PhD progress report

We're supposed to write up progress reports every six months, so October-March means my first should have been in a bit ago. Supervisors signed it off yesterday - hurray! What they wrote is the nearest to positive that I've had, but then feedback from them is usually verbal, not written.

They point out:

1. I've moved from accountability to a focus on effective management of consultants - yes, but that's why I don't keep my original first supervisor.
2. I'm still reviewing the literature - do I ever get to stop?
3. I've negotiated relevant access to a supplier - yes
4. I'm addressing writing skills "in a more clearly expository style" - he means that I don't usually give enough detail of what I've read and why it's relevant
5. I'm meeting performance targets. :) Big smile (but do I know what they are?)
   

I have now to do more on the literature review, focus research questions and outline the methodology for the probationary review in July.

Management of External Consultants in the Public Sector

What? Consultancy is a growing industry, and its biggest UK market is the public sector. This brings issues of:

• project iteration processes,
• culture and roles of various parties,
• motivations that vary with roles,
• risk aversion,
• separate departments’ resources & experience, and
• good or adverse media.

Why? Government receives variable value from consultancy projects

Research question: How does the public sector manage external consultants?

Preliminary findings: a chain of management exists with official processes such as reviews and reports, but with some missing or weakened links of accountability, e.g. when the consultant doesn’t have to work with the contracting official. See diagram.

Future research: How can improvements in management in the public sector reap value from suppliers?

This is what I am putting together for a poster for a competition for research students. My aim however is also to address public sector workers who might use consultants and could offer me access for my research. So:

1. Does this content work?
2. Some people don't like diagrams, so perhaps I should take it out. What do you think of the diagram?

Managing consultants

Tim Clark has written this book about the topic, arguing that it's impression management. I like the diagram that he has used to explain what bases he starts his argument from. With slight adapting, I can use something similar for my next set of notes for my supervisors.

Supervision

Next task is to review literature on the management of consultants, which is quite difficult to find, possibly because

1. there is little such literature
2. it's hidden because the research terms 'management' AND 'consultant' could mean how consultants manage, or how they consult for managers rather than how managers select, use and manage them.

I also need to turn up at the next supervision meeting with around 10 possible PhD skills to pick three from and concentrate on.

Thirdly, I need to work out what, if anything I can submit to the student stream at the BAM conference in September.