1. Management consulting For the Federal government
Kristin (McCallum) Reisinger ’03
Katie (Saver) Farr ’04

2. Agenda Introduction Management Consulting for the Federal Government
Industry Overview
Federal Proposal Process
Our Experience and Perspectives Transitioning from Academia
Human Capital Expertise
Example Projects
The Way We Work
Required Skills
Q&A

3. Introduction

4. Kristin’s Path
Loyola College BA 2001
Manchester, Inc Consulting Intern
University of Baltimore MS 2003 Grad Assistantship- Dean’s Office
Human Performance Systems, Inc – 2004 Intern, Research Assistant
Booz Allen Hamilton 2004-Present Lead Associate
McLean, VA
Philadelphia,
Aberdeen /Telecommute 2010-present

5. Katie’s Path Booz Allen Hamilton 2009–Present Associate
University of Central Florida
BS 2002
University Physicians, Inc.
2003–2005
HR Intern
HR Generalist
University of Baltimore MS 2004
Right Management
2005–2007
Organizational Consultant
Booz Allen Hamilton
2009–Present
Associate
Constellation Energy
2007–2008
Sr. HR Consultant

6. management Consulting for the federal government

7. What is Management Consulting?
Consulting: Work done by a consulting firm, which focuses on advising organizations on the best ways to manage and operate their business
Management Consulting: The practice of creating value for organizations through improved performance, achieved by providing objective advice and implementing business solutions
Booz Allen Hamilton is a leading provider of strategy, technology, and engineering services to the US Government in defense, intelligence, and civil markets
Trusted long-term partner to our clients
Seek our expertise and objective advice to address their most important and complex problems

8. Commercial vs. Government Consulting
Commercial Consulting
Federal Consulting
Example Organizations
“Big 4” Consulting Firms
Ernst & Young
Deloitte
Price Waterhouse Coopers
KPMG
McKinsey
Bain
Boston Consulting Group
“Beltway Bandits”
Booz Allen Hamilton
Accenture
Lockheed Martin
SAIC International
CSC
Lots of small boutique businesses (KnowledgeBank, IDSI, Atlas, ERPI)
Employee Stereotypes
Top-tier MBA Graduates Focus on doing cutting edge, interesting work
Ex-military and/or smart/driven functional experts
Focus on serving important government missions, providing excellent client service
Relationship to Clients
Trusted advisors
Staff Augmentation (“Butts in Seats”)
Strategy and implementation work done in direct collaboration with clients
Assignment Length
Short-term (3-6 months)
Multi-year, long-term strategic partnerships
Culture
“Up or Out,” “Road Warriors”
Common to stop at “Associate” level
Long-term onsite work, risk of “Going Native”
Environmental Impacts
Economy
Elections

9. Federal Contracting
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) guides how we work with our government clients
Complex set of rules governing the federal government’s purchasing process
Ensures consistency and fairness of purchasing procedures
Booz Allen solicits work from the federal government through a structured procurement process

10. Example work
Every agency in the government hires contractors/consultants to help solve their problems
Sometimes as staff augmentation (supplemental headcount)
Sometimes as specialized experts (supplemental capability)
Examples of human capital work might include:
Strategic
Developing a human capital strategic plan that is linked to organizational strategy and prioritizes actions/programs for the next three years, including outlining how the organization might measure success
Define the skills required for success in a role, conduct an assessment against those skills, and make recommendations for addressing gaps
Evaluate workforce supply against demand in light of some organizational change, and make recommendations for optimizing the workforce
Operational
Provide staff augmentation to speed up recruiting processes (e.g., help conduct job analysis, write PDs, review applications, etc.)
Develop and facilitate training

11. Proposals
Everything federal management consultants do to WIN work requires a written proposal
A response to a client’s Request for Proposal (RFP)
A sales document that is intended to convince the client of our ability to successfully perform the work at the lowest risk
If awarded, our proposal is a binding agreement to perform
Most government proposals include:
Technical/Management Volume
Approach
Staffing
Assumptions
Cost Volume
Past Performance Volume

12. Consulting vs. internal HR roles
HR Consulting
Work is project-based; customers, team, schedules, functional expertise vary
Advise clients, but do not make decisions
Project scope is fixed
Time is billable
Project failure loss of future business for the firm
Internal HR Role
Consistent team and customers
More predictable workload and schedule
Decision-making rights
Project scope is more flexible
Project failure  job loss

13. Our experiences and Perspectives transitioning from academia

14. Typical human capital expertise on our teams
Booz Allen’s human capital and learning professionals collectively have advanced degrees and certifications in:
Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
Human Capital Strategist (HCS)
Change Management Advanced Practitioner
Professionals with functional expertise in:
Workforce planning and assessments
Competency development
Organizational development and transformation
Performance management
Human Resource (HR) process redesign
HR program support
Breadth allows us to staff projects with specialized experts and rapidly surge to meet client needs

