Guidelines for Preparation of Final Reports in HR Consulting

Consulting in HR Management is gaining ground with the passage of each day.New start-ups are the usual phenomenon. Old and established companies also sometimes seek the help of consultants in deciding their strategies for learning and development, HR planning, recruitment, introduction of new policies and many other facets essential to them.

An attempt has been made in this blog to list the essential steps for successfully doing consulting in HR management. It is to be noted here that this domain of human resource management is expanding rapidly, with the advent of new technologies and with the fast changing requirements of organisations. Hence, one must be abreast with the same.

effective management of Human Resources is a key factor in achieving organisational goals. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of some basic concepts related to effective management of HR.

nonprofit management : Non profit organizations have different objectives than those of commercial enterprises. They may not make money from their activities but they do it because they believe in what they are trying to achieve.

professional management skills : Professional managers need to possess certain professional skills which enable them to manage effectively. These include communication skills, leadership skills, decision making skills etc.

human resources management : This refers to all aspects of managing people within an organization.

requirements in management consultancy: A manager needs to understand his/her own role as well as the roles of others involved in the organisation. He or she should know how to motivate employees and get maximum output out of them.

 Talent management can be defined as “the process by which individuals who demonstrate potential for high performance are identified, developed and managed”.

Entrepreneurial management track courses are designed to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills required to become successful entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is the ability to create value through innovation and entrepreneurship.

management consulting is a process where an organisation seeks expert advice from outside its own resources on various issues related to it. The consultant provides his/her expertise by offering solutions based on experience gained over years or decades. This may include providing guidance on how best to implement certain processes within the company; suggesting ways to improve efficiency levels; recommending changes in organisational structure etc.

A HR consultant may be defined as a professional, who is expert in his filed and may give advice or suggestions to the concerned organisations for initiating new processes or improving upon the existing process. Hence, if one is interested in pursuing a career in HR consulting, he or she must know anything and everything related to HR, along with the rapidly changing requirements of this industry.

Below are listed the essential steps in doing the consulting in HR.

1. Understanding the client requirements

An in-depth analysis may be carried out to understand what are the requirements of the client. Visiting client premises and discussing with different departmental heads or personnel, may give an insight to what they want. If the client is a new organisation, you may have to know their vision, mission , goals, objectives, job profiles, manpower planning along with projected growth pattern. If the client is established organisation, it may require your help in any of the following:

• Designing a human resource management system(HRIS)
• How to invest in human resource development
• Succession planning
• Monitoring system
• Any other thing which is urgent to them

In general, the consulting in any of the following domains may be done, apart from the topics listed above.

• Recruitment
• Learning & Development
• Compensation & Benefits
• Health & Safety
• Policies & Procedures
• Performance management, monitoring and appraisal
• Emotional management of employees
• Legal compliance
• Award and punishment mechanisms
• Optimisation

The client’s requirements may be best understood by asking questions, critical questions pertaining to their existing status. A set of questionnaire is the best option.

Further, different set of questionnaire formats may be designed for different domains.

Checklist – Transferring Employee Responsibilities : An employee transfer checklist helps in tracking all the responsibilities transferred from one person to another during the course of transition period.

Organisational Structure Questionnaire : Organisations usually have a hierarchical structure.Considerations for employees when moving up in the hierarchy. Considerations for managers and supervisors when transferring into lower level jobs

Employee communication is important organizational change transferring people between departments . Identifying the problem areas is very important  After analysing the requirement, identify the problems that need to be solved. Once identified these can be further broken down into sub categories, like,

Employee job skills are not matching the needs of the organization.  Employees do not feel valued for the work they perform Not enough training opportunities available to meet current demands Lack of knowledge about how to manage the issues raised by employees Poor performance reviews

Employee layoff seniority is based on length of service rather than ability to fill open positions  . Employee questions  are answered quickly and clearly No clear answers provided to difficult questions

Bargaining unit employees must agree to changes before they happen.  Employees should be informed as soon as possible so that there is no disruption in services a union representative has been appointed to represent employees at meetings where decisions affecting them will be made

2. Know your boundaries while doing consulting in HR

It must be borne in mind that you can not deliver each and everything your client wants. The relationship between you and your client should be based on mutual trust, and the constraints of resources available. For example, if your client wants your advice in a field, about which you do not know anything, it is better not to venture into it.

effective organizations understand what they want and then find ways to get it. They don’t just ask for things without knowing why or how they might benefit from getting those things.

behavior in organizations is influenced by many factors such as culture, values, beliefs, attitudes, norms, policies, procedures etc. These factors influence behavior in an organization. Organizations with high levels of commitment tend to exhibit higher levels of productivity and profitability.

Customer recommendation refers to any kind of feedback received from customers regarding their experience with products/services offered by an organisation. It includes both positive and negative comments.

customer  Feedback given by customer’s after using product /service. This may include complaints, compliments, suggestions, requests, praise, criticism, etc.

customer  means the amount of business required by an organisation to sustain its operations. In other words, this is the total revenue generated by all the units within the company.

