Traditionally “activation” implies go-live, and all the consultant needs for at-the-elbow (ATE) support.  In the past several months we’ve seen a large number of proposal requests for a wide number of roles associated with Activation, and much more than ATE resources.  Thought it would be good to talk about these different roles and how you might be a part of an Activation support team.

There are several areas associated with Activation.  Let’s take a look at these areas and the potential support role associated with each.  These include but are not limited to:

• Testing
• Appointment and Data Conversions
• Training
• Technical Dress Rehearsal
• Command Center
• Help Desk
• At-The-Elbow Support

Testing – Integrated testing is often rolled into Activation proposals as clients are seeking expertise in this area.  Consultants with experience in script development, documentation, cross module workflows, and testing project management are always in demand. While traditionally much of the testing itself is conducted by end-users and/or analysts, proposals are often asking for PMs or other resources with this experience.

Appointment and Data Conversions – The task associated with thousands of appointments needing to be converted requires a large number of resources.  While again many clients use end-users to support the task of various conversions, proposals are asking for resources with expertise in planning and executing this phase of activation.

Training – One of the largest needs associated with activation is training.  Principal trainers have developed curriculum materials and now need assistance with class room and e-learning training sessions.  Most activation proposals are asking for credentialed trainers with physician training expertise and/or prior credentialing experience within specific modules.  It’s not uncommon to see a large number of CT needs for a single client.

Technical Dress Rehearsal – Cut over planning and dress rehearsal is a major event within an activation project and often requires expertise in a wide range of areas.  We’ve seen examples of needs for resources in hardware testing, Legacy system support, technical conversion experts, data management, and overall project management of all the components associated with dress rehearsal.

Command Center – Planning for a command center is often times outside a client’s wheelhouse. Outsourcing a PM to pull everything together from location to phone system to hardware to schedules is a fairly common request.  Additionally there are a lot of proposals out there looking for specific ATE resources with command center support.  CTs may also be pulled in to support incoming calls during go-live.

Help Desk – Whether on site or remote, clients are looking for support during go-live and post live stabilization periods.  ATE support and/or internal resources are often done after a couple weeks of support, but a call center may remain for a longer period to manage incoming requests for additional training, system enhancements, optimization prioritization, etc.  Many firms offer a full remote service offering for this area of activation support.

At-the-Elbow Support – Don’t underestimate the challenges associated with managing hundreds of resources spread across multiple facilities, departments, and the command center during go-live.  This portion of an activation support proposal is always seeking firms with expertise in managing schedules, communication, issue resolution, and obviously….providing the best consultants with direct go-live support experience across multiple applications.

As you can see there are needs for Project Managers, Resource Supervisors, Trainers, Application SMEs, and so much more.  While many of us are sometime fortunate to be a part of a full implementation including the activation phase, you can see the number of resource needs is much larger than the pre-planning and build phases of an install. Have your resume polished to showcase your specific area of expertise in Activation Support….because firms will be calling with so many needs coming later this summer and into the fall.

Firms are starting to be very aggressive to identify potential candidates when bidding on a proposal.  Most formal requests for proposals (RFP) ask for a representation of potential candidates in multiple modules and/or roles.  It’s likely you’ve received a call from a recruiter to be added to an RFP as a potential candidate.  The question I receive most often is, “Am I locked in to this submittal with just this firm?”  The answer is no.

Proposals are typically sent to dozens of potential firms.  State owned organizations have to open an RFP to everyone and anyone who may be interested in responding.  Private organizations may limit the offer to bid to a smaller group, but typically is still a lot of firms.  No firm can state that you are “locked in” with them as they haven’t officially won the bid at the time of your submittal.

Think of this example.  Consultant firm Z calls you for an Epic Ambulatory analyst role.  They are bidding on a large RFP and would like to submit you proactively as part of their response.  You agree to the terms of employment and would like to be submitted.  However, several other firms start to call you.  You can, and should, allow other firms to submit you.  Your submittal is blinded, so your name is not showing on the RFP.  Should firm Z lose the bid, hopefully you’ve expressed interest with other firms. I suggest being open and honest to all recruiters and let them know you’ve approved a blinded submittal by firm Z, but are open to other firms should they not be selected.

