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Ksenia Kartamysheva
10 min read
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A project management consultant handles tasks like managing resources, aligning stakeholders, and making sure the project stays on track. The easy way to schedule these tasks is by using software solutions like Birdview PSA. Using this software, consultants can automatically schedule tasks, allocate resources, and manage timelines, and even take full control with project plan templates for manual scheduling.

🔍 What is a project management consultant (PMC)?

PMC‘s are skilled at addressing the very challenges you might be facing project delay, poor resource allocation, and unclear goals They help by bringing the right expertise to guide your teams, make sure alignment, and get projects back on track.

A project management consultant is your solution when you need to improve project outcomes. If you’re in a mid-sized company, they step in to fill the gaps where your internal teams might lack the skills or capacity to handle complex projects.

What sets consultants apart is their fresh perspective. Unlike in-house project managers, they can quickly spot inefficiencies and offer actionable solutions customized to your needs.

Their focus is on managing risks while making sure that your projects align with your company‘s larger objectives.

Checklist ▶️ Assess if your business needs a project management consultant

Indicator Yes No
Persistent project failures or delays
Lack of in-house expertise for large or technical projects
Struggling with resource allocation or team communication
Inability to meet deadlines or stick to budgets
Unclear project goals or objectives

How to use this checklist

Review each item and mark “Yes” if any of them sound familiar. If you find yourself checking off even one of these indicators, it‘s a clear sign that your business may benefit from a project management consultant.

Use this checklist to determine if you need outside help, and if you do, a consultant could provide the targeted support to help you move forward.

Project management consultant tasks & role: What are the activities of a management consultant?

Here‘s a look at the core activities a project management consultant dives into to help projects succeed.

1. Project coordination

As a project consultant, your first task is to immerse yourself in the client‘s business environment. Learn about the company‘s processes, culture, and goals to align the project with their vision.

Coordinate with both internal and external stakeholders to keep everyone focused on the same objectives. Open, clear communication prevents miscommunication/misunderstandings and keeps everyone on the same page.

From there, define the project structure. Establish clear goals, timelines, and resource requirements to guide your team. Regularly update project documentation and share it with management, keeping them informed about progress and any changes that arise.

2. Stakeholder management

Building strong, trustworthy relationships with key stakeholders is mandatory. Stay in constant communication with clients, team members, and external partners to maintain collaboration.

Keep clients updated on the project‘s status, address their concerns immediately, and align on timelines and project deliverables.

Be proactive when issues arise, or the project needs adjustment. Open discussions with stakeholders help shape the project direction and adapt to new challenges.

3. Team management

Distribute tasks proactively across the project team. Make sure every member understands their role and has the necessary resources to complete their tasks.

Provide leadership and motivation to maintain a positive work environment. When needed, offer guidance and support to keep performance high.

Pay attention to team dynamics, and act quickly when conflicts or issues arise. By addressing them promptly, you keep the team productive and avoid project delays.

Explore ▶️ Tips for getting your project back on track

4. Project planning and execution

Develop a detailed project plan that clearly outlines goals, timelines, and deliverables. This will be your blueprint for execution.

Regularly check the project’s progress to identify any roadblocks and adjust your plan as needed to stay on track.

Anticipate potential resource risks early on. Identify challenges like resource shortages or scope changes and prepare strategies to handle them before they affect the project.

5. Financial and resource management

Monitor the project budget closely. Track expenses and monitor resource usage to avoid overspending.

Allocate resources wisely, balancing human and material needs without overwhelming your team or exceeding the budget.

Regularly assess resource availability and adjust allocations to maintain a balanced workflow. This keeps the project moving forward without overburdening the team.

6. Quality control and improvement

Conduct regular reviews to evaluate the project‘s progress and quality. Check if deliverables are meeting expectations and project standards. When issues arise, step in to adjust processes or strategies to improve project outcomes.

Focus on quality at every stage, and when necessary, implement changes to maintain high standards throughout the project.

