When starting an engineering consulting firm, there are many questions such as, “How do I start a business?”, “How do I handle cash flow?”, “How do I get clients?”, and “How do I market?” among others that need to be answered. Since I am a sole proprietorship engineer, I will first start this paper by constructing a foundation. For a start-up, this foundation is how to get your business started. Then I will explain the business plan. This plan for a business is its structural frame that holds up the company. Finally, I will erect the facade of the business. Just like a building’s façade, marketing strategies are the face of the business and some work well while others fail in their application. At the end, I hope to be able to give a clear understanding of what it takes to start your own engineering consulting firm. / text

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Professional services are one of the fastest growing industries, accounting for over US$330 billion in revenue, globally. The industry is also characterised by stiff competition among professional consulting firms. Thus, in order to survive and grow sustainably, consulting companies need to, not only deliver high quality services which surpass their clients’ expectations but, also nurture strong relationships with them.This study sought to understand the relationship between project delivery success and the strength of client-consultant relationships. It used the engineering consulting industry, focusing on public sector clients and consulting firms in South Africa. The methodology used focused on first establishing as to whether clients and consultants measure project delivery success and relationships using the same factors. It then tested the relationship between project delivery success and client-consultant relationships using the identified set of factors.Through a detailed literature review, project delivery factors were categorised into project success and project management success factors. In order to capture the different dimensions involved in project delivery and client-consultant relationships, frameworks were developed to adequately classify these factors. These frameworks were used in the design of the data collection instrument.The findings from the study indicated that clients and consultants measure project delivery success using fairly similar factors, which they also rated in a fairly similar way. However, the study established that clients and consultants neither evaluate relationships using the same factors, nor rate the factors in a similar way. It was also found that project delivery success does not necessarily result in strong client-consultant relationships.On the basis of these findings, the study established that product delivery success is results from the interaction of many factors within and beyond project boundaries. It also involves a variety of stakeholders with different expectations. Project success is more difficult to measure than project management success. Client-consultant relationships depend on the types of clients and consultants involved as well as the model of engagement used. These factors also influence the choice and priority given to different measurement factors.Thus, the study recommended the importance of active client-consultant engagement for clients and consultants to and understand these complex context-specific environments in structuring and defining problems and design relevant solutions. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Purpose The purpose of this case study is to explore the measures which the engineering consulting firm use to retain their employees for sustaining competitive advantage. The key focus of the research is to address the reasons for high employee turnover and connect these reasons with the measures to retain employees to maintain a low employee turnover for sustained competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative and abductive approach is applied for this research with a single case study of a Swedish-based engineering consultancy firm. Data collection includes both primary and secondary data. Primary data was achieved based on semistructured and virtual interviews with five interview participants; two of them are at managerial levels. Secondary data include reports and documents from the case company, the Swedish Federation of Innovation Companies, and other relevant sources. Findings and conclusion Low employee turnover rate can help sustain a competitive advantage for an engineering consulting firm. Nine retention measures are explored in this study which includes eight non-financial measures and one financial measure which can be listed as: 1. Transformational leadership style; 2. Open and trusting culture and values of an organization 3. Talent management approach which enhances job security and opportunities for advancement; 4. Respectful, open, and inspiring communication; 5. The autonomy which empowers freedom and independence of work and decision-making; 6.Work-life balance; 7. Employer brand, interesting clients and meaningful projects; 8. Diversity of the workforce; 9. Fair compensation package Originality/Value This study contributes to the knowledge-intensive segment and the engineering consultancy field with insights from a leading Swedish engineering consulting firm. A newly established model is presented with concepts from previous research findings and the empirical findings of this research.

