Consulting Project with Lefferts Medical

Running head: consulting project with lefferts medical 1

Consulting Project with Lefferts Medical

Simrat Kaur

Saint Joseph’s University

consulting project with lefferts medical 2

Consulting Project with Lefferts Medical

Why this client? What is the relationship to you?

Originally, I wanted to collaborate with a local Subway Restaurant because my sister

worked for them. When I asked my sister if it was okay to approach the owners, she denied

immediately. Then I felt stuck, I thought maybe I can ask around some local business or the ask

the manager at the grocery store I used to work at. As I was preparing to leave the house to ask

around, it suddenly occurred to me, I could ask my cousin if the doctor she works for would be

interested. Without any hope I called my cousin, I told her about my class project and a little

about consulting. Before she even asked him, she said he will most likely say yes. About an hour

later she told me he’s interested. I immediately thanked her and told her to let him know I will

come in for a quick visit to give him an overview of the project. My clients name is Dr. Inderpal

Chhabra; I had heard about him from many people in the past. He is quite popular in the

neighborhood, especially among the Indian community. I had never thought I would meet and

collaborate with him, however I’m glad it worked out. The reason I chose to work with Dr.

Chhabra is, he has a small private practice with a few employees. I think it is a great place to

start practicing consulting. If I had approached the grocery store, I may have been overwhelmed

or confused. I have no relationship with the client, I think this is perfect because in the future I

won’t always know my clients. When we first met I believe there was lots of understanding. We

listened to each other and did not have any issues or disagreements.

What is the preliminary need of the client based on the initial / first conversation?

When I met Dr. Chhabra, he mentioned two topics. First, he wanted to work on

‘workplace optimization.’ He mentioned there is often a lot of confusion among the employees

and lots of back and forth. For example, after a patient is tested in one room before meeting the


doctor, the employees don’t know which room the patient should be seated in to meet the doctor.

So, the patients are moved around many times before seeing the doctor. It seems like we may be

working on work place efficiency. Another topic, the client mentioned was the patient wait time

in the office was very long and a majority of the patients complain about it, however it seems to

me if we work in creating a smooth workflow the patient wait time will be drastically reduced. I

think things will be more clear as we progress in the project, as well as understanding what the

issue is.

Describe the following: Each meeting with the client to determine the scope of the project

I met with the client two times for the entry and contracting phase. The first meeting was

a brief introduction. It was basically to confirm our collaboration and let the client know about

the things that will occur during this project. It lasted approximately 20 minutes. I made sure to

go in for a visit when my cousin was present, so she can introduce us to each other. I was a bit

nervous, but I had prepared and practiced all the information I was going to say, so I tried to

remain calm. I was dressed semi-professional, so I can be taken seriously. I was sat in a waiting

area and about 8-10 minutes later I got to sit down with my client in a private room.

Agenda, issues, the essence of each meeting / discussion

I told Dr. Chhabra a little about myself and my consulting project. Then, he told me what

he wanted to work on, he said he wants better ‘workplace optimization’ and there are problems

with scheduling patients and patient wait time. Also, he mentioned he had consultants come in

and observe in the past and they gave him suggestions. However, they never contracted with the

client. I think the consultant may have been providing a preview of what his/her work will look

like. I think Dr. Chhabra got the word ‘work optimization’ from this past consultant.

Immediately, I knew I had to keep this fact in the back of my head for the feedback and


suggestions phase. I told him we will have to meet multiple times during this consulting project.

We will have an informal contract meeting, a meeting to determine interview questions, conduct

interviews/observe, and after analyzing the data I will provide recommendations and/or

suggestions. I emphasized this is a collaboration where we will both take equal part in the whole

project. The client agreed to the terms and we exchanged e-mails for contact. Overall, the client

was very co-operative. It seemed like the project was off to a good start. I felt pretty good at this

time.

Hidden agendas you uncovered

A possible hidden agenda may be work on or complete what the past consultant left

incomplete. Apparently, the past consultant made observations and told my current client what a

possible issue may be, without contracting. I think the client is partially stuck on what this person

told him. I think the next meeting will make everything more clear.

How the client wants your assistance

Currently, since it was an initial meeting, all I know is the client would like to work on

improving the workplace. He wants a smoother workflow around his office and reduced chaos.

