's budget, teams usually comprise a project manager, a senior consultant and three or four consultants. In organizing a team, the partner in charge of assignments considers such things as the experience of each person, his or her fields and subjects of interest, and availability.

Once team assignments have been finalized, it is time to begin the actual work. In the beginning, the project manager plays the central role, determining the project's overall framework, developing a hypothesis and creating a work plan, while maintaining a dialog with the partner in charge. Of course the other consultants on the project also participate in the discussions, each pitting his or her opinions against those of the team. Following this, the team holds a kick-off meeting with the client, during which they further refine the details of how to proceed. At this point, the team asks the client for access to data that needs to be analyzed; discusses the details, such as contents, target and implementation procedure of any surveys that need to be conducted; and holds discussions about the initial hypothesis. Following the kick-off meeting, project pace accelerates in a single burst.

During a project, consultants will either spend most of their time at the client site or base themselves at the Roland Berger office, meeting frequently with the client. The approach depends on the nature of the project and the client situation. For example, a project will often be based at the client site if it is necessary to analyze a large volume of internal data or conduct many internal interviews, if it is inefficient to travel between our office and the client site, or if frequent and intensive client discussions are required. On the other hand, when it is necessary for our consultants to think and work intensively on their own, we often conduct our work at the office. Of course, we can also work at our office in the former situation if the client is very sensitive about not wanting the presence of consultants to be generally known within the company.

3. How a project proceeds

While projects vary, the basic flow is hypothesis development→ testing→revision and finalization→ and final report.

When the initial hypothesis is created at project start, data access is limited, making detail impossible. However, it is crucial to identify the ostensible main point and key factors to the extent possible. The following brief explanation uses the example of an apparel brand with stagnant sales.

First we must decide if the cause of stagnating sales is a decline in customer numbers or average spending. If the former, are customers abandoning the brand or are there fewer new customers? If the latter, is there a decline in items bought or are customers choosing cheaper items? Has sales per item changed? We must review each point and consider the root cause. If we assume that customer numbers have dropped and sales slowed owing to a lower repetition ratio and fewer new customers, the cause may be falling recognition, brand image deterioration and attenuation, product obsolescence or inapt sales staff response. Last, we create a hypothesis on how to resolve the issue and grow brand sales. This includes deciding how to reset the brand target and identifying the required changes, assets to be leveraged and marketing actions.

We then test the hypothesis. First, we identify the required test points and methods. We need to decide what data will enable us to prove the hypothesis and how to gather and analyze it. Having confirmed the data needed, our objectives, budget and time limits, we analyze internal data, interview key client and industry people or survey consumers, refining the hypothesis based on findings.

Next, we finalize the hypothesis. As most hypotheses are revised regularly, basic changes are rare. Backed by the findings, the hypothesis gains greater credibility. Last, we formulate our results into a storyline which we present in a final report along with the final hypothesis. At this point our key message for the client is critical. When the hypothesis is being refined, we get an idea of basic direction. But, in the end, the project manager plays the main role in determining the key point for the client’s business and the details of our recommendation based on facts. The partner and team also contribute, thereby deepening thinking.

Finally, we present the final report with supporting materials. When clients express their appreciation and satisfaction with our work, we experience our greatest sense of reward as consultants.

4. Post-project follow-up

When a project finishes and a future phase is planned, we sometimes receive a request from the same client on a different topic. At other times the work stops for the moment. In the latter situation, we usually maintain some form of ongoing contact with the client. This can include business lunches or counseling when the client faces a difficult issue. Maintaining this kind of positive relationship can lead to new projects. A consultant’s most valuable asset is the trust-based relationship that he or she has built with a client through project work.

When a project finishes and no next stage is planned, the project team breaks up and team members are assigned to new projects. While waiting for their new projects to begin, consultants take time to do things that they could not during their previous project, such as take vacations or study on their own.

Question: Please give us a quick summary of your career to date.

Answer: I joined Roland Berger immediately after graduating from the University. I have experience in automobiles, cosmetics, watches, home fashion and other areas in the consumer goods industry and with trading houses. This work has included helping develop mid-term management strategies and creating growth and marketing strategies, as well as work on business due diligence.

Question: Please tell us briefly about your schedule and the work that you did in the last week.

Answer:
Monday. After confirming the week’s schedule, I identified and prioritized the necessary tasks for our current analysis. I received feedback from my manager on the strategy hypothesis and made minor changes to it. I then reviewed the secondary data gathered the week before and information the client had given us on the industry and the competition, and began to think about the industry structure and trends, and an early "striker" hypothesis. I also began to contact people we would interview to test our hypothesis.