Det existerar ett implementationsgap när det kommer till formulering och implementation av strategi. Detta är något som leder till att företag ofta misslyckas med att realisera strategier. Gapet existerar även för hållbarhetsstrategier, vilka blir allt viktigare som en konsekvens av de hållbarhetsutmaningar som samhället står inför idag. Att förankra en hållbarhetsstrategi är en komplex process. Det involverar många organisatoriska områden och aktiviteter, där olika typer av organisationer har olika förutsättningar. Med detta som utgångspunkt formulerades studiens syfte till att utveckla ett ramverk med huvudområden och nyckelaktiviteter för förankring av hållbarhetsstrategi i teknikkonsultbolag. Hållbarhet är högaktuellt för både konsultbolag och företag inom teknikintensiv industri. Studien ämnar att hjälpa teknikkonsultbolag att minska implementationsgapet och öka den positiva inverkan från deras hållbarhetsstrategier. Med vetenskaplig litteratur som grund togs en analysmodell fram. Analysmodellen innefattar en undersökning och värdering av åtta huvudområden för förankring. Därtill innebär analysmodellen en undersökning och värdering av ett antal nyckelaktiviteter för förankring inom varje huvudområde. Detta lade grunden för det initiala ramverket. De åtta huvudområdena är ledarskap, kommunikation, företagskultur och värderingar, organisatoriskt lärande, resursallokering och planering, organisationsstruktur, formella system samt externa intressenter. Baserat på analysmodellen togs två frågeställningar fram. Den kvalitativa empiriinsamlingen skedde genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Intervjuer genomfördes med elva respondenter från tio olika konsultföretag, samt fyra respondenter från studiens uppdragsgivare som är ett teknikkonsultbolag. Syftet med intervjuerna var att undersöka företagens förankringsprocesser av hållbarhetsstrategi för att kunna undersöka och värdera hur viktiga huvudområdena och nyckelaktiviteterna är för förankringen. Analysen resulterade i en slutgiltig version av ramverket med värderade huvudområden samt reviderade och värderade nyckelaktiviteter. Studien resulterade i två slutsatser. Den första slutsatsen är att det finns åtta huvudområden som är relevanta att beakta vid förankring av olika anledningar. De tre viktigaste huvudområdena att fokusera på är ledarskap, kommunikation och företagskultur och värderingar. Däremot får inget huvudområde bortses från helt. Den andra slutsatsen är att det finns flertalet nyckelaktiviteter inom respektive huvudområde att beakta vid förankring, där några konstaterats vara viktigast. Det finns ett överlapp och ömsesidig påverkan mellan huvudområdena. Därtill är hållbarhetsstrategiprocessen iterativ något som kräver ett kontinuerligt arbete med nyckelaktiviteterna. Baserat på slutsatserna togs två rekommendationer fram. Den första rekommendationen är att ta hänsyn till alla åtta huvudområden vid förankring, men prioritera ledarskap, kommunikation och företagskultur och värderingar högst. Däremot får inget huvudområde bortses från helt. Den andra rekommendationen är att vid förankring prioritera de viktigaste nyckelaktiviteterna inom de mest relevanta huvudområdena högst. På grund av överlapp mellan huvudområdena kan positiv förstärkning mellan dem utnyttjas och arbetet bör vara kontinuerligt och anpassas till förändringar. Framtida forskning kan undersöka rekommendationer för vad en organisation bör göra i nästa steg efter att förankringsprocessen påbörjats. Dessutom kan fler intervjuer genomföras, både med fler företag samt fler personer inom samma företag på olika organisatoriska nivåer. Det skulle således kunna stärka ramverket och förståelsen för förankring av hållbarhetsstrategi. Specifikt kan också fler intervjuer med teknikkonsultbolag öka kunskapen om förankring för teknikkonsultbolag. / There is an implementation gap when it comes to strategy formulation and implementation, which leads to companies often failing to realise strategies. This gap also exists for sustainability strategies, which are becoming increasingly important as a consequence of the sustainability challenges facing society today. Embedding a sustainability strategy is a complex process. It involves many organisational areas and activities, with different types of organisations having different requirements. With this as a starting point, the aim of the study was formulated as to develop a framework with main areas and key activities for anchoring sustainability strategy in engineering consulting firms. Sustainability is an important topic for both consultancies and companies in technology-intensive industries. This study aims to help engineering consultancies reduce the implementation gap and increase the positive impact of their sustainability strategies. Based on the scientific literature, an analytical model was developed, consisting of the examination and evaluation of eight main areas for anchoring and the examination and evaluation of a number of key activities for anchoring within each main area. This laid the foundation for the first version of the framework. The eight main areas are leadership, communication, corporate culture and values, organisational learning, resource allocation and planning, organisational structure, formal systems and external stakeholders. Based on the analysis model, two questions were developed. The qualitative empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were conducted with eleven respondents from ten different consulting firms, as well as four respondents from the study’s case company, an engineering consulting firm. The purpose was to investigate the companies’ sustainability strategy anchoring processes in order to examine and evaluate how important the main areas and key activities are for anchoring. The analysis developed a finalised version of the framework with evaluated main areas and revised and evaluated key activities. The analysis resulted in two conclusions. The first conclusion is that there are eight main areas that are relevant to consider when anchoring for different reasons. The three most important main areas to focus on are leadership, communication and corporate culture and values. However, no main area should be completely ignored. The second conclusion is that there are several key activities within each main area to consider for anchoring, but some have been identified as most important. There is an overlap and mutual influence between the main areas. Additionally, the sustainability strategy process is iterative, requiring continuous effort on the key activities. Based on the findings, two recommendations were also developed. The first recommendation is to consider all eight main areas when anchoring, but to prioritise leadership, communication and corporate culture and values the most. However, no main area should be completely ignored. The second recommendation is to prioritise the most important key activities in the most relevant main areas at the top of the anchoring process. Due to overlaps between the main areas, positive reinforcement between them can be utilised, and work should be continuous and adapt to change. Future research could explore recommendations for what an organisation should do in the next steps after the anchoring process has begun. Furthermore, additional interviews could be conducted, both with more companies and more people within the same company at different organisational levels. This could thus strengthen the framework and understanding of anchoring sustainability strategy. Specifically, conducting more interviews with engineering consultancies could enhance knowledge of anchoring in engineering consultancies.