Your role / the client’s role

The roles have not been clearly discussed. The roles and steps of the project were vaguely

explained. I told him about the three steps we will take in the project: contracting, data

collection, and feedback/suggestions. I did emphasis the client should be actively involved and

always provide his thoughts and input.

Describe the following: Each meeting with the client to determine the scope of the project

The second meeting was the contract meeting. I visited the client an hour after the office

was closed for the day. The client and employees were all there finishing up their work for the


day. I found this a bit strange, a doctor’s office is usually closed on the dot. At this point the

employees had no idea about the consulting project, so they seemed a bit confused when I said I

had a scheduled meeting with Dr. Chhabra. This was the meeting where the actual collaboration

started and the project started to take shape.

Agenda, issues, the essence of each meeting / discussion

This meeting lasted about an hour. When I sat with Dr. Chhabra, I told him about our

objective for the meeting was to determine the problem we will be focusing on, our roles in the

project, and our expectations so we can create a contract based on the information. I asked the

client seventeen questions from a typed list I had brought with me. I used the Peter Block

textbook as inspiration to create the questions. I took notes during this meeting, so I can use it as

reference for the contract. I tried to understand what the conflict was at the workplace. He

mentioned, it’s hard for him to know what’s going on outside the room because he is busy seeing

patients inside. The client described there is lots of back and forth and confusion. I received lots

of information on the challenges the organization faces daily at the office and what’s happening

in the environment. I touched on the organizations strengths, possible barriers or constraints we

may face, what he expects from me, what success will look like, concerns, and how to present

feedback. I made sure he is satisfied with our meeting and made sure he feels he has control.

Hidden agendas you uncovered

I did see a possible hidden agenda, he mentioned, a possible barrier was that his

employees may feel a lack of responsibility towards the patients. He thought they may not be

concerned for the patients well-being. So there is a possibility, he feels his employees don’t take

patients health concerns as a top priority.


How the client wants your assistance

The client wants to know the cause for the confusion at work. He wants to know possible

solutions for the lack of a smooth workflow. The client wants my assistance in figuring out what

is going on and possible actions that can be taken to fix this. He needs help to create a smooth

work flow and complete tasks in a timely manner, all while preventing conflict.

Your role / the client’s role

We established it will be a 50/50 partnership. We decided we will work together

throughout this project and exert equal effort to achieve our goal. My role is to collect data by

interviewing the staff and recording observations. After the data is processed, I will provide a

verbal summary of my findings to the client and create a PowerPoint for the staff’s monthly

meeting. The client will inform the staff of this upcoming project and encourage their

involvement. He will present the finding to his staff during their monthly meeting and motivate

his team to make the changes needed for a smooth workflow. We will both discuss which

suggestions will be appropriate after results are found.

Describe how the “GAP” unfolded from the initial meetings.

Can the client describe what they want and how it will look when they get it?

I asked the client, what success would look like if we achieve our goal. The client was

very clear and knew exactly what success would look like. The client described what he wanted

from this project. Currently, the conflict is severely affecting the patients and the doctor. The

patients are complaining, waiting long hours to see the doctor. This is leading to bad reviews

from patients. The doctor is staying past his office hours every day. The staff has to stay past

their hours of work as well. This effects the client/staff’s life outside the office. They get home

later and have to arrive to the office early the next day. It effects the plans they may have outside


of work. In the future, the client wants to create a smooth workflow, so the client and staff can go

home on time, rather than have to stay after office hours. He wants to complete all his work

within his office hours and he wants his staff to complete their work within the office hours as

well. In addition, the client wants the patients to feel ease during their doctors visit.

What is the historical context? How long existed? Other ways attempted to resolve?

This conflict has existed for more than three years. An attempted solution was a

consultant observed the situation and provided recommendations, however the consultant did not

contract with the client. The client decided to get find a consultant later in the near future. In

addition, the client tries to get the staff to implement changes, however not everyone makes the

effort to try the new changes. Also, the staff is not consistent in making the changes, they stop

trying after a few days. An example is writing all the tests a patient is given/takes in a notebook.

All the employees don’t use the book as a part of their routine.

Clarify the resources needed and / or required

Due to the limited time frame of the collaboration, time is an important resource. It is

necessary for both sides (client and consultant) to be cooperative. We need to schedule our

meetings in an organized and timely manner to prevent rushing the project towards the end.

Another important resource is the participation of the staff at the doctor’s office. They experience

the workplace every day, their input and knowledge is very valuable. Also, I need the client to

listen, ask questions, and provide input/knowledge for a smooth collaboration.

