Mentoring

Experienced Xpertise consultants can provide guidance, answer questions and resolve problems as projects are started or new systems used. The emphasis is on skills transfer – to support and coach the person or team.

The business need

Training provides a basis for knowledge acquisition and a level of practical experience that can be used immediately on the job. However, even from the very best training there is still a requirement to consolidate the newly learnt skills through practical experience and working alongside experts in the area who can provide advice and guidance. Gaining access to individuals with skills and experience is often very difficult, particularly where maybe a new technology, methodology or project management process is being implemented for the first time in the organisation. Without access to these skilled individuals, mistakes may happen and project costs and milestones can be affected.

The solution

The aim of Mentoring is to provide a skilled body of readily accessible experience to individuals, teams or departments. Experienced Xpertise consultants will provide guidance, answer questions and resolve problems as projects are started or new systems used. The emphasis is on skills transfer to support and coach the person or team rather than the classic consultancy approach of ‘running the project’. The benefits of mentoring include reduced risk, additional management support mechanisms, rapid project initiation, on the job knowledge transfer and consolidation of classroom knowledge in a safe environment.

Our approach

The first task will be to understand the requirement and to identify the most appropriate solution that Xpertise can provide. A mentoring project definition plan will be produced which will clearly show the business objectives and the associated activities required by Xpertise to satisfy them.

The mentor(s) will work directly with the individuals or group, providing guidance, reviewing documents, facilitating workshops and resolving problems.Depending on the nature of the work, a review of the project is often undertaken at project milestone phases comprising a written report and review sessions.

Mentoring projects are by their very nature flexible and no two engagements are ever the same. A mentoring project may be a short duration consisting of a number of review sessions or it may be for a few days per month for the whole duration of the project. Xpertise will work closely with the client to ensure the most appropriate and cost effective service is developed.

Service deliverables

The individuals or project teams will receive personal coaching and advice from an industry expert in the particular area. The deliverables may be in the form of workshops, presentations or written reports depending on the nature of the project and requirements of the client.