I’ve heard the argument that this could be considered duplicate submittal and therefore is immediately disqualified.  No potential client would consider an RFP response with representative resumes to be considered duplicates, as no firm(s) have been awarded the bid as of yet.  A duplicate bid is when you allow two or more firms to submit you for the same job, and they are submitting your resume with your full name.

To make it clear, firms almost always submit blinded resumes primarily because by the time a RFP is awarded, candidates that were represented on the response may no longer be available.  There are exceptions, usually for leadership roles.  If you are going to be submitted for a Director or PM level role, the firm may elect to submit you directly…meaning your resume is not blinded and discloses all your information.  Another example is you are a long term salaried employee for the firm.  In these cases, you would not want any other firm to submit you.

Don’t be tricked into believing that just because one recruiter has convinced you to be submitted for an RFP that you are locked in.  Recruiters are commissioned, and it is a very competitive market.  They will try to convince you that if you agree to be represented by their firm, you can’t allow others to do the same.  This just doesn’t apply to proactive submissions where your resume is blinded.

Finally, be proactive yourself when talking to recruiters.  Ask the question, “are you submitting a blinded resume or officially submitting me with my full information?” Don’t sign any right to represent form, they are only sending in a blinded resume…and likely with dozens of other potential candidates.

Re-install projects seem to be a growing opportunity for consultants in the industry.  More and more clients are taking on this work that have been live on Epic for years, but implemented prior to the creation of model or foundation build. The idea of long term sustainability of a highly customized build is not realistic and thus driving this new approach.

Epic’s foundation build today represents the best and most common practices collected over years of lessons learned from multiple clients.  New implementations have been almost entirely based on the foundation, as it represents an opportunity for any client to take advantage of the predetermined model build. Before this was offered, workflows, master files, general build, and system functions were based on individual department requests (or requirements).  For those of us in the consulting industry for over 10 years, we remember the primary factor driving the consultant industry was customization and advanced build.  It’s certainly worth a look at this industry trend today that is driving consultant growth, but ironically is now all about the reduction of customization.

Epic calls re-installation to their software “Refuel.”  So why would a client want to consider Refuel? Over time, some clients have allowed for continued department customization and unique build by specialty or even by provider.  By doing so, client’s IT departments have had to grow in order to maintain the ability to manage these incoming requests while having upgrades and/or other system initiatives.  As hospitals look at cost saving approaches, the reversal of highly customized systems could result in the reduction of staff needed to maintain the system.  Thus the introduction of an opportunity to wipe the board clean and have a simplified and unified build across departments while also saving money.

The efforts here are significant.  Think of the individual master files impacted by such a change alone.  Plus end users will see variances in workflows, smart forms, visit types, order sets, and well…just about everything you can think of.  A Refuel project would impact all modules as well as impact change control processes moving forward. Expertise in foundation build is the primary need right now, and a growing opportunity in our industry.

Major systems are undertaking this Refuel project now. Cleveland Clinic just kick started, while others like Franciscan Alliance are well underway.  Don’t be surprised if your next engagement opportunity is a Refuel project.

I can’t believe that this week Consultant-Tips has now been viewed in over 100 countries, 104 to be exact, as of June 1, 2018!  While the vast majority of views are within the US countries including Brazil, Canada, Australia, Italy, and India are now over 1000 readers alone.  It’s exciting to see all the flags and countries represented.  Thank you to everyone.  There is so much more to come in 2018.  Here’s the list…thought my readers might find this pretty cool.

This past week I spent 3 days meeting with 31 consultants to review their end of engagement bonus.  A unique compensation structure as all of these resources are hourly, not salaried.  After talking with many of them, I started thinking about the variances in access, benefits, support, and compensation models for those that are hourly pay vs salaried.  Listening to this group and their experiences made me want to share a couple thoughts on the subject.

Let’s first be clear, we are talking about hourly paid W2 employees here.  The industry really forced this model several years ago for a few reasons.  First, retaining consultants while on the bench, or in between assignments, became an expense overhead that was not sustainable for most companies and variances in bench policies was causing consultants to leave their engagements early .  Another reason was consultants liked the higher hourly pay as they did not take advantage of benefits, vacations, extended bench periods, and/or need the security associated with a lower annual salaries.  Finally, there are some positions that are considered non-exempt which require an hourly salary and overtime pay.  Epic credentialed trainers and go-live support resources are such an example.