Describe in detail the contract / agreement / expectations you have with your client

What are you going to do? Your client?

The purpose of this agreement is to improve employee workplace tasks more efficiently

and effectively. Our goal is to create a smooth work place and complete tasks in a timely manner,


all while preventing conflict. Dr. Chhabra will inform his employees about our collaboration. He

agreed to meet multiple times, listen, ask questions, fully co-operate and show involvement in

the project. We have agreed to collect data through observations and interviews. I will e-mail Dr.

Chhabra with updates and to schedule meetings. I will observe the employees and will interview

each employee individually. I will analyze the data and provide a verbal summary of my

findings, along with feedback and suggestions to the client. In addition to that, I will give

provide other observations. I will create PowerPoint for the staff and he will present it during

their monthly meeting.

Describe the level of readiness for the client. Scale of 1 to 10, 1 low, 10 high

The client’s readiness level is a 9. He is very accommodating; however, his job can get in

the way. He has his own practice, teaches medical students, and works at a nearby hospital. He

has a hectic schedule, but so far he has not let that get in the way of our meetings. Also, he is

very involved and motivated to work on the project. He has asked questions, shared information,

and is listening to what I have to say.

What method of measurement did you discuss / agree upon?

The client and I agreed on two methods of measurement; observations and interview. I

will observe the staff during their monthly meeting. I will conduct interviews after we create our

interview questions together.

How will the client know the project is a success?

The client will know the project is a success when he can go home on time, rather than

staying behind to complete his own tasks and/or waiting for the staff to complete their tasks. In

addition, when the client makes the effort to implement the changes and the changes are enforced

permanently, the project will be a success.


How will you know?

I will know the project is a success when the client will take the feedback seriously and

enforces the suggestions. It will be success when he motivates and encourages the employees to

make the changes. It will also be a success if I did everything I can to help with the project,

despite the results.

What are your thoughts, insights, and impressions of the client? The project?

So far the client seems like a genuinely nice and understanding person. He seems very

relaxed and trusting when he talks. I think he is very motivated and concerned. He wants to

figure out what exactly is causing the chaos or back and forth when he is inside checking the

patients. Dr. Chhabra seems like an approachable person who is always willing to listen. I feel

very comfortable with the client and the project. So far all the steps in contracting have gone

smoothly. My only issue was the multiple times I had to e-mail the client to schedule meeting, at

one point I started to think he may not be interested anymore. However, eventually he responded.

I am curious to see how the project will unfold and what surprises I will find from the interviews

and observations.

How would you describe the REAL NEED at this stage?

At this stage, I need to be open-mind and stay neutral. I can’t jump to conclusions. Also, I

need to know if what the client is saying is actually the problem or is it something else. I need to

take advantage as an outsider to see everything from a new perspective. What I experience as an

outsider might be similar to what the patients experience and or staff feels.

What judgments and assumptions are you making?

Currently, I believe there can be various factors causing the conflict. Some assumptions

that I have made are there might be a communication problem among the employees and there is


a lack of step-by-step instructions for the employees to follow. Although, I have these

assumptions, I do know I shouldn’t rely on them. The best data will be from the interviews and

observations. It’s hard not to assume, but I am controlling that.

What data collection method did you agree upon and WHY?

The client and I agreed upon two data collection methods; observations and interviewing.

Observations are a great way to be part of an environment and experience your surroundings,

while watching as an outsider. We chose observations because the client wanted additional

feedback on things that he may not be able to detect because he is consistently surrounded in the

environment. Also, he wanted me to look at employee behavior, individual and group actions.

Next, we wanted to understand any potential reasons causing the lack of workplace optimization

through observation. We chose interviews because it is a structured method of collecting data. It

allows the consultant to get detailed information. As a consultant I can ask the right questions

pertaining to the workplace, which will get us answers related to the workplace. In addition,

interviews are conducted in a safe environment, where the participant can speak freely without

any judgement or fear. Since we are exploring a possible conflict, interviewing the staff can tell

us what is the issue (if any), what may be causing the issue (if any), and recommendations.

What is the focus of collecting the data – THE PURPOSE from Your perspective

The overall focus of collecting data is determine what is the root cause of the confusion at

the office. In my perspective, the focus of collecting data is to understand if there is actually a

conflict related to the workplace, if so, what is causing it. If the conflict is not the workplace,

what or who is causing the constant back and forth.


