Thesis (MTech (Quality))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology. / The global consulting industry has become a significant contributor to economies worldwide due to the growing requirement for specialised skills, but the industry encounters tense flaws and pitfalls. These pitfalls are related to the increasing amount of consulting engagements that fall short of their desired goal. The inability to fully achieve the goals agreed upon yields questions regarding the quality of service provided within the industry. It is believed that this inability to perform and to meet goals is due to gaps that occur within the consulting process. This research aims to determine whether there is a lack of quality in the full spectrum of the consulting process, which ultimately hampers the success of the consulting engagement. A non-empirical and qualitative research method was used to investigate the nature of the gaps and the main reasons for these gaps within the consulting process. A framework was developed in order to assist the researcher in understanding whether quality methods can successfully address or narrow the gaps in the consulting process that inhibit the success of consulting engagements or the ability to meet all requirements of consulting engagements. Validation was carried out through interviews with experts in the consulting industry. After a study of current literature it was clear that the fields of project management, change management and knowledge management are imperative when running a consulting engagement. Results of this study indicated that the framework is a viable quality methodology that can indeed be applied to address gaps in the consulting process. This is acquired through an interaction of fields such as systems thinking, audits, customer focus, corrective action and quality awareness. The framework was designed to add value and attempt to assure that the goals of consulting engagements can be fully achieved. Suggested further research includes the implementation of the framework in small consulting firms to investigate its practical usability and feasibility.

Engineering Consultants is a kind of knowledge-intensive services, needed to establish knowledge management mechanism in order to pile personal and company¡¦s property, increase employee¡¦s knowledge development and lift up everyone¡¦s ability to use knowledge property. Finally, providing the owner satisfy service and reach company¡¦s goal. At present, only a few of projects need foreign engineering consultants to guide the planning in Taiwan. Engineering consultancy services can be seen in the past few decades of human resource and technology training, and indeed hard work over the years. This study used depth-interview method, through observation and interviewed staff¡¦s experience, to explore the case company¡¦s current knowledge management structure, and we could understood knowledge acquisition, creation, accumulation and diffusion of the actual situation. List the following five recommendations for improvement, including 1.Organizational culture of mutual trust: implementation of knowledge-sharing needs the guidance of enterprise culture. 2.Emphasis on leadership: the establishment of a specialized management positions is very necessary, This position is called CKO in the West. 3.Perfect information systems: establish a sound information network is to achieve knowledge sharing knowledge management platform. 4.Human resource development: enterprises are to achieve knowledge sharing, must establish a contract similar to the market economy mechanism. 5.The right strategy: knowledge sharing is the premise and foundation of knowledge management.