Consulting Skills Flashcards

Question

What are the six services that CDW offers our customers? (CDW Services)

Answer 1

``` Configuration Services Field Services Partner Services Managed Services Aggregation Services Warranty Services ```

Answer 2

Project connect. Make sure your PC/TL/SDM know your skills and schedule. Ask other engineers if there is any work, they could use help on.

Answer 3

Ken Sellers. They utilized the expertise of the FSA and engineers to sell products to the customer. They are project focused as well. Someone who can put it all together and

Answer 4

Matt Holbrook – provide the AE and ATAE with the technology insight to make the sales job easier and push the technology. Territory – Region (Ohio/Kentucky/DC/ - focus on UCCE opportunities)

Answer 5

Shoshana Bernard-Donals – Soon will transition over to Kim Mahaney She aligns to an SDM and is accountable for the act of resource fulfillment with badged coworkers and partner engineers. She also manages engineer schedules and drives engineer utilization. Also supports engineer development goals and publishes resource availability to appropriate stakeholders (CEM, CES, PM, sales)

Answer 6

``` Respect their time Stick to facts Follow up on promises Show your competence Earn their trust Let them have some control ```

Answer 7

``` Take your time Communicate clearly and concisely Don’t pressure for answers Respect their process Ask directly for their feedback Give them space ```

Answer 8

``` Approach conflict carefully Get to know them Consider their perspectives Draw out their opinions Handle issues in private Always be courteous ```

Answer 9

``` Laugh with them Listen to their opinions Think big picture Recognize their contributions Lighten up Form a friendship ```

Answer 10

``` Have a shared goal Demonstrate respect for one another Build a positive rapport with each other Act with the team in mind, not just you Deliver to the best of your ability Help each other achieve the goal ```

Answer 11

Progressing through the outlined technical/consulting curriculum and passing the associated board exams

Answer 12

Ensure that the products/services in our geography (national for Security) are aligned and meeting customer needs and CDW revenue goals

Answer 13

Ensuring that the services in our area of focus (InfoSec/NetSec specifically) are aligned and meeting customer needs and CDW revenue goals

Answer 14

Ensuring whatever project is being worked on is delivered on time, under budget, and to customer satisfaction

Answer 15

The order of things. The expression “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” nicely summarizes the “change the order” Troubleshooting strategy. The concept is to alter the sequence of steps being taken when starting up, configuring, or operating a machine Skillfull questioning: See Articles Bare Bones: comment outlines of a config and add them back in one line at a time Duplicate the problem: duplication is the ability to reliably recreate a particular failure condition. The word “reliable” is key: it should be something you can summon forth on demand every time. Defaults and Reboots: a crude but useful way to determine if the machine is functional is to restore the default settings. Change just One thing: If you want to understand cause and effect, only change one thing at a time. Half Splitting: by splitting your problem space in half multiple times, you can swiftly isolate a failure.

Answer 16

Duplicate the problem - because replicating the problem allows you to start a loop where you 1) Try something 2) Test to see if the failure is still present Basic Inspection – physical inspection (smoke, connections secure) or logical inspection (i.e. logs) Routine Maintenance – Latest patches, OS, etc Read the freaking manual – often there are trouble shooting guides from the manufacturer The Google – it is likely your problem is not unique – others have likely solved the problem and documented in a forum or even youtube What’s changed - Can you roll back recent changes?

Answer 17

Skepticism - When it comes to Troubleshooting, skepticism is a virtue. Train yourself to say these words: “show me.” Even better, “What exactly are you unable to accomplish?” Listening - Listening while guiding someone to give a useful account is a delicate balance of letting them speak, while also leading the person to tell you what you need Curious - Troubleshooting favors the curious. A burning desire to learn and ask questions is a natural complement to fixing things Logical (Think Out of your Vulcan mind - Always remember the difference between good sounding reasons and sound good reasoning) Being organized - Difficult problems will require you to create your own structure around the Troubleshooting process Systematic - Troubleshooting can be a real grind: there will be times when you’ll need to tediously examine a long list of possibilities, one by boring one Detail Oriented - When Troubleshooting, the devil is in the details. the ability to track a project on a micro-level will be useful for those complex problems that will sprawl out and stay a long while, like a bad houseguest Creativity - Troubleshooting is about making something work again; most of the time, no one will care how you make it work again Be Present - When it comes to Troubleshooting, I can think of no better example of a “unifying action” than being present while you solve problems Setting Boundaries - The problem is that if you assert you can fix something, most people will believe you. It takes two to tango So, before you reach the “point of no return,” stop and ask some important questions: Will repairing this system require downtime? If so, who will be affected? How long will this repair take? What if it’s not completed on time? What are the risks of attempting this repair? Can it be reversed and what are the steps to get back to where I started? What if I am unable to complete the repair?

