Advisory & consulting
What should a first advisory engagement actually produce?
If the first assignment ends with a platform shortlist but nobody can say which problem comes first, the advice has not done its job.
Published 25 September 2026
Name the decision in one sentence
Ask the adviser to state the decision the assignment will enable. “Which system?” is too narrow if the failure might be in ownership or process. A better question is whether the current hand-off can be repaired without replacing the customer system.
Agree which evidence is worth collecting: a sample of real cases, the time spent recovering them, the people who decide the next action and the constraints on changing the process. A short investigation can be more valuable than a large survey.
Expect a recommendation you can challenge
The final brief should distinguish facts from assumptions, compare credible options and explain why one is preferred. It should say what would reverse that view. A recommendation to build should explain why a process repair, configuration or existing product would not be enough.
Leave with a named decision-maker, a bounded next step and a clear account of what has not been tested. That is a usable outcome even if the right decision is to wait.
Suppose customer enquiries vanish between sales and delivery. The owner asks for a new customer system.
Trace five recent enquiries before buying one. If each was received but never assigned, define the hand-off and its owner first. If assignment worked but the record was lost between tools, test an integration.