Category: Strategy Engagement

The process of completing a strategy engagement is very different from the clean written or power point report the client receives at the end of the study. A good analogy for thinking about the process of running a strategy engagement is to think about cooking.

The technique used to cook or bake will significantly influence the final dish. Slight variations in a technique can lead to major changes in the final product. For example, adding hot or cold milk to the preparation can completely change the texture and taste of the final dish. In other cases, the time when the milk is added to the preparation process changes the dish. In another example, you can bake sugar but grilling meat with sugar causes the sugar to burn.

The process to run a strategy engagement is very similar. Nuances lead to significant changes in quality. For example, storyboards must be done before the study even commences. As unusual as that sounds there is a very clear logic to why consulting engagements are done this way. Hypotheses are also always prepared before any analyses is done.

Doing them out of order may create a strategy report that looks correct, but because the process is incorrect the study will have flaws.

A poorly planned strategy engagement would be a nightmare to both lead and join as a team member. Much worse is both the quality of the work that will be produced and the flawed recommendations the client will receive.

However, learning how to lead a strategy engagement gives one a formidable career advantage. You will have the ability to solve even the most complex problem at any company anywhere in the world. That is a highly prized skill.