Answer 18

``` Time is Limited - 24 hours in a day You can accomplish more with less effort Improve decision-making ability Reduce Stress Free time is necessary ```

Answer 19

Self, Family, Work, Community

Answer 20

Be Real - To act with authenticity by clarifying what’s important to you Be Whole - Act with integrity by recognizing how the different parts of your life affect each other Be Innovative - Act with creativity by experimenting with how things get done in ways that are good for you and for the people around you

Answer 21

Urgent Important Matrix is a simple but effective tool for prioritizing your to-do list based on the level of urgency and importance of each task We should focus on the Important not Urgent quadrant Opportunity + Planning Keep Critical Thinking Consider the Macro

Answer 22

The inner most circle is the Circle of Control. This is the circle where you have the most ability to own and impact the results. This might be who you hire, how you plan your morning routine, when you check email, how often you exercise The outer most circle is the Circle of Concern. This is the hardest one to deal with at times. We all have concerns that we have limited ability to fix. Examples include—National Healthcare, our taxes, strategy of our company, or Board Decisions. The challenge here is to make peace with the fact that you might not like the outcomes, but you also do not have time and energy to invest in all the things you have concerns about

Answer 23

Be Real: Envision Your Legacy Form an optimistic and realistic picture of the future you want to create (Visualization of 5,10,20 years out) Continually self-examine yourself (Journaling can provide the insight necessary to achieve your legacy) Stay true to your core values and what matters for you (Tierney gave up a lg salary to pursue philanthropic interests) Be Whole: Weave Disparate Strands Intertwine various aspects of life in some way (This includes work, family, hobbies, etc) Be physically and psychologically present in moments (at a kids event, don't look at company email) Help others intertwine aspects of their lives so they can achieve harmony as well (Volunteer work, mentorship) Be Innovative: See New Ways of Doing Things Constantly question old habits and change them to meet life’s demands (Find new ways to perform/automate tasks) Be willing to try new things Keep an open mind and positive attitude (No experience is ever a bad experience) Stay disciplined

Answer 24

Be Real: Convey Values with Stories Share stories that have influenced who you are Make authentic connections Opening up to others show healthy vulnerability Be Whole: Build Supportive Networks Give others an opportunity to try, do and succeed for themselves Strengths are found in networks that have a diverse membership Subordinates will be more forgiving of your shortcomings if they trust your motives Be Innovative: Resolve Conflicts among Domain Because what works for somebody else, or even the majority of people may not be what actually works for you Be willing to try something different and leaning on your support group Have clearly defined goals for being flexible on you accomplish them

Answer 25

Confirms the scope of the project with the customer and sets expectations, Items to be delivered, Site assessment, Current environment, and network diagrams

Answer 26

Hand off from sales to delivery team. Goals of the project. SOW review/BOM review. Make sure everything is correct.

Answer 27

Understand the client’s environment. Physical profile, Organizational Profile, current state of client’s infrastructure, Standards, Limitations, Issues/Risk.

Answer 28

What do we want the new environment to do? Requirements for each component or system. Document prioritize, and Review for approval

Answer 29

It is documented and shared with the stakeholders. Discuss options not chosen and why we are going forward with the chosen option. Review and gain approval/client sign off (written approval is preferred)

Answer 30

Be the trusted adviser. We advise, they decide. Customer owns their design. Achieve your consensus

Answer 31

Build and Test: Develop a test plan. Build test environment to prove your concept. Execute test plan document

Answer 32

We build the clients production environment Run Regression Test Run a pilot to ensure everything is working as planned and impacts are minimal Final Updates to document Rollover/Cutover Migration Activities Transfer knowledge/Training and communications Issue Resolution

Answer 33

Activate Formal turnover to the client, Closure meeting with the client, CDW team internal closure, Close out project in ChangePoint, Project Coordination with the team. Loop back to sales, lessons learned, Archive client’s documentation

Answer 34

Enables continued experience to the customer across multiple projects. Lays out each phase to ensure project success

Answer 35

Passive - Sit and observe job or skill, ask mentor questions Active - Perform tasks under supervision, takes notes & Documents your steps, mentor asks you questions/you ask mentor questions.

Answer 36

Always respect the client’s data security needs. Lock your laptop when away. Keep confidential info confidential. Abide by the client's security policies.

Answer 37

Builds trust, gives confidence in your ability. Ensures they made the right decision in hiring you.

Answer 38

Cover expectations during the design process. Discuss expectations before work starts.

Answer 39

Do research, know where you have to go or be. View the services calculator. Let PM know if not enough time was allotted. Make sure you log your time daily.

Answer 40

Keeping customers happy, maintaining deadlines helps in consistency, dependability, and trustworthiness. Also helps you to keep your job.

