The organisations that get the most from a consultancy engagement are usually the ones that have done a small amount of preparation before the work starts. Not a lot. But a few specific things that make the first week significantly more productive.
Write down the problem as you currently understand it ¶
Before the engagement starts, write a short description of the problem as you see it. One page is enough. Include what you have already tried, what happened, and what a good outcome would look like. This is not a brief for the consultant to follow. It is a starting point for a conversation. Marcus reads every one of these carefully and they almost always contain something useful, even when the actual problem turns out to be different from what was described.
Identify who needs to be available for interviews ¶
An audit requires access to people at every level of the organisation. The most common delay in the first week is waiting for interview slots to be arranged. Before the engagement starts, identify the eight to twelve people whose perspective is most important and block two hours in their calendars. The interviews themselves take 45 to 60 minutes. The scheduling takes longer if it is left until the work has already started.
Gather the documents that describe the current process ¶
Whatever documentation exists for the current process, gather it in one place before the engagement starts. This includes process maps, procedure documents, training materials, and any recent audit or review reports. It does not matter if the documentation is out of date or incomplete. That is expected. Having it available saves time and often reveals how the official process has diverged from the real one.
What to leave to the consultant ¶
Do not try to pre-diagnose the problem or prepare a list of recommended fixes. The value of an external perspective is that it is external. Organisations that arrive with a solution already in mind tend to find confirmation of that solution rather than the actual problem. The preparation that helps is logistical. The analysis is the consultant's job.
If you are thinking about starting an engagement and want to know what the first two weeks would look like in practice, send Marcus a note. He is happy to walk through the specifics before any commitment is made.