This Week in Consulting
Friday, Sept 7th, 2018
Getting the Most from Big Data
THIS WEEK’S MUST READ
“Organizations need specialists, or “translators,” who can analyze, distill, and clearly communicate information of the greatest potential value… while companies don’t often think about talent in terms of value chains, the skill and capability links between people are crucial for unlocking the full value of advanced analytics.”
According to a McKinsey survey, only 18 percent of companies believe they have the skills necessary to gather and use insights effectively. At the same time, only 19 percent of companies are confident that their insights-gathering processes contribute directly to sales effectiveness. And what if number crunchers aren’t enough? After all, if a great insight derived from advanced analytics is too complicated to understand, business managers just won’t use it.
This Week’s Must Read features an insight piece from Mckinsey, in which the consultants make a case for why companies need to recruit and cultivate “translators”—specialists capable of bridging different functions within the organization and effectively communicating between them.
Read on to Find out More: “How to Get the Most from Big Data”, featuring Matt Ariker, Peter Breuer, Tim McGuire from McKinsey.
INDUSTRY NEWS & INSIGHTS
- Cognizant Expands Salesforce Consulting Capacity via SaaSfocus Acquisition: Cognizant has acquired SaaSfocus. The firm will bolster Cognizant’s SaaS and Salesforce offerings, as the firm bids to expand its client base in the sector. SaaS is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet. SaaS is one of three main categories of cloud computing, alongside IaaS and PaaS. | Cognizant Press Release
- MThree Consulting receives investment from private equity firm: ECI Partners, one of the UK’s leading mid-market private equity firms, has invested in MThree Corporate Consulting. MThree will put the investment towards its continued efforts to expand international, amid a period of 30% year-on-year growth for the firm. | ECI Partners Press Release
- 4C Associates Partners with Scanmarket: 4C Associates and Scanmarket have announced a partnership to provide leading businesses with in-depth procurement expertise, alongside cutting edge eSourcing solutions. 4C Associates, a leading European procurement consultancy specialising in cost reduction and transformation, and Scanmarket, a market-leading strategic sourcing provider, have announced a joint partnership to bring clients the latest eSourcing solutions together with award winning consultancy services. | 4C Associates Newsroom
TRENDS
Congratulations to the Consulting Quest Team!
It is with great honor to announce that Consulting Quest has been chosen as a finalist for the Best Procurement Consultancy Project Award for the World Procurement Awards 2018! Do not forget to check out our nominated case study.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
- How to Become a Successful Big Data CIO: A CIO’s guide to making the most of big data: In the rush to make an impact with big data, analytics and social, it is important for CIOs to stop and take stock of some of the fundamentals: are the risks being effectively managed? Are the opportunities being fully seized? CIOs will need to work increasingly closely with their organization’s legal team to access the risk management skills and the advice on legislative changes that they need. | MUwe Michael Mueller, EY
- Big Companies Are Embracing Analytics, But Most Still Don’t Have a Data-Driven Culture: This continuing rise in the importance and challenges of big data is one of the most important features of contemporary economy and society. The rise of AI is only exacerbating this trend. The keys to success are to determine how your firm should respond, assign clear responsibilities for data strategy and results, and then move ahead to execute the needed changes in a systematic and effective fashion. | Thomas H. Davenport, Randy Bean, HBR
- Three C’s of Big Data That Consulting Firms Should Focus On: The big data cycle starts with human or social input and ends with human output. Successful consulting firms understand that acknowledging the humans behind big data is the first step to start making smarter decisions. By focusing on the people behind the data, consulting firms are able to differentiate themselves and build better client relationships. | Swetha Venkataramani, 9Lenses
- How to Avoid Big Data Trap: The cause of bad data often include faulty processes, ad hoc data policies, poor discipline in capturing and storing data, and external data providers that are outside a company’s control. Proper data governance must become a priority for the C suite, to be sure. | Saleh Tamim, Erik Lenhard, Nic Gordon and David Opolon, BCG
EVENTS
Check Out Other Upcoming Events and Workshops & Become a Part of the Consulting Quest Community!
Interested in Submitting?
If you are interested in submitting an article, an event or an ad, contact us at info@consultingquest.com
CONSULTANT CORNER
- How Data Analytics are Changing the Consulting industry: Knowing the basics of how to do large data analysis helps to avoid having the wool pulled over your eyes in terms of timelines and will help get the most out of colleagues. | Consultancy uk
- How to Set Yourself and Your Consulting Business Up For Success: This practical guide will be your first step towards launching a wildly successful consulting business. | Helene Laffitte, Consulting Quest
CONSULTING CAREER
- The History of Consultancy: Question of the week: What is the best piece of consulting career advice you would give to your younger self? Can you relate to the experiences from the article? | Firm Consulting
- Best Piece of Consulting Career Advice to Give to Younger Self: Now that You’ve earned that offer. So…what now? Things You need to know as you first start off. | John Shaughnessy, Consulting Cafe
CONSULTING JOBS
- Are you a Consultant with Supply Chain background or prior experience working in Retail/CPG? This may be the opportunity you have been long for. A Client of Consulting Quest – an Asia-based small Global Consulting Firm – is seeking to hire an Engagement Manager to join their newly established office in New York City. Learn More
Hélène Laffitte is the CEO of Consulting Quest, a Global Performance-Driven Consulting Platform and author of “Smart Consulting Sourcing”, a step by step guide to getting the best ROI from your consulting. With a blend of experience in Procurement and Consulting, Hélène is passionate about helping Companies create more value through Consulting.