7. Communication and reporting

Maintain regular, transparent communication with stakeholders. Keep team members and clients up-to-date with progress through meetings or reports.

8. Risk and contingency planning

Identify risks early. Look for potential issues like resource constraints, scope changes, or external factors that might disrupt the project.

Develop mitigation strategies that will help manage these risks without derailing the project.

Have contingency plans in place for unexpected situations. By preparing alternative strategies, you can handle disruptions without jeopardizing the project‘s success.

9. Deliverable management

Clearly define deliverables for each project phase. Communicate these expectations to the team and make sure the work meets the required standards. Track each deliverable closely to stay on top of deadlines and quality.

Monitor progress consistently and make adjustments as needed to meet targets. Keep the team focused on delivering high-quality work on time.

What is the work schedule for a management consultant?

A PMC’s schedule is driven by project deadlines and client demands.

Here’s how to stay on track:

  1. Assess the client’s needs first – understand what they require to kick things off.
  2. Gather the necessary data to inform your strategy.
  3. Develop a clear action plan to guide your next steps.

As you move forward, your focus shifts to implementing recommendations, collaborating with stakeholders, and tracking progress.

Expect flexibility in your work. Since the job depends on project milestones and deadlines, be prepared to work evenings or weekends. Keep the project on course by checking in regularly with your client to stay aligned. Adjust as necessary and continue pushing forward.

Don‘t forget to set aside time for documentation and final evaluations. Your goal is to deliver results within the agreed-upon timeline. Follow these steps, and you‘ll stay organized, engaged, and successful.

How can you automate the scheduling of tasks for consulting projects using scheduling software?

One of the best ways to automate the project management consultancy tasks is by using a scheduling software that automates and organizes all the moving parts.

If you‘ve never used a tool like this before, this is the perfect opportunity to try one. With Birdview PSA, you‘ll have a system that keeps everything on track and helps you get ahead of potential problems.

Here’s what it can do for you 👇

  • Define project milestones to break down big projects into manageable steps
  • Track task progress in real-time to spot issues early
  • Adjust schedules dynamically when things change

With Birdview PSA, you won‘t be guessing whether your project tasks are on track–you‘ll have a clear, real-time picture, and you can adjust as needed to stay ahead.

1. Identifying project milestones and deliverables to lay the groundwork

Every successful project starts with planning, and that means defining clear milestones. These key moments in the project timeline help you stay organized, track progress, and make sure nothing is overlooked.

With Birdview PSA‘s milestone tracking, you can easily define your project‘s major phases–whether it‘s “Research Completion”, “Strategy Development”, or “Client Review” 👀. Once those milestones are in place, break them down into specific deliverables and tasks.

For example, if you’re working on a marketing strategy, you could define a milestone for research and a milestone for presenting a draft strategy.

Each of those milestones would then have smaller tasks under them–research, content creation, and review meetings.

2. Determining priorities for client satisfaction and task impact

In consulting, prioritizing tasks is everything. Not all tasks hold the same weight or have the same urgency. Some need to be completed before others, while some have a bigger impact on your client’s overall goals.

Without a proper system, you might waste time on low-priority tasks, causing delays in the more important ones.

That‘s where Birdview PSA‘s activity center comes in. With custom filters, you can prioritize tasks based on their urgency and dependencies.

Need to focus on a report that the client desperately needs? Mark it as a high-priority task, and Birdview PSA will make sure that everything else gets scheduled around it.

By using automation tools like Birdview, you‘ll make sure that your team is always working on the most important things at the right time without missing a step.

3. Managing task dependencies and preventing delays

Consulting projects can quickly spiral if you don‘t manage task dependencies. If one task doesn‘t get done, it can halt the entire project. It‘s important to visualize and track how tasks depend on each other, and Birdview PSA‘s Gantt chart helps you do just that.

Here‘s how it works: When one task needs to be completed before another (for example, research before strategy development), the Gantt Chart clearly shows that relationship. If something is delayed, you‘ll see the domino effect, and you can make adjustments in real time.

