IGS UK - not consulting but IT project management...and NOT simple, personal or fair
Pros
- consultants in each team are friendly, respond well to coaching and development as they rarely have a structured work environment - vision by IGS UK management indicates that they are trying to morph the current IGS model into a consulting function...but this will take years to achieve (need more senior management support with the management practices to make this successful) - some teams do work on interesting projects in the digital, innovation and product propositions space - pay is in line with what external consultancies would pay
Cons
- lack of visibility and overt support by senior management and directors in IGS UK - many consultants report directly to client stakeholders with no support or interaction with IGS management; feel lost and lack visibility as to how their contribution fits into the 'overall' piece - managers don't actually do anything differently to consultants - just better paid; they don't have the empowerment to change this as well - mentor model doesn't work- train mentors to coach and develop staff properly and don't let those without people skills become mentors - IGS managers lack empowerment to support their team of consultants (e.g. No influence over providing support for consultants' promotions cases) - lack of resources (I.e. In terms of people for staffing projects, information for conducting analysis, lack of visibility as to how projects fit into strategic vision of division or overall bank) - position that many team members interviewed for was not what the day to day job entailed (I.e. Role was discussed as being internal business consultant e.g understanding problems arising from trying to operationalise business unit strategy in order to work with client to define, analyse and implement practical solutions; most work involved significant IT project work e.g. Bs requirements scoping, UAT test script design and documentation, UAT test management, model office testing and management, chasing IT for updates, dates, review of technical software specifications, raising change requests etc) - helps to be Spanish and /or speak; very hierarchical mentality in the bank and we are expected 'to do without questioning or challenging the clients / senior management' - this role is not consulting; it is pure software delivery and Implementation and the way the current model has been and will probably be for the next few years just requires 'body shopping'- therefore hiring consultants to complete this type of work results in frustrations and a high attrition rate-50% last year and currently up to 30% since the beginning of 2014.
