Summary of David H. Maister's Managing The Professional Service Firm

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Sample Book Insights:

#1 The mission of every professional service firm is to deliver outstanding client service, provide fulfilling careers and professional satisfaction for their employees, and achieve financial success so that they can reward themselves and grow.

#2 The required shape of the organization is primarily determined by the skill requirements of its work. For Brains projects, which involve highly skilled and highly paid professionals, the opportunities to leverage the top professionals with juniors are limited.

#3 The three categories of project types are those that involve the highest proportion of junior time, those that involve the highest proportion of senior time, and those that involve both junior and senior time. The choice of project types is one of the most important variables available to balance the firm.

#4 The archetypal structure of the professional service firm is an organization containing three professional levels. In a consulting organization, these levels might be labeled junior consultant, manager, and vice president. In a CPA firm, they might be referred to as staff, manager, and partner.