4. Adapting to changes and managing delays with flexibility

Nothing goes exactly according to plan in consulting. Whether your client requests new changes or a task runs over time, you need to be able to adapt quickly.

If you‘re manually adjusting everything, you risk losing track of key details. But with Birdview PSA, you can make real-time adjustments to your schedule without skipping a beat.

When a delay happens, Birdview PSA lets you update your timeline, reassign resources, and shift tasks accordingly–without disrupting the entire project. You can even add buffer time to account for unexpected issues.

No matter what changes come up, you‘re ready to respond with agility and precision.

5. Aligning teams and stakeholders through collaborative scheduling

Keeping everyone–your team, clients, and other stakeholders–on the same page can be challenging. But Birdview PSA makes collaboration seamless.

You can easily share project views with everyone involved, giving them access to real-time status updates, task assignments, and timelines.

For example, if you‘re working with multiple stakeholders, you can give clients access to the project view. That way, they know exactly where things stand without the need for constant check-ins.

Transparency keeps everyone engaged and helps make sure things run according to plan.

6. Simplifying task management with automation and alerts

You‘re busy! You don‘t need to be managing every little detail manually.

With Birdview PSA, automation takes care of the tedious parts, like sending task reminders, status updates, and milestone alerts.

For instance, when a milestone deadline is approaching, the system automatically sends a reminder to you and your team so no one forgets. This removes the need for constant manual oversight.

You can focus on the bigger picture while the tool keeps the routine tasks in check.

7. Tracking time and resources without micromanaging

As a consultant, it‘s tempting to micromanage every task, but you know that this can drain productivity. Instead, Birdview PSA gives you visibility into time tracking and resource allocation without stepping on anyone‘s toes.

With real-time insights into the time spent on each task and how resources are being used, you can quickly spot areas where things might be overworked or underutilized. This insight allows you to reallocate resources or adjust timelines to keep everything balanced without micromanaging.

8. Communicating clearly to keep the schedule on track

Strong communication is the foundation of any successful project. If things go off track, it‘s often because communication slipped through the cracks. With Birdview PSA, communication is clear, immediate, and always up to date.

When changes are made, the system automatically updates the schedule and notifies your team. If a task is delayed, everyone will know right away.

9. Integrating client feedback into your project schedule

Client feedback can be a constant, and it‘s often necessary to adjust your schedule to accommodate new requests. But how do you do that without disrupting the entire project?

With Birdview PSA, you can seamlessly integrate client feedback into your project plan.

When a client gives you new directions, update the timeline and tasks within the system. You can quickly adjust tasks and reassign them as needed to reflect their new priorities.

10. Striking the right balance: flexibility vs. structure

You need a clear, structured plan to keep your project organized, but you also need the flexibility to adapt when things change. Birdview PSA gives you that balance.

It combines structured scheduling with the flexibility of Agile tools to adjust tasks and priorities based on real-time information.If a client shifts their priorities, you can move things around within the system and stay organized.

11. Managing multiple projects: practical scheduling for busy consultants

Consultants often switch several projects at once, and keeping everything straight can feel impossible. Birdview PSA‘s multi-project dashboard consolidates everything into a single view, letting you track all tasks, deadlines, and resources for each project in one place.

With this comprehensive view, you can make informed decisions about how to allocate resources and adjust timelines across multiple projects, helping you stay on top of all your responsibilities.

12. Keeping projects on schedule and maintaining accountability

Birdview PSA‘s project health indicators give you an instant snapshot of the project’s progress. If any tasks are falling behind or resources are being underutilized, you‘ll be alerted right away, so you can take action before problems arise.

How to schedule consulting project tasks manually?

Here‘s how you can manually plan and manage your tasks to maximize your outcome.

1. Plan out workloads

Start by defining every task in your project and assigning clear deadlines. Break down large tasks into smaller, manageable actions. Then, assign tasks based on each team member‘s strengths.