Tuesday. In the morning, I interviewed an expert who is deeply knowledgeable about the industry and tested the hypothesis. Although it was basically correct, I was able to refine it based on information gained from him about trends and their drivers that we had been unable to glean from the secondary information. In the afternoon, I shifted my focus to movements in more micro-level businesses and sorted out the fundamental philosophy of each company. I also carefully considered the appropriate framework for classifying their battle methods.

Wednesday. I conducted more detailed interviews and customer and end-user surveys to further refine the industry KFS and client strengths/issues that were beginning to emerge. I then met with the team to discuss the strategy that the client should adopt, which centered on its own strengths, and was able to establish a final shared understanding of the common ground for our recommendation. I then began to input the story for our presentation package into a PowerPoint file.

Thursday. I reconfirmed the storyline with my manager, who pointed out areas where my logic was weak. After making a few changes, I began to fill in the package contents. In the process, I found a slide that could not be completely supported by the data at hand. I contacted the industry expert again and talked with stores from a customer viewpoint in order to get the necessary information. I also tried to further satisfy the client by including a competitor example in the form of an analogy.

Friday. Early in the morning and with a fresh mind, I thoroughly reviewed the story from the client perspective to confirm its coherence and congruity. I refined the final message and completed the package. In the afternoon, we made our presentation to the client. To ensure that they understood my module, I made my presentation as carefully as possible and then led a discussion about it.

Question: In your work to date, what has been the most challenging work or task and what has been the most enjoyable?

Answer: Recently, I participated in a very exciting project concerning the takeover of a representative Japanese company. The first point had to do with the important decision making process. The client needed to decide whether or not to purchase a company with annual sales of several hundred billion yen, a decision that could have significant impact on the Japanese economy. The second point was the fact that there was a very limited time frame despite the important nature of the situation. Our workload was several times heavier than usual and we felt a huge burden and great pressure. Furthermore, since we had put together a consortium that included investment funds, investment banks and law firms, we had a lot of trouble knowing how to act and how to add value. Although the process of assessing the business possibilities and deciding the direction of growth strategy while maintaining belief in myself and my team members was difficult, it was a valuable experience and asset that I would not trade for anything.

Question: What are the difficulties and merits specific to being a new graduate consultant?

Answer: The most difficult thing to deal with was probably the huge difference in time density between life as a student and life at Roland Berger. It's not quite like professional sports where each second is a battle, but there is always a mountain of tasks that you need to finish within a limited amount of time. Of course some of these are simple tasks, but the majority required me to think for myself and create value added from scratch. It was more difficult than anything to get used to an environment in which I had a blank white canvas in front of me and had to come up with ideas of much greater depth than those of my college days and deliver output in a very short time. I was completely unfamiliar with the process of having to seek the required answer by piecing together fragments of information (in this case simple information) gleaned from the investigation process and figuring out the underlying mechanism.

In order to surmount this new challenge, I put a highly visible message to myself on my desk to remind myself of my position and the role required of me. This helped to raise my awareness. Furthermore, by working hard to always maintain a strong awareness as a professional I was able to overcome the hurdle.

Question: How have you grown since you began working as a consultant? Compared with your friends and acquaintances who entered other industries, what do you feel you have learned in particular?

Answer: The fact that I have become able to see things in a multifaceted way is a very big achievement. With most projects, although the request comes from a specific department or division, we need to be able to look at the situation from the perspective of each department and layer in the company. Furthermore, we also need to work on the external level, seeing things from the perspective of various customers, including suppliers, buyers and ultimate end users. The reality is that 10 minutes after thinking about the situation from a top management viewpoint, I frequently need to look at it from the standpoint of the consumer who purchases the client's product in the store. As a result, I am able to understand the world more comprehensively and from a higher perspective than my friends and acquaintances who work in other industries.

Question: Please share with us some interesting and fun episodes related to your work as well as any war stories you may have.

Answer: After a project ends, we put a lot of energy into celebrating our success. We always hold a celebration at a restaurant chosen carefully to match the hard work we have accomplished. This is also an opportunity for team members who heatedly debated with each other during the project to let go of any antagonistic feelings and enjoy their time together.

Question: What message do you have for students who want to join or are considering joining Roland Berger?

Answer: For better or for worse, the culture of the first company for which you work after graduation becomes your axis. For that reason, I think that Roland Berger is a very suitable company for those wishing to polish themselves to achieve their goals and those who have an insatiable desire to grow. Unlike in most companies, people will never limit you or attach condition, "...because you are a new graduate." I would very much like people who can think for themselves and want to implement their ideas to join us.