CMC-Canada joins CMC-Global in Celebrating ISO 20700
Media Room
Stakeholders from twenty countries (including Canada) attended a CMC‑Global event in Vienna to demonstrate their support for the standard and discuss how it will evolve and be implemented in the future.
Vienna, Austria – CMC‑Canada joined CMC-Global (formerly ICMCI) in Vienna to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the launch of the ISO 20700, the first published service standard.
Stakeholders from twenty countries (including Canada) were in attendance with representatives from six international organizations. The agenda covered areas of the ISO 20700 strategy, opportunities, implications of possible routes for the consulting industry and consultancies to strive for successful engagements.
The event took place at the WKO Sky Lounge - Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and included a follow-up event celebrating International Consultants’ Day 2018.
“The event brought together people from around the world interested in excellence in management Consulting," said Greg Richards, an Academic Fellow of CMC‑Global, practicing management consultant, and CMC-Canada member. "Based on the hard work of many of the attendees, the Standard provides globally-accepted guidelines that management consulting institutes could integrate into their own best practice frameworks. In addition, ISO has strong brand recognition. Integrating the standard with the good work we’ve done over the years in CMC-Canada to promote excellence in Consulting provides great co-promotion opportunities”.
The CMC-Global board members present at the event also acknowledged the value of the standard. Sorin Caian, Chair of ICMCI, stated that “Management consulting is all about adding value. There are two components that help assure this: professionalism and ethics and both are apparent and instilled in the standard.”
All participants were involved in the discussions and contributed to shaping the next steps for the implementation of the standard after listening to our panelists. All contributors were in agreement that the standard will enhance the confidence of clients in consulting, boost impact of projects, and contribute to the economic and social progress.
Natalia Makova of EBRD stated that: “EBRD – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development works with over 4,500 local consultants in 30 countries, and to date has supported over 30,000 advisory projects with SMEs, to the Bank is planning to incorporate ISO 20700 to the training courses for local consultants in order to support them in delivering better results". Adnan Atwa of UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization included in his panel address: “ISO 20700 lays out the basics of the delivery of management consulting services. From my service, documenting and standardizing the basics is very important.”
The discussion focused on change and the speed of change. Sorin Caian talked of the uncertainties of where management consulting will be in 5 years, and that change should not cause fear. Frank Wagner of FCSI (Foodservice Consultants Society International) focused on what we can learn from the development and implementation of other standards and concluded by saying: “Fair competition is important. ISO 20700 provides a baseline that members in the association can follow. The starting point is to develop tools for both consultants and clients. FSCI will be outing considerable effort behind this.”
Mr. Jack Yao of CCPIT – China Council for the Promotion of International Trade – shared with participants the experiences of implementing ISO 20700 in China and the steps already taken by them to establish the website and translate the standard to Chinese. Dr. Frenn of IRI (Industrial Research Institute in Lebanon) focused on how the implementation of the standard will “assist them at a national level and that it will contribute to the success of the institute”.
As part of increasing awareness of the standard, CMC‑Global launched a number of tools and actions including the self-declaration list, the tailored training programme targeting consultants and clients, and the www.iso20700.org website.
Dwight Mihalicz, CMC‑Global Treasurer and CMC‑Canada member, said: “ISO 20700 is the first global ISO standard for services. It is a tribute to the strengthening of our profession globally that we would lead the way. The Certified Management Consultant designation is a global standard on the quality of the consultant, and this is well complemented by an ISO standard on the quality of the service delivery. I was excited to be in the first class of consultants certified to train management consultants on how to use the standard to ensure the highest quality in the delivery of services to our clients.”
About CMC‑Global
CMC‑Global (formerly ICMCI) is an international membership organization and a network of the management advisory and consultancy associations and institutes worldwide, who have a common purpose and shared values and goals. Learn more: www.cmc‑global.org or www.iso20700.org. Click to view full event Photo Album and Session Videos.
About CMC‑Canada
The Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CMC‑Canada) fosters excellence and integrity in the management consulting profession as a whole. CMC‑Canada administers, and its Regional Certifying Institutes confer, the CMC designation in Canada. The Association and its members advocate for the CMC designation and are dedicated to advancing the profession and delivering the benefits of those efforts to the client community. Learn more: www.cmc‑canada.ca.
