Data model for Professional Services

Professional services may be categorized as a most diverse type of organizations because there are many of them which operate in highly specialized field by providing unique type of services. To give some insight it will be good to mention most common types - consulting firms of any type (IT,Law,Management), specialized services (cleaning, accounting, burial ceremonies) etc. Sometimes companies which do not entirely depend on professional type of service may by also interested in this particular data model as a addition. The key part of each data model and this one is no exception are products. According to definition, usually the products are services where money is paid for spending time on particular activity (consulting,lawsuit) , certain deliverable effect (clean office) or components which are extension of the service. The data model for professional services in contrast to other industires also need to include information about actors related to the oragnization and to keep track of those actors. Those actors include professionals, employees, contractors, contacts, other professional service providers, clients, partners, suppliers, competitors, associations, and organization units. Another key part of the discussed data model are orders - professional services needs to take them from their clients but in this case order is reffered as engagement since client has to engage the service of the particular company. However, it is recommended to use engagement for sales and ordinary orders for purchasing. Engagements may be exchanged between different subcontractors related to particular firm. Another important part of the data model is delivery. Because professional firms does not provide discrete products, the services are usually delivered through time entries. However, depending on type of organization there could be shipments of discrete items. (paper reports, tax returns, documentation etc.). Last but not least, Invoicing is also part of Professional services firms reality. They may bill on a time and materials basis, completion or partial completion of work or for products and features that they offer. To summarize the concept of the data model one may think of the key metrics in professional services which are measuring how much time was billed, by whom, for whom, on what project, and when.