For the most part, I think there are several firms who offer the same support offerings to consultants regardless of their pay model.  You are part of the practice team and should have access to all the support that comes along with that.  If you are a solid performer, firms want to retain you for upcoming projects, and did not hire you just for one single engagement.  With that said, various retention incentives are a priority in this oversaturated Epic market.  Those incentives could include bonuses, access to become Epic certified, early alignment with future engagements, and much more.

When asking if your firm should treat you differently because of your pay model, the answer should always be no.  Sure, there may be variances from Human Resource benefits, but I’m talking about company support, system access, and retention incentives.  As consultants, we should expect to be included in practice updates, internal communications, company events, networking opportunities, and all the benefits of being a W2 employee.  If not, I would elect to be an independent consultant or switch firms.

Thought I would share a letter I sent out via mail, as sometimes to get a message across, emails just don’t cut it.  How does your airport rank in these areas?

Dear Massport Authority

I am writing to express my continued frustration with Logan Airport.  I fly in and out of Logan 1 to 2 times a week, for 12 years now.  When comparing Logan Airports to others across the country, it is sad to say that Logan is probably one of the worse airports in America.  I am going to limit my reasons for this to just 4 areas.  I hope you’ll see that business travelers consider these high priorities.  Logan needs to cater to its regular travelers and not to annual family visitors.  Here is why:

No Access Between Terminals – My understanding is that this was voted down several years ago.  I can’t imagine why any airport would limit access between terminals after going through security.  I often switch airlines, especially when flying internationally.  The poor design also limits my ability to meet colleagues, host professional meetings or interviews, and limits my access to airport amenities.  Outside of security, I use central parking to gain access.  Not ideal in the winter months.

CLEAR – The MA Secretary of Transportation, Stephanie Pollack needs to catch up to modern times.  We have grown and learned so much since 9/11 yet she continues to place restrictions and limitations that directly impact the public.  She has stated Boston will not allow CLEAR because of insurance costs and accountability.  Given my next line item, Logan Airport is in trouble if they don’t expand passenger security options.

TSA Pre-Check and Security – As mentioned above, without CLEAR, TSA Pre lines are often longer than non Pre lines.  This is due to limited space allotted for TSA Pre, especially in terminal A and terminal C.  With common times of business travel being Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons, why are TSA Pre lines not expanded?  There is clearly no monitoring of passenger flow or actions taken to improve timeliness of security check points.

Airline Lounges – There is no argument that the infrastructure of Logan Airport is dated.  Space allotted for lounges in terminal A, B, and C are the smallest in the country.  Decisions to extend one of the best lounges, The Lounge Priority Pass in the JetBlue terminal makes zero sense.  It’s always empty and due to no access between terminals is an underutilized space.  Delta Lounges are both small, crowded, and dated.  The lack of interest in expanding these spaces to accommodate passengers only adds to overflow of bars and waiting areas in the terminals.

Thank you for your time.  While I expect little to no action from this letter, I felt it imperative to share what myself and other professional colleagues are saying about Logan Airport.  As you consider future initiatives and prioritization of upgrade projects, I hope you’ll consider these 4 areas of concern.

Sincerely,

Douglas Herr

We all know the standard questions to ask around skill set alignment and bill rates.  What I’m seeing is logistical questions being asked after agreeing to a contract/engagement.  Leaving a contract early because you did not understand the client’s expectation is your fault, and can damage your reputation and future opportunities.  Take a few minutes to review the list below with your recruiter and be sure to understand all the components of the opportunity.

• What is the duration of contract and likeliness of extension?

Typically the start and end dates is provided, but asking about likeliness of extension can help you decide if you are interested.

• Are there any variances to the typical Mon – Thursday travel expectation?

It’s not uncommon to hear variances in travel expectations.  Bi-weekly travel is becoming a norm.  Some clients are now asking for Mon-Friday while others are offering remote opportunities.  Be sure to understand the expectation.

• Is there a preferred lodging option with pre-negotiated rate?

