What We'll Cover

  • Overview of a Well-run Professional Services Company

    Get started with an overview of the professional services industry, and how to drive value in an organization.

  • Financial Performance and Project Accounting Methods

    Learn about accounting and financial concepts and associated best practices relevant to the professional services industry.

  • Key Business Metrics and Terminology

    Explore the calculation of utilization, and the causes and effects of margin leakage.

  • Managing People Resources

    Review the concept of resource management, and identify the fundamental activities and best practices.

  • Defining and Addressing Client Needs

    Discover how your processes can better serve your clients and benefit your organization.

Course Description

Expected Duration: Approximately 2 hours

This course provides methodologies and best practices for Professional Services (PS) organizations to achieve optimum performance and meet desired business goals.  This course will focus on maximizing profitability, optimizing people resources, while achieving client satisfaction by delivering client expectations.

The primary goal of this course is to enable the student with the skills and knowledge to employ the best practices to run a successful PS organization.  This goal will be met by focusing on well-defined processes and practices that balance the following pillars:

  • The maximization of company and project margins.
  • Optimization of people resources and minimization of down-time and margin leakage.
  • Delivering to client expectations and achieving client satisfaction.


This course will focus on the following topics:

  • Overview of a well-run Professional Services Business
  • Driving value in an organization
  • Key business metrics and terminology (utilization, margin, estimate at completion).  Tradeoffs to each in making business decisions
  • Project accounting methods, practices,  and results
  • Dynamic Resource Optimization (staffing, skills, and capacity planning)


Course Objectives


After completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Describe the lifecycle of projects from client acquisition to completion.
  • Identify the elements that contribute to a successful Professional Services business.
  • Explain the importance of defining your audience and creating Statements of Work and estimating.
  • Recognize the basics of financial management for the business.
  • Identify best practices for managing the people resources of the team.
  • Define utilization and margin expectations and goals for the business.


Who Should Take This Course  

The target audience for this program includes: Professional Services staff members -- both beginning and experienced -- who desire to expand their skills and domain expertise for managing a successful professional services organization to achieve defined results.


Student Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to enroll or participate in this course.

Course curriculum

  • 1
    Getting Started
  • 2
    Module 1 – Overview of a Well-run Professional Services Company and Driving Value in an Organization
  • 3
    Module 2 – Financial Performance and Project Accounting Methods
  • 4
    Module 3 - Key Business Metrics and Terminology and the Tradeoffs to Each in Business Decisions
  • 5
    Module 4 – Managing People Resources (Staffing, Skills, and Capacity Planning)
  • 6
    Module 5 – Defining and Addressing Client Needs
  • 7
    Conclusion
  • Course Overview & Learning Goals
  • Module 1 – Overview of a Well-run Professional Services Company and Driving Value in an Organization
  • Module 2 – Financial Performance and Project Accounting Methods -- PDF
  • Module 3 - Key Business Metrics and Terminology and the Tradeoffs to Each in Business Decisions -- PDF
  • Module 4 – Managing People Resources (Staffing, Skills, and Capacity Planning) -- PDF
  • Module 5 – Defining and Addressing Client Needs -- PDF
  • Course Completion

Course Pricing

Purchase this training course and start learning today! Please contact your Client Success Manager to purchase multiple passes for your organization.