What is the focus of collecting the data – THE PURPOSE from The client’s perspective

In the client’s perspective, the data collection will determine what is preventing

‘workplace optimization.’ The client believes the conflict is very clear, he thinks the data will

determine the cause of the problem. Also, the client has a doubt that his staff does not care for the

patients as much as he does. The client is looking for confirmation for both areas through the

data collection.

How did you develop the content (questions / statements)?

I developed my questions from two sources. When I read ‘Flawless Consulting,’ by Peter

Block there were several questions I liked. I typed the questions before my meeting with the

client. I gave a copy of my suggested questions to the client. The client and I discussed which

questions should be used from the list and which shouldn’t. Along with that Dr. Chhabra

suggested his own questions we should use. After the meeting I formulated a list of all the

questions we agreed upon. Then, I showed the questions to my professor, she suggested I make

them more positive and open-ended. I edited the questions, this was the most difficult part for me

so far. After two tries, I received approval, I sent my new updated questions to the client. He

accepted the changes. I had my new questions ready to use in the interview process.

Explain the process you used to get information.

I observed the staff during their monthly meeting. This was when I was introduced by the

client to the staff. He told the employees I was going to observe them and eventually interview

them. In this meeting, the team discussed things like the number of patients they had compared

to last month, number of new patients, number of tests conducted, which tests should be used

more often, was everything billed and recorded. The client was leading the meeting, he was

asking questions, and going through a list of points. The staff was answering the questions and


taking notes. In this observation, both the content of the meeting and the employee

reactions/behavior gave me a greater understanding of what may be occurring. The interview

process took place in a private room with each staff member. I gave a brief introduction of

myself and about the consulting project. I told them I will ask them questions on the work flow

of the place. In addition, I told them it is all confidential. I gave them all my attention, showed

them I was listening, and took notes. Some employees were more detailed than others. Four out

of five were very detailed and specific. I conducted three interviews on one day and two

interviews a week later because they all work on different days.

How did you determine the method you would use to analyze, diagnose, and

tabulate the data?

I was inspired from the class exercise, in which the class split into two teams to analyze

data to determine the common themes about the ODL Program. I liked how we combined the

similar comments and placed it under a group. This made it easier to recognize the popular

themes and to determine the outliers. It was a great way to organize and make sense of what was

going on. I analyzed my data two times to make sure I didn’t miss anything and to make sure my

conclusions to the data made sense. The first time I analyzed, I looked at the answers to each

question and wrote the most popular/repeated answers on a post-it. Then I compared my

interview data to my observation notes. I looked to see if anything overlapped. At this point, the

diagnoses were clear, but I felt a bit over whelmed so I stepped away from it to refresh my mind.

The second time, I went through all my questions one at a time. I wrote down each question on

the left side of the page, under the question I wrote the answers from each interview. Then I

analyzed the most repeated answers/concerns. On the right side of the page I wrote a conclusion

to each question. Some questions had positive results, so I made a plus sign. Some of the most


repeated comments were highlighted. My data on ‘workplace optimization,’ broke down into

three themes. In addition to the three themes, there was lots of positive comments about the

workplace.

What does the RAW data tell you? Initial impressions.

My initial impression after the first interview was a bit shocked because I did not get any

useful information. It didn’t go in the direction I thought it would have gone. All the comments

were positive, but then I remembered that as a consultant I will tell the client what I find, it

doesn’t necessarily have to anything extreme. All my interviews after the first one were

consistent, my first interview was an outlier because she worked part-time and once a week.

After all the interviews were done, it felt great. When I looked through the raw data, I was a bit

over whelmed, because there was so much information. I was excited to analyze the data; it was

like a puzzle. Before I started to analyze, there were some patterns I started to notice and pick up

during the interviews, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Overall, the raw data showed lots

of overlapping among all the interviews. The information overlapped with my observations as

well.

What patterns, themes, issues emerged?