I’m 100% Marriott guy, I don’t vary unless I am required to.  You may be disappointed to hear after signing that contract that the client has a rate with La Quinta or Day Inns.  I would absolutely refuse a contract if being asked to stay at a budget hotel.

• What are the client’s and firm’s pre-screening requirements?

These days almost all clients have screening requirements including immunizations and drug testing.  I’ve heard of a few clients also testing for tobacco.  Your state may have legalized marijuana laws, but your clients may not.  Be sure to understand what you’ll be tested for prior to signing.

• Is there a daily per diem or receipt policy for meals?

Everyone prefers a daily per diem, but many clients require receipts.  I’ve seen sales people offer the client a lower daily allowances as part of negotiation to win the deal.  That is not acceptable.  I want to make sure I understand how I’ll be reimbursed for meals before agreeing to an engagement.

• Will the client approve my already scheduled vacation time?

Be sure to have approval on vacation time before agreeing to a contract.  Many clients set limitations on time off for their own FTEs and expect consultants to agree to this as well.  You don’t want to find out that the week you booked your cruise for is the client’s go-live date.  That clearly won’t work.

• Where will I physically be working and what is the environment?

My favorite story is of a consultant who worked at a client where the IT department was connected to a prison.  Her window looked out into the prison yard.  I’ve been assigned to basements in old building with water leaks, cockroaches, and mold.  Understanding the location and environment you work in prior to accepting will hopefully ensure you don’t request an early release.

• Who will be my direct report while at the client and what is their role?

Understanding the management structure is important to ensure you are signing on to an engagement where you are set up for success.  Whether the project falls under the PMO, IT Director, CIO, or other role can help you better understand the reporting structure.  We all know we are walking into a project that will have bumps along the way.  I want to make sure there is a clearly defined management structure to report issues and identified risks to regularly.

• What is the firms experience and history with this client?

This question can help you better understand the client, the culture, and the general direction of the project.  I like to know if there are other consultant firms represented on the project, how many consultants, and other projects underway before starting a new contract.

• Will this role guarantee a minimum of 40 billable hours a week?

If you are hourly, this question is imperative as it directly impacts your potential income during an engagement.  I’ve seen client’s set limits on hours, especially over 40 hours.  I’ve also seen 35-38 hours written into contracts as they client feels that is most realistic with a Mon – Thursday schedule. Don’t agree to a new project without knowing that expected hours you’ll be able to bill for.

The terrible incident that happened this past Tuesday, April 17th approximately 20 minutes after take off, is all anyone can talk about.  Hearing of a similar event on Southwest in 2016 only exasperated the concerns of frequent flyers, and not just on Southwest Airlines, but any of those who use the CFM56-7B engine.  That list now includes American, Delta, and United on some 8,000 Boeing 737 planes worldwide.  These airlines are all jumping on inspections now, but it beckons the question, why do we have to wait until someone dies?

The FAA is now issuing an airworthiness directive that will require inspections.  In reading articles on the 2016 incident where the plane safely made an emergency landing in Pensacola on its short flight from New Orleans to Orlando, I can find nothing about increased engine inspection requirements.  The press release on this accident showed the same findings of an issue with a worn fan blade.  Yet no cross industry standards or actions were put into place.

As someone who puts their life in the hands of these airlines every week, this type of story is just sickening.  I want to blame Southwest Airlines, I refuse to fly them anyway.  I want to blame the manufacturer.  I can’t even think of all the people the family must be blaming.

As we all reflect on the “what could happen” scenarios on our next trip, I hope all those airline engineers, manufacturers, maintenance crew, corporate executives, and staff take action that would implement further safety measures that would ensure the safety of their own families.

Jennifer Riordan was a 43-year-old mother-of-two and executive for Wells Fargo bank in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I probably receive about a dozen resumes a day in my inbox.  With several big projects coming up, I’ve had the privilege of reviewing well over a hundred resumes, for various roles, just in the last few weeks.  I am using the word “privilege” loosely here as it actually has been pretty much a nightmare.  I’ve never seen such examples of incoherent rundowns of skill sets in my life.  One would think that the topic of resume formatting is something we’ve all read about a million times.  Clearly not.  The variations of crap that came across via email was shocking and frustrating.  So much so, I had to write about it.

