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Mission to Mars R&D Strategy Study

Mission to Mars R&D Strategy Study

Restructuring a national space agency to chase the significant goal of building a manned colony on the Red planet.

This will be one of the most exciting studies in management consulting. Like all our study programs, you will be able to watch detailed videos and power points teaching you how we conducted every single focus interview, planning step, analysis and engagement management step for this assignment, and view the final reports.

We will also include the proposal, pricing and amendments to the proposal.

This is Phase 1 of the study: the corporate strategy & restructuring planning.

It is an exciting and complex strategy restructuring study to reorganize a national space agency so that it can undertake the significant R&D and logistical challenges of building a manned colony on Mars.

How does a large company manage its R&D and planning costs to hit a significant goal in the future, knowing that the technology does not yet exist to hit that goal, yet the goal and the target date are set, and funding is not unlimited?

This is the quintessential problem facing any R&D intensive organization and it is the problem we will address.

You can watch the trailer for this study below.

In the Corporate Strategy & Transformation Study (Power Sector) we had to use a detailed understanding of the engineering of power stations to advise the client. This study takes that approach even further. We need to review, evaluate and make critical decisions on advanced rocketry and propulsion, and re-entry and docking systems.

We need to decide which technologies are most promising and should be developed. This study is a great example of how management consulting merges with specialized engineering skills to develop better recommendations for clients.

Hiring

We will be hiring two types of associates, consultants and engineers, to staff this study.

The team on this study will have an opportunity to work on some of the most complex issues in strategy, organizational design, R&D analyses and, of course, engineering. The exposure to some of the most brilliant minds in physics, engineering and thermodynamics should be a major draw card.

Consultants: We have a preference for non-consultants so we may train them in our approach, values and philosophy. This does not imply that ex-consultants need not apply. We will consider all suitable applications. Given the size of the sector, we will bring in external subject matter experts to help us understand the industry.

To this end,  principals from a prominent PE firm will work within the corporate strategy stream, to be led by a FC partner, and consultants we hire specifically for the corporate strategy stream may be assigned to work directly with the PE principals or on the core engagement team.

Scientists: We will be hiring engineers / scientists / PhDs to work both on the consulting and engineering analyses sides of the study. Past experience is less important than the ability to develop new solutions to old problems.

We are not looking for best practice and are not looking to import best-practice from outside the client. We want to completely rethink the problem. Therefore, when applying, prior experience is by its very nature insufficient unless you can explain how it allows you to attack the problem in a different way.

We will open recruiting to staff this study in January 2016, and applicants must have fluency in English and at least one of the following languages: German, Russian, Hindi or Mandarin. Final round applicants will undergo a security clearance check. More details on the roles will be posted closer to the time.

Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation will get extra points for like-mindedness.

space 2

Comments & Suggestions

We already have two major strategy studies on the site (Market Entry and Corporate Strategy M&A) thereby allowing subscribers to understand the enormous attention to detail we bring to our work.

Apart from carefully searching for great minds to staff this study, we are informing you about this upcoming study early so you may think about any changes you would like to see in the presentation of future training programs. We will appreciate your comments and suggestions below.

Live long and prosper!

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PODCASTS: Listen to our partners narrate the soon-to-be-released Corporate Strategy & Transformation Study, and other studies, on our Strategy Skills Podcast on iTunes: rate us and post comments on what more you would like to see.

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Image from Kevin Gill under cc, cropped, added text.

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