Top Tips for starting a new consulting project during Lockdown

Set up 30 mins video intro sessions with key stakeholders and colleagues 

Set out clear expectations with your direct reports

Have regular catch up sessions to track progress

Ask for video training sessions 

Expect everything to take longer 

Take the opportunity to learn new skills if your opportunity provides them

Having the right tech is a must.

Where possible, create a dedicated office ‘room’ at home with a door, to minimize interruptions and extraneous distractions.

Also consider the ergonomics – you may need to work from home on this project for some time and many hours a day, so make sure your seat is comfortable and that your screen and keyboard are at the right height.

Work set times in your home office and take set breaks. The more structured and formalised it becomes the more it will feel like regular working/consulting and not “working from home”.

Taking breaks is essential for your mental well-being and subsequent productivity. Stagger these throughout the day and consider getting outside at the end of the day when you finish work to get some air. 

Work with your client to set up a structured induction schedule with plenty of video calls with fellow team members and important stakeholders within the first couple of weeks.

Take time to read any documents thoroughly in advance of your calls and meetings.

Keep people updated regularly on your availability. The “Shifts” functionality within Microsoft Teams is great way to indicate when you are available.

When on video calls make sure that you are dressed appropriately and have a suitably plain / professional background.

Make sure you are extremely clear on your deliverables and the client expectations -focus particularly on agreeing outcomes (as well as “ways of working”) with your client.

Check in regularly with your client and your team – maybe even more regularly than you would in an office environment.

Use quick instant communications/messaging when you need an immediate answer but also pick up the phone!

As a team leader/ project manager consider setting up social zoom calls periodically to replace the “end of week drink”.

If you have a new consultant joining your team, we recommend planning ahead to make sure all necessary hardware is delivered before they are due to start. Ensure everything is tested and in place a few days before their start date.  Factor in time for hardware to travel from the vendor to IT before deployment to your new consultant.  The last thing you want is your consultant spending their first few days in the job going backwards and forwards with your IT team, setting up equipment and troubleshooting issues.

Reliable broadband is essential - make sure your home WIFI is reliable and secure. 

Assuming you are already armed with a laptop or PC, then it is useful to ensure you have all of the state of the art apps in your armoury for virtual consulting:

Microsoft Teams - for chat and discussions and to “feel connected”

OneNote - for note-taking and to capture ideas and information in different digital format

OneDrive - to share files and documents easily

DocuSign – to speed up and automate contracts and official documents

Google Meet, Zoom & Facetime – video calls will be key when you are working at home.

Be honest with yourself and your client - do you have home schooling commitments, can your dog bark and interrupt you when you are working from home? Do you therefore need to do some work outside core-hours / have a longer lunch break to feed the family?  In the current environment clients are very understanding of these challenges so long as they are communicated and managed appropriately.

Free your diary and be open to video calls whenever the key stakeholders are available to talk to you.

Be aware - you won’t get quick answers to questions. Perseverance pays!