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Life in the fast lane – Bid work

This Blog was written by Alex Hammond. Alex is a current member of the Graduate Consultant Development Community (CDC).

Having completed the rigorous training and induction at the start of our time on the CDC, our group were split. Some wanted to take the time to assimilate the wealth of information they had been exposed to in the preceding weeks, enjoy some slightly less manic time on the bench, and get settled into their shiny new job. Others were chomping at the bit to get stuck in. I was overwhelmingly of the latter - I could not wait to get started. Having been trained to within an inch of my life, I was now ready to unleash this knowledge on the world.

Unfortunately (or perhaps wisely, who’s to judge?!), I was not set loose on the CEO of a Global Retailer, or asked to redesign the NHS within my first week out of induction. What I was able to get involved with, however, is a project that epitomises the very nature of the work that we do - I joined a bid team.

Those that have experienced any sort of formal sales process, whether we’re talking a few pounds to a few million, will know it is an emotional rollercoaster. Our client was a major bank - nothing new there you might say - but this was (and still is) a bank undergoing a phenomenal amount of change across the entirety of its business. What this meant for us was a great opportunity for Capgemini to get involved in this change, and make things happen. Trouble is we had to convince the client to part with a fair chunk of change in order for us to do so.

A bid is a great thing to get involved with early in your consulting career. It encompasses everything that is good about consulting – fast-paced environment, a great team effort, quick decisions, a huge amount of variety, and the opportunity to work with some really big fish (or VP’s as they generally prefer to be called). This is to name but a few. Delivery is our day job, and of course most of your time will be working to actually design, deliver and implement what it is you have been selling. But when the opportunity comes up to bid and sell a project, it is worth getting involved.

The nature of the beast is momentum. The start of a bid tends to be fairly restrained - gathering research, reading documents, discussing solution options, playing with figures and costs, and ultimately developing our idea of what a good solution looks like. At the start, and particularly as a new joiner, you can get lulled into the sense that you have a chilled couple of weeks ahead of you... but how wrong you would be! This truly is the calm before the storm.

By week 2 things have really kicked off, and come the week of submission the pace of work is such that if you switch off for a minute you will have missed a complete change of strategy. Finally, as the final proposal is signed, sealed and delivered (well, emailed at least), you realise how much of a team effort it is to deliver something like a multi-million pound bid, and the sense of achievement you have when you find out you have won! (Disclaimer – unfortunately we don’t win all bids, but if you’re like me you can claim a 100% record and not worry about this too much). Can’t think of a better start to my career as a consultant...

Learning and development within the Consultant Development Community

Robert Ord writes about the learning and development opportunities at Capgemini:

University gives you an experience of learning; to experience lectures, seminars, workshops and many other varieties of ‘transmitting’ knowledge.  It is to experience being an expert in your chosen field by being able to look beyond the surface of information and truly develop your skills.  At the same time, University is a social experience where you can meet any number of people, discuss interests freely and learn from each other.  The Learning & Development programme in the CDC is the next step in this process; we give you a business learning experience to remember.

During your 24 month programme in the CDC, you will join in core workshops and classes designed to push you beyond your comfort zone and make you reflect on your personality traits.  This isn’t to achieve change, but moreover, to make you aware of who you are and how you appear to others while refining the skills you need to become a great consultant. 

You will experience collaborative workshops and classes on subjects from communication, team-working, core consulting methods, analytical tools, personal well-being and many more.  Individually, they tackle critical areas of your life as a consultant that you will develop into; both in the professional environment and out of it.  Together, the L&D programme prepares you to be an outstanding asset for your clients and a consultant who is modest, honest, fun, bold and trustworthy.

Beyond the core curriculum, there are opportunities to hear experts tell you about current market trends and major projects in their sectors.  You can choose to learn supplementary skills from fellow graduates in class based environments that are presented and orchestrated by the CDC.  You can investigate specific topics using innovative online learning portals and enjoy a wealth of literature, books, newsletters, posters, debates, evening events and many more.

The breadth of learning in the CDC is phenomenal.  Whatever is your preferred style, there is something for you to experience and enjoy; remember fun and freedom are part of our core beliefs.  Who knows, this time next year, you could be hosting the classes and teaching other graduates a key skill you have!

Consulting Development Community induction process

This blog was written by David Brady. David is an Associate Consultant who joined Capgemini in March 2010.

The CDC induction process lasts about 3 weeks which is split between the university in France and an induction by other graduates in London. During the university week we went through the basic skills that are needed for a consultant. The course is full of a wide range of people ranging from new recruits to potentially VP’s from all over the world. Every consultant that joins Capgemini has to go on CSW so it’s an eclectic mix.  It was great to work with such a variety of people from all over the world and grades. The whole week was a brilliant learning curve and one of the key skills that I learned was the ability to give and receive feedback, something which is invaluable in your time as a consultant. The curriculum is built around a case study and after each module you will present back the tools you used around the case study. The moderators do give you curve balls and challenges but it’s very good fun.

The induction is a more specific on the Consultant Development Community (CDC, get used to that acronym) in the UK. We received presentations from the CEO of UK consulting, Head of HR, Operations & IS to name just a few. We really did get the impression that we were immensely valued within Capgemini and that we were there to make a difference from the very start.

During the whole 3 weeks of induction you are fully prepared for your first day on project. No matter how much you are prepared though nothing prepares you for your new found fame! The internal marketing stream do a really good job or promoting you to the rest of the business even before you join so be prepared for meeting colleagues in the lift that know your name and a short life story!

Collaborative Group Working

As part of the CDC’s Learning & Development programme, I recently attended the ‘Collaborative Group Working’ (CGW) course, which I’d highly recommend to anybody.

Collaboration is at the heart of Capgemini’s methodology and centres on working with the client every step of the way. The CGW course teaches you to put into practice the different core consulting tools and techniques, learning how to use them creatively through behaviour and use of space to encourage collaboration.

Using psychoanalytical assessments such as Belbin and Coloured-Thinking, we were each informed of our strengths and potential weaknesses in a team environment. Over the next two-days, as well as playing to our strengths, we also strove to step out of our comfort zones and build our confidence in less familiar team roles.

We also learnt how to facilitate workshops, in order to draw out information from a range of stakeholders, without influencing the outcome. This is a key skill that will prove invaluable throughout your career in Capgemini, especially in roles at the Accelerated Solutions Environment (ASE).

CGW is a really action-packed and interactive couple of days. All attendees are encouraged to put their new skills into practice, and given the opportunity to offer and receive feedback. In the spirit of feedback, I’d say this course is excellent and really helps you to discover a lot about yourself.

Frances Wilkinson is an Associate Consultant who joined the CDC in September 2008. She is currently working on a major bid.