Answer 41

Be precise about the week's events, what went wrong and right. When you started, what you did, when did you finish, what risks were involved, next steps, client involvement

Answer 42

It saves time and enables a consistent appearance with results.

Answer 43

One Note, Wiki, SharePoint Best practice design document Template version recommendations.

Answer 44

Wiki, SharePoint, Vendor Websites

Answer 45

Test objective, Test procedure, Expected Results, Observed Results, Results Summary, Comments

Answer 46

Online Consulting skills customized for the ACE phase 1 and 2

Answer 47

Follow dress code Use IKOM to learn expectations regarding professionalism Use co-worker handbook as road to success PM/PC will help in the preparation of client site and culture

Answer 48

A show of respect It shows the client is important Let's the client know you are on top of any issue Remember you are on the same team

Answer 49

Every time you complete a project and achieve a certification

Answer 50

The SDM and RC

Answer 51

Someone who works to develop and share both depth and breadth of technical solutions with customers and team members and evaluates and mitigates or escalates risk. And guides customers in their technology decision making

Answer 52

Someone who understands and executes on administrative responsibilities that are necessary to manage resources to include project scope and size and recognize the resources required to successfully complete the project. And all other CDW engagements and opportunities active or proposed with customer

Answer 53

A person who sets a good example in professionalism, consulting mindset, and service delivery team. Someone who readily shares knowledge with other engineers and customers on engagements in order to achieve quality results

Answer 54

A person who is responsible for accurate and timely time and expense entry. Someone who is responsible to understand and achieve budget for assigned tasks. And understands and can articulate CDW’s services financial key performance indicators

Answer 55

Someone who ensures quality completion of their assigned tasks and how it applies to overall customer satisfaction. A person who can build trust relationships with customer. And understands the customers’ business

Answer 56

Someone who routinely works independently on all aspects of less complex engagements as assigned and leads portions of more complex engagements to successful completion without supervision (scale, feature set, customer profile -- size, geography, etc. solutions and technologies)

Answer 57

A person who can proactively identifies and communicates obstacles and dependencies that will impact deliverables. Manages time and expenses to meet or exceed the expectations in the Statement of Work or other contractual agreement and understands what is and is not in scope

Answer 58

A person who can make wise judgments about when to escalate a task, concern, or issue to the appropriate personnel

Answer 59

Basically, it is someone who consistently follows CDW Services methodology and uses the appropriate document templates to produce clear, concise, high quality content deliverables with little supervision. And can articulate the CDW Services methodology to coworkers and customers

Answer 60

Someone who follows CDW best practices and takes responsibility for development and implementation of the entire design. Also, approves final design for less complex solutions and performs design review with the customer for sign-off

Answer 61

An individual who conducts testing according to test plan and proactively addresses issues found in testing

Answer 62

Someone who listens and observes in the customer environment for additional opportunities and attend sales huddle when they have white space. They also provide input to Solution Architects and Sales to share customer knowledge and direction

Answer 63

A person that independently writes assigned components of technical documentation and deliverables, end user documents and best practices for end-user and project team. And writes clearly and concisely but may rely on others for editing and refinement. They are effective and comfortable with face-to-face and remote meeting technology

Answer 64

Someone who participates actively and constructively in external and internal meetings and comes prepared for the meeting (i.e. have an agenda, be on time, clear goals and appropriate attendees). They also provide recaps of meeting outcomes and key decisions verbally and in writing when leading meetings

Answer 65

Someone who proactively offers assistance and readily lends a hand when team members need help. They encourage customer participation in project activities. And recognize the different roles and expectations on a project team and how you fit

Answer 66

A person that can transfers knowledge to customers in an informal structure. Also, readily shares knowledge with team members

Answer 67

Send an email to their Professional Services Manager and ChangepointAdministration@cdw.com prior to the scheduled deadline. The email must include a description of the time entry issue the customer name and type of work being performed (e.g. Cisco wireless Troubleshooting); also include the engagement name (if it is known)

Answer 68

Since the remaining time is more than 4 hours, this time is considered billable The 2 hours would fall under the research activity for the customer and would be considered 2 hours of non- billable time towards the project The 1 hour spent responding to non-related emails will be considered non-billable against the project

Answer 69

You can submit your time daily, if desirable, but once submitted you cannot change the submitted time

