How to choose a strategy consultant: a practical checklist

There are a lot of strategy consultants. The differences between them are not always obvious from a website or an initial conversation. This checklist is designed to help organizations ask the right questions before committing to an engagement. Questions about process, billing, deliverables, and fit.

Questions about process ¶

Ask the consultant to describe specifically what will happen in the first two weeks of the engagement. A vague answer ('we will get to know your organization') is a warning sign. A specific answer ('we will conduct interviews with these roles, review these documents, and deliver a preliminary findings memo by this date') tells you the consultant has done this before and knows what they are doing.

Also ask what happens if the engagement surfaces a problem that is outside the original scope. How is that handled? Is it a separate engagement, an expanded scope, or something they flag and leave for you to address?

Questions about deliverables ¶

Ask to see an example of a deliverable from a previous engagement (with identifying information removed). The format and specificity of that document will tell you more about what you are buying than any description of the methodology.

Ask whether the final deliverable is a presentation or a written document. Presentations are designed to be delivered; documents are designed to be used. If you want something you can act on without the consultant in the room, ask for a document.

Questions about billing and scope ¶

Ask how scope changes are handled. Every engagement surfaces unexpected complexity. The question is not whether that will happen but how it is managed when it does. A consultant who cannot answer this question clearly has probably not thought about it.

Ask for the fee in writing before the engagement begins, with a clear description of what it includes and what it does not. This is standard practice for any reputable consultant and should not require negotiation.

• What specifically happens in the first two weeks?
• Can I see an example deliverable from a previous engagement?
• Is the final output a presentation or a written document?
• How are scope changes handled?
• What is included in the fee and what is not?
• Who will be doing the actual work. You or a junior analyst?

The answers to these questions will not guarantee a good engagement, but they will help you avoid the most common mistakes. A consultant who is uncomfortable with direct questions about process and deliverables is telling you something important.