Overall, the patterns that emerged were, the relationship and communication among the

co-workers is great. They have a lot of understanding with each other. Also, they all feel

comfortable at work, they feel comfortable with each other, and feel the client (their boss) is very

approachable. In addition, they all feel very confident in their job performance. They all believe

they are excellent in their job and they feel no stress at work. There were three areas of

improvement or themes. The themes are ‘patient wait time,’ ‘miscommunication about patients

with the front team and back team,’ and ‘tracking.’ Patient wait time was a reoccurring topic, the


interviewees mentioned multiple incidents that lead to prolonged wait time, such as, “If there is a

walk-in emergency, the patient has to wait even if they are more serious than the regular check-

up. There was a suggestion that emergency walk-ins should be seen as soon as possible rather

than wait.” Also, some patients especially couples take up to an hour and a half with the doctor.

Pushing back the wait time. It was also mentioned the doctor come in late to work sometimes,

pushing everything back. Miscommunication between the front and back teams. The staff splits

into two rotating teams, the front and the back. An incident mentioned, a walk-in patient was

skipped over because the front thought the back took the patient and back thought the front took

the patient. Tracking included patient tests/labs and any important updated information. An

example mentioned was if an employee does not work one day, the next day the staff consists of

different people, so they will not know which tests were taken. When the patient calls about their

labs the employee has to ask many questions because they were not there when the patient took

the test. It causes conflict to the patient and the worker. All the themes are patient related, they all

show a lack of organization. All themes are interlinked.

What does the data say about the project? ANY SURPRISES?

The data says a lot about the project. Originally, it seemed like the staff may have been

having issues with each other or they may not be putting in the effort. I was surprised to see the

culture of the office was amazing. They actually work in the ideal job environment, except of the

few obstacles they office has. Another huge surprise is the client was correct, the problem was

there is a need for better ‘workplace optimization,’ however the client didn’t know exactly where

the problem was. I was surprised by the stories and examples I heard.


What is the correlation between what the data is saying and your client’s needs?

The correlation between the data and the client’s needs are practically perfect. This is

good news, hopefully this will motivate the client to implement the changes. This reminds me of

the first meeting I had with the client, he mentioned a consultant told him he needed ‘workplace

optimization,’ but the consultant never contracting with the client to make the changes. I will

definitely emphasize the importance of implementation during the feedback meeting. I will make

sure we discuss how we can make the changes and I will offer my help. The client knows what

the conflict is, it’s the change he needs to carry out with the support of his employees.

How does your client want the data formatted?

The client wants the data in a verbal summary format. He doesn’t want anything too

detailed. In addition to that, he wants a PowerPoint for his staff’s monthly meeting.

If some of the data is about your client, how will you capture this and provide feedback to

your client?

There is one issue about the client. A staff member mentioned sometimes the client comes

late to the office, this increases the patient wait time. I will provide the feedback by stating, “I

understand as a doctor, things come up and you may run late. It was mentioned, sometimes you

come in late.” I will not accuse him directly or harshly, but rather state it, so that he knows, but it

doesn’t hurt his feelings. Along with this, I will mention or remind him that his staff really looks

up to him. This will cushion the comment.

Describe the feedback meeting. Your approach / strategy and what actually happened.

The feedback meeting was one of the most stressful parts of this project. Since it took me

a while to form my interview questions, I was not on track with my interviewing process and

data analysis. So I got to schedule the feedback meeting the weekend before my project was due.


I felt under a lot of pressure. I prepared for the meeting a week in advance, I typed everything I

was going to say because I was doing a verbal summary. I made sure all my data was

summarized correctly, I added quotes and examples from the interviews. Also, I added the data

from my observations from the monthly meeting to strengthen my finding in the interview

process. My sheet had a brief overview of our original contract, then I had all the positive results,

the negative results, and recommendations separated so I can easily change the order of the

meeting if required. My strategy was to use my typed notes and just speak. I knew the meeting

won’t go according to my notes, but I had them to refer back to. Also, I was open to the idea that

the meeting may change direction and I need to adjust to the changes.

I was originally going to conduct the feedback meeting on a Friday December 9. I went

in at our scheduled time of 4pm. When I got there, the doctor still had patients even though his

office was supposed to be closed an hour ago. I asked the staff how long it was going to take,

they said another hour or so. When I came back an hour later, the patients were still sitting there.

