Oracle Financials Consultancy and PRINCE2

A guide to the soft skills required

by Tony Wilson

Oracle financials consultancy or using the PRINCE2 methodology isn't only a matter of providing the client with a hard core of functional and technical competences.

The client has embarked on a journey to the "promised land" of best practice, which involves a trek through the harsh terrain of change management. In addition to revising systems and processes, Oracle financials consultancy and using the PRINCE2 methodology both also involve:

Giving the client & their staff the confidence to embark on the journey
Capturing their requirement up front
Getting them doing their part
Helping them understand the route & destination
Holding them with you through the journey
Blending the project team (usually a temporary creation) into a good quality working unit
Keeping everyone focused
Delivering on time and to budget

PRINCE2/Oracle financials consultancy expert, Tony Wilson

Tony Wilson is a project manager, expert in Oracle financials consultancy and PRINCE2 accredited.

Contact Tony Wilson.

The knowledge of oracle financials and PRINCE2 (or an equivalent methodology) form the hard core of the consultancy being provided, but you also need to wrap around these the softer skills of project management.

What soft skills ?

The soft skills I am talking about here are those associated with Project Management:

Winner ownership of and commitment to a common goal or purpose
Managing team and client dynamics
Creating a people centred as well as task centred approach
Adopting/living out the client's team or organization culture, to maintain a consistent way of working
Empowering yourself and others to achieve the objective
Achieving consistent follow through

It is not always easy to achieve these things, but the best way I have found (so far, in the two decades during which I've been working in this area!) is to base them around established methodologies. Soft skills and team work should not be considered as separate activities from the main work. For example, a project management methodology not only identifies project milestones and deliverables, but it can also be used to instil commitment to a common way of working, both in the team and with the client.

Methodologies to drive soft skills

PRINCE2 is the " Projects In a Controlled Environment" methodology supported by the UK Office of Government Commerce. The keypoint of PRINCE2 is that it focuses on the best practice of managing a project rather than just the specialist deliverables. Following its guidelines is the best way I know of systematically capturing all of the "softer" elements of good project management. It starts with the "Business Case" which says why the benefits are worth the effort - and this case can be used to win commitment from all those involved in the project. It also provides a common way of working that brings together a wealth of experience on delivering the desired result, which if followed through encourages better teamwork and working relationships.

Another approach that can be used is Oracle's AIM. AIM is the Oracle Application Implementation Methodology published by Oracle Corporation itself. It focuses on all of the predictable or common elements of specialist deliverables in support of PRINCE2, with excellent document templates in particular for the products to be delivered.

Both PRINCE2 and AIM should be used as guiding beacons from the outset, for both aspects of the project: tangible deliverables and soft skills. For example, you should ensure that all those involved in the project receive some element of training or familiarisation with the process. This creates a common approach - a shared way of working - a team technology. Ultimately, this will reward the client in helping the team to pull consisently in the same direction, perform at a consistently high level and thereby deliver optimal results for the business.

For more information, you can contact Tony Wilson.