Becoming a Contract Controller

Chapter 5How Can I Ensure I Will Be Successful?

The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow!

Introduction

After completing this chapter you should be able to

• Administer the Howard Hughes test to your client.

• Develop and implement a Position Description for yourself.

• Structure your work and responsibilities so that you are doing what is most important.

• Focus on the client’s metrics for performance.

• Identify and report on the client’s Critical Success Factor.

• Keep out of the day-to-day minutiae that will detract from your effectiveness.

No Guarantee of Success, So Improve Your Odds

Before we get into the specific skills, we need to spend some time on five best practices. Each practice is easy to adopt and very powerful. Combined, these practices will help you deliver what the client expects, while making you productive and effective.

Going into an opportunity where you are the contract Controller or CFO means that you will have some hard work to do. You will use the efforts of others to get there. Together these best practices build a structure that ensures your success.

Not every engagement that you undertake will require you to work at the strategic level. This fact does not excuse you from being able to think and act strategically, while understanding how a CEO views their business. We will start this chapter by seeing if you can pass the Howard Hughes Test in activity 5-1. If you fail this test you may want to reconsider whether you truly have the ability to be a contract ...