Business Situation Review

It is vital to establish a clear understanding of your requirements as early as possible, and I offer an initial review to discuss every potential engagement. We will cover a lot of ground in the meeting, and you’ll almost certainly get some useful takeaways so be sure to bring a notepad.

We will be looking for four key outcomes from the situation review: The critical question(s); the context; an understanding of each other; and an outline of the engagement structure.

Questions

In most cases I find turning a want or a need statement into a question invites a less restricted set of options, digs deeper into the challenge beyond symptoms, and surfaces the boundaries which will keep us on track. If you already have a solid definition, that’s fine too!

In my experience, most engagements are more effective when an effort is made to build an understanding of the people, existing processes, and history. I’m interested in your stories and facts.

Context

Understanding

The work I undertake often involves difficult, messy, or personal interactions. It is important that we get along and that we communicate effectively. This meeting is a chance to understand more about eachother and build a level of trust.

Engagements can take many forms: on-site, off-site, people-facing, data-based, intensive, or spread out over time. There is a long list, and the final proposal will depend on the project itself, budget, and time constraints.

In reality, I expect larger projects to require multiple sessions that hone the details and involve other stakeholders. We’ll discuss how we do that on a case-by-case basis.

This meeting will inform the proposal document I will create and return, so we can agree on a plan and get started. The proposal will contain a summary of my understanding of the objectives, one or more options for the engagement structure, and any immediate recommendations for you to take away.

Structure