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Work standards


The EN16114 standard consists of a set of guidelines for good practice in the interaction between consultants and clients.

Describes consulting tasks, evaluation guidelines, and key phases in the process of providing consulting services.
Ensures transparency, traceability and measurability of results for the client.

  • Objective of the standard:   To develop good practice among providers of management consulting services
    Legal frameworkAn appropriate level of awareness of the relevant laws, policies, rules, regulations and standards that govern the Services; identified in the agreement.
    CommunicationEffective communication strategies and policies
    EthicsProfessional Code of Conduct and Business Ethics, a statement of values ​​guiding the professional conduct of consulting practices.
    Corporate social responsibilityGuides professional conduct and the development of good practices.
    AbilityConsultancy practices accept only those tasks that they are able to carry out professionally. If they have reason to believe that the expected and/or agreed upon results with the client will not be met, they should immediately inform the client and request a renegotiation of the agreement.
    QualityA quality plan anticipating and managing quantitative potential risks
    GuaranteesService Warranty Terms. They must be presented, agreed and accepted.
    Health and safetyHealth and safety conditions guide the development of good practice

    Ongoing evaluation and improvement

    The purpose of assessment in consulting practice is:

    • to determine the effectiveness of the implementation;
    • to make recommendations for corrective actions
    • to implement new processes and methods

    An effective evaluation policy and strategy must consider and ensure sufficient duration of the relationship between the client and the consulting practice. Even if they are not included in the agreement, any good consulting practice takes time to examine the results of consulting actions. Performance appraisal is a process.

    Phases of the consulting process 

  • Offering: Providing consultation and client involvement requires a clear agreement on the service being provided, a commitment from both parties to work together. Transparency is critical to avoid misunderstandings and minimize risk.
  • Implementation:  the consulting practice is implemented after agreeing on an approach and an action plan. In order to achieve a mutually satisfactory outcome, the practice and the client must work together with trust, fairness and mutual respect.
  • Closing: After the completion of the consulting actions and evaluation of the results, all open processes are closed and the results are reported for the degree of coverage of the agreed obligations. This is crucial for a consulting practice, for client acceptance of the achievements and improvements achieved together.