When they finished I waited an additional half an hour just to find out the client had to go to the

hospital because his patient was critical. We rescheduled for the following day. This experience

allowed me to feel what the patients must experience and I knew this was a serious issue for the

medical office. At this point I felt very pressured because I had to work on my project guide and

I was cutting it close. The next day I went at the scheduled time, the same thing happened. He

still had patients waiting for him. I came back about an hour later. We were finally able to have

out meeting. I started by reviewing our contract, I asked him what he would like to hear first, the

positive information or the areas that need improvement. He wanted to know about the weaker

areas. I told him that workplace optimization broke down into three themes: patient wait time,

front/back miscommunication about patients, and tracking. When I provided him with examples


and quotes, he was shocked. He was unaware that couples spend an hour and half with him. He

didn’t know patients get skipped over due to miscommunication between front team and back

team. Based on the data, Dr. Chhabra realized he needed a protocol for emergency walk-in

patients because sometimes they may need more attention than the general patients. The client

looked relieved to know what was going on. As soon as I told him about the three themes, he

started to think of the steps he can take to change everything. We discussed the recommendations

I had written. Some of the recommendations were things the staff was supposed to be doing,

however they weren’t. So I told him, he needs to bring his staff on board with the changes and

enforce the changes at the monthly meeting. I recommended to rethink the rules/policies to make

everything official.

The client was so excited he called in his staff and told them about the new changes we

need to make. I reminded him that he should hold an official meeting when everyone is present.

After he told his staff and they left the room. I mentioned the positive results, which were the

relationship and communication among the co-workers is great. They have a lot of understanding

with each other. They feel comfortable at work, they feel comfortable with each other, and feel

the client is very approachable. They are all confident in their jobs and feel no stress at work. I

emphasized this is a great thing because many organizations lack this company culture. I asked

Dr. Chhabra how he felt, he was very excited to make the changes, he was motivated. He wanted

to apply some changes this coming Monday. He mentioned this was something that really needed

to be done. He looked relieved to know what was looked on. Lastly, I asked for feedback and the

client completed the feedback form. The client didn’t have much to say about feedback, as we

approached the end he wanted to finish up and get on with his work. This is the part that felt very

rushed to me and felt we couldn’t complete the meeting like it’s supposed to end.


Were you able to adapt to your client’s needs (stay flexible)?

I was able to adapt to the client’s needs. He wanted to focus on determining solutions or

possible actions we can take to make the changes. I was perfectly okay with that. The unexpected

part was when he called his staff in to tell them the results and discuss the recommendations that

were brought up. I just went with the flow because it was important for the employees to be

involved.

What is the strategy / action to be taken based on your discussion?

Based on our discussion, I will continue to work with my client to help implement the

changes and provide support to the client. During the first week of January, the client will have

his monthly meeting in which the new changes will be implemented. This is when the client will

present the PowerPoint. The changes we decided to make are rethink some basic policies and

rules to bring everyone on the same page. Things like couples cannot go in to see the doctor

together, they have to go in one at a time. A new time limit will be created, which will be posted

in each room. Patients will spend 10-15 minutes with the doctor unless it’s an emergency.

Patients will be tested right away after they see the doctor see them to save time. If a patient

comes in with vitals between a certain range, they will be given top priority. During the meeting

the client will emphasis methods of tracking, although they exist, they are not always done.

Another change is the doctor will change the room in which he sees his patients and change

where the waiting room will be to create a better workflow. Changing the rooms will make

communication closer and the patients won’t be skipped. The patients will be sent to a different

waiting room after their vitals are checked.


Was the contract / expectations / agreements met from the client’s point of view?

According to the client we did reach our agreements and expectations. We were able to

find what is the issue and what is causing it. We have solutions to make the changes. Success for

him is to go home on time, this can be done when the client makes the changes. The gap between

the client’s current state and future state got closer. Now it is up to the client to implement the

changes to make a difference in the office. Overall, our contract was about 90 percent completed.

However, our contract has been extended, so I might be able to see the contract become fulfilled.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THE CLIENT’S NEEDS WERE MET AND THE CONTRACT

FULFILLED?

The client’s reactions and positive attitude said it all. He was so excited and wanted to

make some changes right away. The way he called his staff in, shows he was eager to pass on the

information. He wanted them to help make the changes.

Describe the conversation you had with the client about the outcomes and success of the

action research project.

I asked the client how he felt about the data and recommendations. He said, it was

something that was in his mind for a long time and he finally understands what was going on. He

said, he was shocked with what was found. Also, he mentioned if I hadn’t approached him, he

was talking about a possible consulting project with Lefferts Medical. The client said this was

something that needed to be done. He wants to make the changes in the beginning of January

because that’s one of the busiest times for doctors. When I heard all these things, I felt very

satisfied and happy with the way things turned out. I’m glad I was able to help an organization.