🚨 Tip: Avoid overwhelming anyone with too much work. Overloading someone leads to delays and burnout.

Action Step: Prioritize tasks so that the most important ones are tackled first. When you map out the workload carefully, you keep everyone on track and the project moving forward.

Explore ▶️ Workload management strategies: techniques and examples

2. Predict resource availability

Before jumping into task assignments, check the availability of your resources–including personnel, equipment, and materials. Consider each team member‘s schedule, vacations, and other commitments.

⚠️ Watch Out: Predict potential bottlenecks or scheduling conflicts that could derail progress.

Action Step: By forecasting resource availability, you‘ll make sure of smooth allocation and prevent delays in your critical tasks.

3. Visualize

Take advantage of visual tools like Gantt charts or Kanban boards. These tools will lay out your tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities in an easy-to-read format.

👀 Visual Advantage: With everything in front of you, it‘s much easier to spot delays, overlapping tasks, or missing resources before they cause problems.

Action Step: When your team has clear visibility, collaboration becomes smoother, and everyone stays aligned with the project goals.

4. Track billable and non-billable time

Keep a close eye on both billable and non-billable hours. Billable time is spent on client tasks, while non-billable time includes things like internal meetings or administrative work.

📊 Why It Matters: Tracking these hours accurately helps you avoid overcharging clients or misjudging the team‘s workload. It also gives you the data needed to manage costs proactively.

Action Step: Track time consistently to keep billing accurate and maximize internal productivity.

Explore ▶️ Project time tracking software

5. Monitor costs to improve resource utilization

To stay within budget, you need to keep a close eye on costs. Regularly check both direct and indirect costs against your original estimates.

💡 Pro Tip: If you notice costs creeping up, reassess how you‘re using your resources. Make adjustments quickly to prevent overspending.

Action Step: By monitoring costs, you‘ll not only stay on budget but also maximize the value of each resource, boosting the project‘s success.

Explore ▶️ Advanced project budget management software

20+ Business consulting project plan templates (Excel)

You know how tough it can be to create a project plan from scratch. We get it!

That’s why we’ve put together 20+ free Excel templates to help you jump-start your project planning. These templates are ready to use, simple, and designed to save you time.

You can start organizing tasks, tracking progress, and planning timelines right away.

Don’t waste time reinventing the wheel. Grab these templates now and make your project management easier.

👉 Download your templates here: Birdview PSA Business Consulting Templates

How on-point consultant task scheduling helps businesses?

Independent consultants, listen up: You must have a clear scheduling system in place. Switching multiple clients and projects is challenging, but with a solid plan, you‘ll stay organized and maintain your professionalism.

Schedule your time wisely to avoid burnout while meeting deadlines on every project.

Instead of doing everything manually, “automate!”

Explore ▶️ Best consulting project management software: 2025 picks

Project manager vs. project management consultant

Let‘s break down the difference between a project manager and a project management consultant.

Project Type Project Manager Project Management Consultant Value of Consultants
Long-term Strategic Projects – Knows the company‘s culture, goals, and processes.

– Brings stability and consistency.

– Handles day-to-day operations and aligns with company needs.

– Offers a fresh perspective and challenges the status quo.

– Uses advanced methods to innovate.

– Expert in digital transformation and long-term strategy.

– Brings deep expertise in long-term planning.

– Delivers fresh solutions to complex problems.

– Offers flexibility without a long-term commitment.

In-house Short-term Tasks – Makes quick decisions and executes fast.

– Knows the team, tools, and processes.

– Best for tight deadlines and internal continuity.

– Steps in for specific skills or tasks.

– Handles process improvement or risk assessments.

– No long-term commitment is needed.

– Provides specialized knowledge and support for specific tasks.

– Makes objective decisions under pressure.

– Flexible and quick, without long-term ties to the company.

 

When to opt for a project manager‘s services?

  1. For short-term projects with clear scope and tight deadlines.
  2. When internal coordination and quick decision-making are top priorities.
  3. When speed and execution are the main goals.