15. Case Study: Competency model Development
Challenge Faced:
Need for data-driven process for identifying training needs
Need for common language for newly centralized IT staff performing similar roles in different ways
Actions Taken:
Identified workforce competencies for all IT and IT support occupations, with behavioral indicators for five levels of proficiency
Aligned 8000 staff against appropriate profile
Assessed individual gaps for custom training plans
Assessed aggregate gaps to drive training development and acquisition
Results Achieved:
Competency models for 27 occupations
4000 learning events mapped to the models in a Talent Management System
96% assessment completion
Lessons Learned
Best Practices
Active SME Working Groups
Used one occupation as an initial pilot to agree on definitions/outcomes and improve the process
Implemented competency-based learning
Pitfalls
Lack of senior stakeholder engagement from the outset initially caused leadership commitment to wane in some organizations
Competency models are large and needed to be streamlined

16. Case Study: Two year learning program
Challenge Faced:
Rapid growth of information security workforce
Dispersed workforce with limited on-site peer support
Integrate new employees into the larger team and organization
Actions Taken:
Designed a two year learning plan to help new employees become familiar with the organization and their job responsibilities
Assigned new employees a mentor to help guide their development in their first two years
Developed additional training specific to fill gaps
Offered quarterly forums to encourage interaction and sharing lessons learned among participants
Results Achieved:
Close to 300 new employees participated in the program since 2011
Lessons Learned
Best Practices
Engaged and active leadership
Aligned to critical competencies for the role
Gather program feedback and continuously enhance program to meet participant needs
Pitfalls
Mentors are assigned by supervisors and may not always be the best fit
Even with tools provided, limited face-to-face opportunities are still a challenge for some new employees and their mentors

17. The Way We Work Virtual work is accepted
Many staff on client site
Move to ‘hoteling’/staff alignment to closest office
Matrixed teams
Virtual Collaboration is expected
Many meetings include Lync screen sharing
Outlook invites include iPhone direct access
Work/Life balance is encouraged
40-50 hour work week
Travel throughout DC Metro Area is common
Flex hours are common

18. Example Consulting realities
Where you work is dependent on where your clients and project team need you.
Some government consulting projects place consultants on client site 100% of the time
When not on client site, consultants may work at an office where spaces are reserved via a hoteling system, or remotely
When team members do not physically sit together, the firm encourages use of its tools and technologies that support collaboration
Project assignment is sometimes unpredictable.
Projects can last anywhere from a few weeks to 3-6 months to 1-2 years.
Sometimes the parameters for a task are unclear, and sometimes the project you are assigned to changes scope because client priorities change.
Our clients flex to address important mission changes, and we flex to anticipate and address our clients’ evolving needs.
In many cases, you will not know in January precisely what you’ll be working on in July, or where. We adapt to change.
Solid writing skills are crucial for success in consulting.
Everything we do to win work is based on a written narrative; everything we do to get paid is based on a written deliverable
Management consultants need to deliver concise messages that will resonate with an executive audience.
Diversity of experience makes us stronger.
As a multicultural community of problem solvers, we recognize that bringing together many perspectives makes us more robust.
Staff are encouraged to chart their own journey and define what kind of expert to be; we are given the tools and are expected to be proactive about taking advantage of them.

19. Example Consulting realities
We value connections with other people.
Networking is an essential work activity—it’s how many employees find billable work, opportunities to engage in business development, and new areas of functional and market interest.
Employees don’t just engage with their administrative and project teams, but with functional communities, communities of practice, and communities of shared interests and hobbies.
We tailor approaches to client needs
We match our approaches to client appetite and the client’s end goal.
We recognize that the approach that serves the client best may be different than a rigorous methodology that lends itself to publication in a scientific journal, as might be appropriate in academia.
We participate in procuring our work
Most consulting staff participate in the process to procure new work because every project has a finite period of performance.
We embrace a demanding schedule
Work/life balance changes from project to project, and even week to week.
Consultants are expected to be engaged and delivering top quality work, whatever it takes.
We recognize that there are surges and slower times that are driven by client deadlines and needs.

20. Required Skills Consulting Human Capital
Listening actively and asking pertinent and relevant questions
Thinking critically to properly evaluate information
Focus group facilitation
Analysis
Project management
Communicating solutions effectively (e.g., PowerPoint, Executive writing)
Human Capital
Job Analysis
“Best practice” frameworks, theories, and approaches as a starting point
Credible sources to cite
Detailed federal HR knowledge is a plus

21. Questions?