Answer 70

CDW Internal Only

Answer 71

We create an expense report in changepoint. Anything over $25 has to be submitted with a picture of the receipt. We can pick to have the money reimbursed to our corporate card or cash in our bank account. Expenses can be submitted immediately but no later than the end of the month

Answer 72

Associate Salary Plan Associates are eligible for salary reviews every 6 months after completing Phase 2 You will receive five semi-annual salary reviews After promotion to Engineer, Associate Grads will remain on Associate Salary plan until the five semi-annual salary reviews are completed After fifth semi-annual salary review, you will transition to annual salary reviews (consistent with Engineer plan) Associate Bonus Plan Associates are eligible for Bonus, but typically not achieved until phase 3 Plan provides financial incentive for high performance and is aligned with company goals Is paid out every quarter

Answer 73

Phase 1 - 0%; Phase 2 - 25% and Phase 3 - 50%

Answer 74

1. Passion - become more satisfied with your work 2. Practice - improve skills/habits bit by bit and get closer to your goals or set new ones 3. Purpose - know why and for who you are doing things for 4. Hope - keep the big picture in mind and believe it is attainable

Answer 75

You’ll lead the task while your mentor observes. You’ll describe the process and steps as you go. Your mentor will likely ask you questions (and some may be tough) to check your understanding

Answer 76

You conduct certain tasks in a test environment. This is usually under the supervision of your TL. It’s an opportunity to do more tasks independently and not worry about taking down a customer’s IT environment. You can compare results to the customer deliverable

Answer 77

It demonstrates respect for your client's decisions, project team members, and the ability to work together to meet the client’s goals. Aligns expectations related to timing, costs, and deliverables. Understand the business and business needs of the customer. Understand your role in meeting customer needs

Answer 78

1. Acknowledgment -“Uh huh,” “Mmmmm,” “I” “see" 2. Repetition - repeat what they say e.g. “Three hours is a long time.” 3. Follow-on Questions - “Can you give me an example?” 4. Summarize/Paraphrase - “If I heard you right,..... 5. Empathic Listening - “That has to be stressful.”

Answer 79

Prepare - Do your homework; Prepare talking points Avoid the Blunders - Learn the blunders; Assess yourself and improve Create a Common Bond - Look for clues; Small talk is gold Follow up - Personal note; Connect on social media

Answer 80

I would contact the Sales team or search LinkedIn, Google, SOW/BOM By gaining preliminary knowledge of the customer it will help identify potential connections and commonalities that you can bridge in the initially CKOMs. Plus, you have a better understanding of what the customer offers and potential needs

Answer 81

Completion status, technical issues, relationship issues, time issues, risks, concerns, solutions

Answer 82

Be professional. No slang words or shorthand. Dress appropriately to the client’s environment or a step above. Keep information confidential. Be on time

Answer 83

1. Lack technical expertise 2. Lack business experience 3. Lack confidence 4. Need independent verification 5. Need to focus their current staff 6. Need more help 7. Self-doubt in their abilities

Answer 84

1. Plan - what topic(s) will be discussed, who should be invited, how you want the meeting to go 2. Start - Set a precidence of how the meeting will go from start/finish 3. Conduct - Discuss topics and start on point. Avoid the "weeds" and wrangle in and distractions 4. Close - be cognizant of the time and allow queston, but end on time 5. Send out follow up communication with meeting notes and topic of disucssion for next meeting

Answer 85

Every corporation has outages. It is how you handle them that separates one business from another. Cisco has kept its users in the information loop by means of third party social media outlets while they work diligently on the problem. I have full confidence in their ability to rectify the issue(s). Additionally, this might be the result of operator error" and not necessarily equipment malfunction. This is why CDW ensures that highly trained and skilled engineers are on site and apart of your IT projects

Answer 86

Can they solve my problem(s)? Can I trust this person? Will they “fit in?”

Answer 87

As coworkers, your day-to-day actions and attitude about security and compliance have a direct, meaningful impact on the protection of CDW and Customer data While CDW might not process sensitive information such as credit card data, healthcare data, or personally identifiable data, we have customers that do. Through the services we provide and access we’re given to perform those services, we could have the ability to affect our customer’s security As a result, CDW is contractually obligated and adheres to various industry best-practices and standards. CDW is also in some cases audited by 3rd parties to validate operations and performance against those standards. Applicable standards and frameworks include compliance assessments and reports around PCI, HIPAA, SOC2, ISO27001, NIST, GDPR, and more

Answer 88

This person performs troubleshooting with testing methodologies by gathering information and determining possible and probable causes. They keep management abreast of significant problems or red flags

Answer 89

``` Identify and analyze the problem Generate options Evaluate / prioritize options Create a plan of action Implement the plan and evaluate the result Perform root cause analysis ```

Consulting Skills Flashcards

(114 cards)