When to opt for a project management consultant‘s services?

  1. For projects that require specialized expertise or fresh perspectives.
  2. When handling complex initiatives like digital transformations or restructuring.
  3. For projects needing strategic guidance, industry best practices, or high-level planning.

Top tips for project deadline management as a consultant

Here are the top five tips to help you stay on track and master deadline management.

1. Prioritize tasks based on urgency and project deadlines

Start by identifying the tasks that need your immediate attention. Rank them based on their urgency and how they fit into your project‘s timeline.

🔑 Here‘s the key: tackle high-priority tasks first.

Use something simple like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks by importance and urgency. This helps you stay focused on what matters most without getting sidetracked by less critical tasks.

Discipline is your ally here. When you stick to this approach, you avoid the panic of last-minute rushes.

✅ Action Tip: Ask yourself: What‘s the one task today that, if completed, will move the project forward the most?

2. Estimate task time frames and plan ahead

Accurate time estimation is everything. Start by breaking down the project into bite-sized tasks and think about how long each will take.

Plan with some extra time to handle unexpected roadblocks. Factor in buffer time.

By doing this, you‘re setting yourself up for success–without the stress of rushing. When you plan realistically, you‘ll hit your deadlines with more ease.

✅ Action Tip: When estimating task times, think back to previous projects. Did something take longer than expected? Add that extra buffer time in.

3. Break the project into sub-tasks and do one task at a time to meet consulting deadlines

Large projects can overwhelm you. That‘s why you need to break them down into manageable sub-tasks. Each sub-task is like a milestone on the road to completing the project.

Don‘t make the mistake of multitasking. Focus on one task, complete it, and then move to the next.

Action Tip: Set yourself up for success by completing one task at a time. After each task, take a short break to recharge.

4. Communicate with clients and set expectations

Don‘t let communication slide as you work on deadlines. From the get-go, set expectations with your clients about timelines and milestones. Check-in regularly and give updates–don‘t wait for issues to grow.

If something changes, discuss it early. Transparency builds trust, and it helps avoid surprises that can throw off your schedule.

✅ Action Tip: Schedule brief check-ins with clients. A quick 10-minute update can go a long way in keeping everyone aligned.

5. Use project deadline management tools to streamline workflows

Tools like Birdview, Asana, or Monday are your best friends when it comes to managing deadlines. These platforms let you visualize the whole project timeline, assign tasks, and set due dates.

Additionally, they send reminders to make sure you never miss a deadline. With real-time tracking, you can quickly adapt to changes and keep everything on track.

✅ Action Tip: Set up your project timeline in one of these tools today. Seeing the tasks laid out visually can give you a huge confidence boost.

FAQs

Can a project manager be a consultant?

Yes, project managers can transition into consulting. While project managers oversee daily tasks and execution, consultants step back to advise on improving systems and approaches. If you want to offer insights without getting involved in day-to-day operations, consulting could be the right move.

How is resource scheduling different for consultancy firms?

Consultancy firms manage resources across multiple projects for various clients. Planning and prioritization play a central role in assigning the right people and tools. Use project management software like Birdview to track resource availability and maintain project timelines without overlap.

How to choose the right project management consultant for your business?

Pick someone with industry experience and a proven record of solving similar challenges. Ask about their approach to analyzing your current processes and how they communicate recommendations. Look for someone who aligns their expertise with your specific goals.

Final say

Managing complex projects isn‘t easy–it takes organization and focus. That’s where project management consultants come in. They‘re experts at coordinating teams, managing resources, and aligning stakeholders to keep everything on track.

With their help, you‘ll set clear goals, mitigate risks, and stay focused on hitting those all-important deadlines.

💡 Pro Tip: Want to stay ahead of the game? Use tools like Birdview PSA to track tasks, prioritize goals, and manage your budget. These tools streamline your workflow so you can keep your eye on what truly matters–getting things done.

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