Customers who buy goods and services from another firm. Competitors are firms whose sales exceed that of the buyer’s own sales this is known as competitior customers

communications with clients   Communication with clients involves providing information to clients about the nature of the services being rendered by the consultant.

effective sales strategies involve identifying the target audience, understanding their problems, developing solutions, and communicating these effectively to potential buyers.

operational strategies refer to the activities undertaken by an individual or group to achieve organizational goals. Operational strategies help managers plan and execute actions needed to accomplish specific tasks.

3. Work in tandem with each other

Photographer: Jeffrey F Lin | Source: Unsplash

The relationship with the client should be collaborative. Both should work as partners. The collaborative approach establishes mutual responsibility and joint accountability.It, in turn, increases the probability of a more accurate outcome of the consulting.

4. Preparation of a proposal

It may indicate the following

• Scope of work
• Deliverable
• Time span to complete the work
• The responsibility of the client and consultant during consultancy work with respect to future meetings required for clarifications if any and or any other aspect, which may arise subsequently.
• Financial aspects and terms of payment
• Expected outcomes

5. Preparation of Reports

Photographer: William Iven | Source: Unsplash

It is the moral duty of the consultant to prepare a report containing Executive Summary,Purpose, Process, Objectives, Conclusions and Recommendations.

Business report wil contain information regarding the company profile, its products/services offered, financials, market trends etc.,

Report title will include the name of the organization, contact details, address, telephone number, fax number, email id and web site url.

Report preparation includes writing executive summary, purpose, process, objective, conclusion and recommendations.

Competitor analysis report template is used to analyze competitors strengths and weaknesses. It also helps to identify opportunities and threats faced by the competitor.

 Project status report template contains project description, objectives, scope, risk assessment, schedule, budgeting, milestones, key performance indicators, quality control measures, risks and issues encountered so far.

 Conclusion section of reports are generally written at the end of every chapter. This serves two purposes; firstly, it provides an opportunity to summarize what has been discussed earlier in the document. Secondly, this allows the reader to review all sections before moving onto the next one.

Social media reports templates are very useful when we have to write social media content such as blogs, articles, press releases, videos, images, infographics, presentations, etc.

 Analysis report template segments  are divided according to their importance. They help us to understand how our clients perceive us. We need to make sure that these perceptions match up with reality. In order to achieve this, we need to analyse them thoroughly.

 Competitive analysis report template competitive analysis report template is designed to provide detailed insights into the business activities of different companies. These analyses allow you to compare various factors like product portfolio, customer base, revenue generation, profit margins, marketing strategies, sales channels, distribution networks, R&D investments, brand image, employee strength, management style, corporate governance practices, legal compliance, ethical standards, environmental policies, government regulations, technological innovations, etc.

Business Report is a comprehensive document that covers everything about your company from start-up phase till present day.  It is important to make sure there are updated business reports because they can be helpful if any changes occur or new projects come up.

Consulting report cover page template consulting report cover page template is used to create professional looking covers for your reports. You can use this template to design customized covers for your reports. The cover page consists of three parts namely header, body & footer. Header part shows the title of the report along with logo. Body part consist of table of contents where each sub-section is listed under appropriate heading.

Consulting report templates are available online which makes it easy for users to download any type of report they want without having to pay a single penny. Consultants who specialize in specific areas offer consultancy services through their websites or via emails. A good consultant should be able to prepare a customised report based on client’s requirements within stipulated time frame.

 Consulting report template shows the list of consultants hired by the company. Each consultant is assigned a unique number. Consultant names are displayed below numbers. Company name appears above the headings. Headers contain information about the author, date published, source from where data was collected, purpose of the study, target audience, methodology followed, conclusion drawn, references cited, acknowledgements made, etc.

customized consulting report templates are created using Microsoft word software.

 content of consulting reports includes: executive summary, introduction, objectives and scope, methods employed, results obtained, conclusions reached, recommendations proposed, limitations identified, future research directions suggested, appendixes containing tables/figures, bibliography, glossary, index, appendices, reference lists, etc.

 entire recommendation report template contains all sections mentioned above. It also has an additional section called “conclusion” at the end. This concludes the entire report. Conclusion section helps readers get a clear idea about what exactly the authors have recommended to the organization.

1. Introduction

2. Objectives And Scope Of Study

3. Methods Employed

Examples of consulting reports include:

a) Market Research Report Template

b) Competitive Analysis Report Template

c) Strategic Management Plan Template

d) Business Strategy Report Template

e) Marketing Plan Template

f) Organizational Development Plan Template

g) Human Resource Planning Report Template

h) Financial Statement Analysis Report Template

i) Corporate Governance Report Template

j) Risk Assessment Report Template

k) Project Evaluation Report Template

l) Performance Review Report Template

6. Mechanism of feedback after the completion of work

A mechanism must be evolved jointly by the client and the consultant to receive feedback on the work completed. It should be a two way feedback( client should rate the consultant, but at the same time, client should also be rated by the consultant.)

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Ripples Learning is an acknowledged consultant in Human Resource Management. Please write to us or email your requirements to support@rippleslearning.com.