2. Project Management Principles

2.1 Service Description and Scope of Work

Data Consult has developed a unique approach to security and risk consulting: the “FACTS” methodology. Based on our consulting years of experience, as well as research conducted by the Harvard Business School, FACTS focuses on what consistently leads to consulting success. The FACTS method emphasizes where your security program currently stands and what improvements are possible moving forward.

Data Consult concentrates on your long-term path to a more effective security posture:

Figure 1 - FACTS Project Methodology

Flexible

Our projects are always diligently scoped, but at times we uncover information that suggests some shift in focus or emphasis will be most helpful to you. We will confer with you and adjust our process accordingly.

Align

Our recommendations take into account your personnel, your current capabilities, the maturity of your security program and unique business objectives. Our job is to align our recommendations with what is possible for your organization. One-year consumable chunks of progress, in our experience, are what work. We concentrate on effective progress that is aligned to your team and organization and can be accomplished within 12 months.

Communicate

A report is not enough; communication between consultant and customer must be interactive. As

It is practical; our consultants will meet with you at the end of every day. We want to review preliminary findings and recommendations to ensure our findings are accurate (this will be your opportunity to provide us with feedback and corrections). We can give you an evolving view of our opinions and recommendations; this way there are no surprises in the report. We also look for key issues that impede progress and discuss these in particular; that way we can break bottlenecks. Our objective is to communicate beyond report writing. By ensuring solid communication, we can focus on remediation effectiveness and focus on your current capabilities, obstacles to progress and true needs.

Transfer

Knowledge transfer will help expedite progress. Although this part of our methodology is optional, we encourage your team to shadow and work closely with our consultants. We will share with your tools and techniques, how we interpret results and other tips to help you realize ongoing value. In our experience, the more you understand about security, the more improvements you will make in your security efforts.

Support

After we deliver the final report, you are likely to have follow-up questions. Problems may arise or new options may present themselves as you begin your remediation. Please contact us. Our consultants can provide support for your report-related questions even after the engagement is over and at no additional cost to you.