CIO Bulletin

Echo Consulting – Leading project management company creating business solutions that fit for every stage

According to a Gartner report, the project failure rate is roughly 50%. The reason for such a staggering figure is that most projects are subjected to unrealistic planning, poor prioritization, and inefficient resource allocation. These are common elements that contribute to project failures, coercing project managers into building efficient workflows. More efficient workflows mean minimizing operational costs and maximizing productivity. Therefore, it’s important to understand the importance of project management and how to implement it successfully. The importance of project management in organizations can’t be overstated. When it’s done right, it helps every part of the business run more smoothly. It allows your team to focus on the work that matters, free from the distractions caused by tasks going off track or budgets spinning out of control. It empowers them to deliver results that actually impact the business’s bottom line.

Echo Consulting is one such company that provides high-quality, experienced project management and business process improvement services. Its project managers and analysts empower all sized teams to be their best selves and maximize the value of their projects with on-time and on-budget delivery. Digital transformation projects are much more than the sum of their tasks and project management is much more than a project plan. Too many projects fail - over budget, behind schedule, not meeting requirements, no buy-in, lack of change management and communication. To succeed, you need to stay focused on what is most important and brings the best value to your organization - balancing limited resources to optimize results. Echo Consulting helps teams grow by embracing project management best practices and change management processes to improve communication and efficiency and decrease frustration and churn. Echo’s team of project managers offers a unique and powerful combination of technical project experience and know-how. Echo will evaluate your project needs quickly, pair you with the best-suited partner(s) and provide an analytical approach to help align your project with a set of strategic goals that will guide you to the finish line for an on-budget, on-time delivery.

"We’re problem solvers and efficiency generators geared to bring strategic alignment, prioritization, and visibility to your team."

Fostering Self-Sufficiency with Unique Services

Project Management: They all practice PM skills in their own lives, every day. Let us help you hone yours to optimize ROI and better manage projects, large and small. They’ll guide your team to create strategic project management systems so you grow more, struggle less, and get the maximum value from your investment. Confusing jargon and unfamiliar methodologies in the project management world can be intimidating. But, at its core, project management ensures that things are done efficiently and effectively. Their strategies will help your team streamline processes, customize workflows, and align project objectives with larger goals. No matter which phase your projects are in, they'll help you improve systems using your existing management platform or help you find the best one to meet your needs.

Change Management: Change management can help ease transition and unify your team to take on the challenges that come along with it. Create processes, configure technology, and help your team align with changes to improve the adoption success. It can be a challenge to get everyone on board when it comes to upending comfortable processes. Sometimes, there’s no other choice. Change management keeps your team’s morale up, communication clear, and maintains momentum toward growth. Not everyone loves change. They get that. But taking the time to get everyone aligned makes a world of difference in project efficacy and collaboration efforts. Old habits die hard. It takes time and active effort to not only learn new processes, practices, and tech, but to embed them into strategic planning, workflows, and company culture. Changes are enacted for a reason. Communicating end goals loudly and clearly throughout strategy sessions helps steer your ship towards the shore you’re trying to reach.

Grant Management: When requests for research, sponsorships, and events start piling up, it can be hard to stay on top of all the steps grant management requires. Managing processes for review, prioritization, approval, funding, tracking, and more make for an overwhelming workload. Grant management needs are as unique as each grant itself, and processes need to be tailored to each team to reap the best results. That’s where Echo Consulting comes in. They know the grant process doesn’t end when it’s awarded. Result reporting and visibility are essential aspects of grant management, but data obscurity can make streamlined processes difficult – especially with a big team. Tailored, persona-based permissioning can ensure every team member has all the information they need to succeed – and none of the info they don’t. They will take all stages into consideration, and help your team establish strong communication methods to stay on track throughout the life of the grant award. Hiring vendors to help you get the job done can leave a lot of questions unanswered. They will help you know what questions to ask and how to stay in the loop. Ensure that your vendors are offering timely, accurate deliverables. Track progress and invoicing in one place to ensure that expectations are being fulfilled.

Molly Yanus | Founder, CEO & Solution Architect

Molly Yanus thrives at the intersection of technology and strategy, with a belief that all teams deserve access to high quality project management. She is a planner at heart and a teacher at soul. Nicknamed "The Question Queen" by coworkers and clients alike, she is most passionate and impactful when there are problems to be solved and teams to be mobilized.

Project Management provides the structure Molly needs to tackle complex problems and she believes that everyone should have access to the powerful tools and tactics to overcome their obstacles to growth. As a consultant, she knows that it always comes back to you, your needs, and your priorities. Which is why when she founded her first company in July 2019, she chose “Echo” Consulting. The thing about an echo, is that it always comes back to you! Projects are meant to be temporary, but your success shouldn't be. That is why Molly recommendeds approach is adoption focused. Too many companies focus on picking the “right” or “best” tool or process, but struggle with the communication, change management, and adoption strategies to truly maximize the value. One of the many ways she stands out is she is not interested in relying on client dependency to grow. Her goal is to build self-sufficiency, nurture champions on your team, and grow together as a community and world.