For sales operations leaders managing large initiatives, bringing on an outside project management consultant can provide structure, expertise, and an objective third-party perspective. Sales teams often struggle to balance the urgency of revenue-driving priorities with the rigor required for on-time, on-budget delivery of complex projects. A project management consultant brings cross-functional program experience to orchestrate resources, milestones, and stakeholders. Rather than getting buried in spreadsheets and calendar invites, sales ops professionals can remain focused on the business strategy while leveraging external guidance to execute smoothly. This list outlines 10 ways a consultant can drive accountability, enhance visibility, facilitate collaboration, optimize resources, provide coaching, collect insights, and upgrade tools and processes for sales operations project success. With real examples of project management consulting approaches and examination of key trade-offs, sales executives can identify quick wins and high-impact areas for external support.
1. Create implementation plans for sales initiatives.
Examples:
– Develop detailed project plans and timelines
– Build cross-functional team and stakeholder matrix
– Design training and change management approach
Pros and Cons:
Detailed plans drive accountability but risk being inflexible. Stakeholder mapping aids collaboration but time intensive upfront. Change management ensures adoption but adding complexity.
2. Provide project management coaching.
Examples:
– Give toolkit and templates for managing initiatives
– Conduct kickoff workshops to build understanding
– Offer office hours for project teams to troubleshoot
Pros and Cons:
Toolkits and templates bring consistency but usage not guaranteed. Kickoffs align groups but risks information overload. Office hours provide support but consultant availability may be limited.
3. Implement project reporting cadences.
Examples:
– Structure regular status meetings and communications
– Require milestone and budget tracking
– Build executive dashboard reporting
Pros and Cons:
Status communications ensure visibility but meeting fatigue results. Milestone diligence drives progress but administrative work. Executive dashboards enable oversight but only as good as data inputs.
4. Facilitate cross-functional collaboration on initiatives.
Examples:
– Design core team integration plans
– Identify key stakeholder perspectives
– Conduct cross-training to build alignment
Pros and Cons:
Integration plans break down silos but require initial team-building. Stakeholder analysis clarifies needs but potential for conflicts. Cross-training enhances understanding but takes time away from core duties.
5. Conduct project risk assessments.
Examples:
– Lead exercises to identify potential issues
– Quantify and prioritize major risks
– Create mitigation and contingency plans
Pros and Cons:
Proactively assessing risk helps prepare and prevent but unlikely to be exhaustive. Quantification provides clarity but predicting probability is imperfect. Mitigations address problems but add complexity.
6. Develop resource management strategies.
Examples:
– Analyze project and portfolio resource allocation
– Balance utilization rates across initiatives
– Plan for specialized skills and contingencies
Pros and Cons:
Balancing resources improves flow but optimized scheduling has limitations. Smoothing utilization avoids bottlenecks but imperfect math. Specialized skills planning prevents blockers but predicting precisely is difficult.
7. Implement performance tracking and analytics.
Examples:
– Build standard KPIs, dashboards, and reporting
– Create benchmarks for initiative success
– Provide data visualization to spot trends
Pros and Cons:
KPI tracking enables insights but metrics must align to goals. Benchmarks guide progress but risk unfair comparisons. Data visualization speeds pattern recognition but tool training needed.
8. Conduct post-implementation audits.
Examples:
– Survey end users on project satisfaction
– Quantify benefits delivered versus plan
– Identify lessons learned for future efforts
Pros and Cons:
User surveys provide validation but risk skewed responses. Benefits quantification validates ROI but intangible impact difficult to capture. Lessons learned improve continuously but time-consuming documentation.
9. Refine project management methodologies.
Examples:
– Update playbooks based on recent experience
– Automate templates and processes for efficiency
– Scale project management training and certification
Pros and Cons:
Playbook updates operationalize learning but governance for change management key. Automation drives consistency efficiently but risks overstandardization. Training/certification builds capabilities but time intensive.
10. Evaluate project management software needs.
Examples:
– Assess features of current tools
– Research options to fill identified gaps
– Plan rollout to maximize adoption
Pros and Cons:
Current state analysis provides baseline but thorough reviews take time. New tools fill gaps but change management critical. Adoption planning ensures usage but no guarantees. Training and support essential.