Let’s start with content.  A resume should be a reverse chronological summary of experience which also contains a professional profile summary, contact information, education, and credentials.  Some people may also list professional associations, which may be relevant.  Let’s take a look at each of these.

Profile Summary – One paragraph that best captures your skill sets and professional goals.  This should have relevant experience called out that directly aligns with the role you are applying for.  This is not an essay folks, it’s a quick elevator pitch that will determine if the rest of your resume is reviewed.

Summary of Experience – Let’s first try to keep your resume short and to the point.  Ideally a resume is 2 pages in length, which means you have to be selective about how you summarize your experience.  List the job role, employer, start and end dates.  Provide 2-3 sentences that reflect deliverable based work completed, milestones, and/or primary function of the role.  Do not use the same summary job after job.  Be sure to only list relevant experience, I don’t care if you worked at Taco Bell or started your own pet grooming company.

Contact Information – It amazes me that people think just putting an email address is all that is needed.  In our industry, I need to know where you live and be able to call you.  List your cell phone, email address, and the city you live in…you don’t need to give your street address.

Education – Bullet points of higher education including name of institution, area of focus, and degree obtained.  I’ve heard arguments over listing the year, as ageism is a real thing, but if my HR department needs to confirm your degree, I need the year.  Only list relevant education.  I don’t need to see that you graduated from Barbizon in 1988.

Credentials – Again, keep it relevant to the job you are applying.  These should include certifications and/or professional licenses.

Professional Associations – If you are going to list associations, be sure to stay away from acronyms unless they are widely used in the industry.  An example might be HIMSS, no need to spell that one out.

I’m wide open to variations in formatting, but use MS Word.  Do not send an adobe or jpg file.  Avoid hyperlinks, using all capital letters, or bold font.  Whatever template or decide on, keep it consistent throughout the resume.  Be sure to spell and grammar check…seems obvious but again, so many resumes clearly skipped this step.

Last tip on the subject, make sure your resume matches your profile on LinkedIn.  The first thing I do when I receive a resume is go to LinkedIn.  If there are large discrepancies in timelines or roles…your resume goes right into the trash.

When I googled bad resumes, this one came up below.  Love it!

This week the news has been filled with yet another Cyber security attack, this time on Delta.  Several hundreds of thousands of customers may have been exposed who made purchases between September 26th and October 12th of 2017.  The breach exposed the buyers name, address, payment card number, CVV number and expiration date if the information was entered by a customer making a purchase manually.  So the good news is if your profile already contained your payment information, you were not impacted.

In 2015, global credit, debit and prepaid card fraud amounted to $21.84 billion in losses, according to the Nilson Report. By 2020, the same report estimates that card fraud worldwide will reach $31.67 billion.  With numbers like this I had to stop and think how this might affect me, as I buy a lot of flights on Delta.  For some reason news about Target, Macy’s, and other retail stores never concerned me.  I guess I always feel immune to being caught up in this type of security breach.  I think this false sense of security may someday come back and bite me, so maybe there are some things I should be doing.

I don’t know about you, but I am terrible at looking through my monthly credit card statements.  If I saw some large number due that stood out, then I might go through the statement.  This is probably my biggest mistake.  It doesn’t need to be something as big as a cyber security attack to have errors on your credit card.  A store might double charge you (this has happened to me), a waiter may adjust the tip left (this has happened to me), a return may not have been credited (this has happened to me), and so many other variances.  It can’t take that long to review a month’s worth of purchases on a few credit cards.  I have to start making this a habit.

Another area I am terrible at, is passwords.  I am a creature of habit and again, think that no one would be interested in hacking my account or steal from me.  They say you should have different passwords for each of your accounts and that these should be changed regularly.  100% of my credit cards are managed online.  I haven’t written a check to pay a bill in years…with the exception of the IRS.  This week’s news had me going through every single account and updating my password.  It took about 20 minutes, but I feel better.

I googled things I can do to protect myself.  I liked these 8 simple suggestions;

1. Shred your documents.

2. Strengthen your passwords.

3. Check your credit reports.

4. Guard your Social Security number.

5. Be smart about social media.

6. Secure your phone.

7. Know the signs of phishing.

8. Monitor your financial statements.

What are you doing to protect yourself?  Leave comments above…