What feedback did you ask for about your part in the process? (Did you ask?)

I didn’t push too hard for feedback. I mentioned and asked the client to fill out my

consultant skills inventory form, he gladly did it, however I don’t think he was very focused

when he did it. He started to rush towards the end of the meeting because he had patients to see

at the hospital. His staff started approaching him at this time to sign off on forms. It didn’t seem

like the right time to ask. He did seem grateful for the collaboration overall.

What feedback did the client give you, solicited or unsolicited?

According to the consulting skills inventory, I need to work on “challenging ineffective

solutions” and “describing how other customers solved a similar problem.” I think we can’t

know if a solution is ineffective until we try it out and this was my first consulting project so I

don’t have prior experience to refer to. Honestly, I think he wasn’t too careful when filling out

the form.

What do you think you need to improve upon in your own behavior when using the action

research process?

Some behavior I need to improve upon are taking charge when needed. I think I didn’t

want to come across as a demanding person, however I should do this when needed. Also, I

should have asked for feedback, I should make sure to mention feedback ahead of time rather

than at the end of the meeting. I will ask for personal feedback for my personal growth. I made

the mistake of not mentioning it before the meeting started because I just assumed it was part of

the meeting. I should also make it more clear to the client that when there is a meeting, I need

their full cooperation and attention. They can’t ask additional staff members to join without my

knowledge. I also want to get so good at the consulting process that I don’t need to rely on my

notes when speaking to a client. This will definitely take time but, surely it can happen. Also, I


should have asked more follow up questions that came up into my mind, rather than just

following my list of questions. I think if I had asked the questions that popped into my mind

(during the contract meeting), it would have created an even clearer image of what was going on.

What did the client like / dislike about the process?

The client liked the contracting meeting and the feedback meeting the most. He showed

lots of interest and energy in these two areas. The client disliked the constant e-mailing. I say this

because he had a tough time replying back. I had to email him multiple times. In addition to that

he disliked scheduling meeting. Most of my e-mails were meeting related and he took very long

to reply back. I can understand that he is busy, however except for the feedback meeting, there

were no problems in the other meeting.

What is not complete / what further changes need to be made (if any)?

The changes required are implementing the suggestions and motivated the employees. I

did suggest some potential projects or changes the client can make in the future. If changing the

rooms does not go well, create a passageway to get to the back rooms when the first two are

occupied rather than going outside the office to enter from the other side. Another was faster

wifi, increased rotations between clinical and admin work (employees request), and I told them

to smile more. Although everyone was nice, their faces did not reflect that. Smiling can influence

the way any visitor feels.

Is there anything you would do differently if you had the opportunity to go back and start

all over again?

As I mentioned before, I would have taken more charge when needed. Also, ask for

feedback, maybe even rescheduled a feedback meeting separately. I could have been more

detailed in explaining how our meeting should be. I should have scheduled meeting ahead of


time like the professor had recommended, maybe this could have prevented the issues I had with

the meetings. I should have looked around the whole office, so I can provide more accurate

recommendations.

DESCRIBE YOUR KEY LEARNINGS FROM THE PROJECT

I learned how to apply Peter Blocks, five steps of consulting. I learned if you go step by

step, there will be no difficulties. I can possibly be a consultant in the future, I am feel more

confident with approaching others. As well as, I feel like the way I think has changed and the

way I speak to people has changed. I no longer jump to conclusions, I remain more calm, and I

always think of other possibilities rather than just what I see at the moment. Also, I learned how

to phrase my wording so I don’t come across as a harsh or rude person. Thinking before I speak

is something that can prevent conflicts. Also, being open, honest, and direct with the client is the

best thing for yourself and the client. It is what helps make the changes possible. Also, there is

usually a way around an issue with the client and consultant, you just have to find the right way

to approach the issue to resolve it.

I learned I like to analyze data. I really enjoyed that part of the project, as well as

interviewing the clients. It was amazing to see everything pull together after the interviews and

after analyzing the RAW data. Also, I have understood each client is very different, our

discussions in class really reflected, some people are just more clam than others. I learned each

consulting experience is different because the issues and people involved change. It’s difficult to

maintain collaborative consulting because we must constantly make sure the client is on board

with everything. Overall, this was a great learning experience and an eye opener.

Consulting Project with Lefferts Medical

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