In a previous blog we told you when you should hear alarm bells ringing when hiring a consulting firm. That is important to know, but in the meantime, the need for change within your organization remains. In this blog, Paul van Bekkum, one of the founders of Summiteers, explains what he thinks is a good approach, namely making a plan for your plan.

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Directly into action mode or take your time first?

When you, as an organization, approach us with the desire to develop a new vision or strategy, you are actually asking for a plan. Dolf wrote about this earlier a blog: a strategy is nothing more than a plan. The crucial question — in our view — is: how do you arrive at that plan? That's what we call the plan for the plan. We try to avoid writing a quote very frantically right away, but want to have things clear first. We really want to take the time to make sure that we are fully on the same page with the client about what we will do together in the coming weeks or months. Who will take on what role and what will the process look like?

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Questions

When we talk about the plan for the plan, what questions do we ask?

1. What exactly do you want to solve? What is the main goal of the project? Are there side goals you want to achieve? In short: the scope and the result. When the project is finished, what do you have? What does that look like.

2. This also includes another question. Do you want us to focus primarily on the future or should we first make a thorough analysis of the current situation and identify the gap with the desired goal?

3. What is the pace of the project? Do you have a specific deadline in mind? Do you prefer a slower pace so that your own people can play a bigger role? Or do you want to accelerate the project and let us do more?

4. What are the current bottlenecks in the situation? Is there a clear picture of the current situation and its challenges? What specific issues need to be addressed?

5. And finally, of course, the stakeholders. Who are they, who should we coordinate with and when? Should we do this at the start of the project or at specific milestones? Often, the choice of stakeholders you want to involve also determines the size of the project. If it is possible to work with a small team where all decision makers are represented, this can result in significantly shorter lead times.

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Prevent confusion and waste of time

We often hear from clients: “We don't need a plan; we've done this before.” But in complex situations with numerous stakeholders, expectations can vary if you don't first take the time to create a shared understanding of what needs to be done. This can lead to confusion. That's why it's crucial to schedule time to develop a plan before you go straight to implementation.

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Realism and pragmatism

By working in this way, we notice that the final project becomes smaller, more manageable. This is at odds with the way many other consulting firms work, which love large-scale projects. After a few weeks of intensive cooperation, it may well appear that the situation is less complex than initially thought and that a large part of the work can be carried out internally. This realism and pragmatism sets us apart in the industry. Our goal is not to provide as many and as high quotes as possible, but to work with our customers on a well-considered plan, from concept to the execution.

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Collaboration

At Summiteers, we strive to put the customer in the driving seat. We're here to work together to find the best possible solution. That's why we ask questions, listen to customer needs, and adapt our role to achieve customer goals.

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Need help with strategy and execution?

We are Summiteers, we create movement, make something that is complex understandable again, something big achievable, a - vague - idea concrete and make something difficult succeed. Can you use help with this? Take contact with us.

Interested, but not ready for the trip yet? Follow our LinkedIn page and get inspired.