Process: Plan-do-check-improve and the Consultancy Competence Framework

[swaraj]

Process: Plan-do-check-improve and the Consultancy Competence Framework
Contribution from Nick Warn
We are living ‘between times’ so we can expect no perfection and will always fall short of the mark.
However, this is no cause for despair but a reason for continually striving to improve.
It’s often dangerous to generalise on things (like dodgy businesses or people) and perhaps we need to
avoid that approach but be more specific on a case by case basis – much more difficult and
complicated, and more difficult to hold up to public scrutiny (the black and white fundamentalist line
of ‘the rules is the rules and that’s that’ is so much more straightforward which is why so many people
find it easy to follow that route).
Each situation we’re faced with – whether self-generated through our own marketing, or put in our
way by happen-chance (although I’d prefer the word God-incidence to coincidence) so perhaps ‘Divine
Providence’ would be better than ‘happen-chance’, has to be dealt with individually and specifically
It might be said to be a matter of motivation rather than situation that decides the issue for us.
The acid test is for us to picture Jesus having a conversation with us about our decision, our consequent
actions and their impact – what would He have to say to us?
This can easily be seen as really good ‘pie in the sky’ stuff so how do we make it work in practice?
I see two parallels from the wider world of business and consultancy:
Given that we have to accept our current imperfection and the need to strive for improvement, we
should employ the classic PLAN-DO-CHECK-IMPROVE cycle of continuous improvement
Secondly I see a parallel in the way my professional body – the Institute of Business Consulting assesses
candidates for its certification using a Consultancy Competence Framework - we look for Knowledge,
Understanding and Experience with a commitment to follow a Code of Conduct and Ethics, leading to
Application of Knowledge leading in turn to Evidence of Successful Application and finally a Self
Appraisal Review which leads to a plan for Continuous Professional Development.
Just as IBC measures consultancy competence surely God measures our ‘spiritual competence’ in much
the same way – the model for spiritual competence could look like this table:
PDCI cycle Consultancy Competence Spiritual Competence
Plan
• Knowledge and Understanding – the Competency Framework
• Knowledge and Understanding of Jesus (the person of Christ)
• Commitment to the Code of Conduct and Ethics Commitment to follow His Way
Do
• Application of Knowledge in assignments
• Conscience – developed through true understanding of Christ’s message
• Decisions – to be involved or not?
How to proceed once involved?
• Prayer – for guidance, wisdom, prudence, courage
Check
• Evidence of Successful Application plus recognition of need for further development based
on what didn’t work well.
• Prayer for perception of right and wrong in God’s eyes – did we get it right? What did we
get wrong?
Improve
• CPD Prayer for forgiveness for falling short of the mark and for future guidance from
the Holy Spirit.
• Back to the Scriptures! An active characteristic of the Christian consultant as opposed to the
non-Christian consultant.[list][*]