(2 minute read)
Imagine this: A new consulting assignment has been won. Immediate celebration (or relief) quickly subsides as the reality of a lot of work in a short period of time sinks in. The contract has been signed. Client approval to proceed has been provided, and the client expects rapid momentum! The consultant team can now be mobilised. Some of the team members may have been involved in the bid preparation. But some may not!!
Sound familiar? The first phase of a consulting assignment is the highest risk for the consultant. Client trust has not yet been earned, yet the consultant’s understanding of the client business is at its lowest point.
And the kick off meeting is the first step in that first phase. Good preparation for that meeting is critical to build good first impressions with a new client.
This article provides a checklist for a kick-off meeting between a client and a consultant. Its in agenda format, so can also be useful to anticipate this in preparation of a bid or proposal.
And even before walking into that meeting, the consultant should be thinking about:
- Who attends the kick off? The whole team, or just the team lead?
- Has the consultant’s team been fully briefed on the proposal documentation to date?
- Who is asking what questions?
- Who is taking the notes?
- What other questions can be asked to build client confidence?
And with that thinking in place, here’s the model agenda and checklist for a thorough client / consultant kick off meeting.
| No. | Agenda Item | Key Lines of Enquiry | Checklist Items |
| 1 | Introductions Personalising the meeting | Names, backgrounds and roles of consultant team Names, backgrounds and roles of client team | |
| 1 | Context Understanding the background to the work | What led to this point and why? How does this work fit into a broader organisational agenda or strategy of reform? What progress has been made to date? What are the key risks that this work should mitigate? What constitutes a successful outcome for this initiative? | Problem definitionSuccess criteriaStrategic risks |
| 2 | Brief Validating the detail of the consultant’s brief | How closely does the published Statement of Work (SoW) and the consultant’s tendered approach align? Is the Statement of Work / Brief adequately described? Is the client’s role in this work adequately described? What’s out of scope? | Clarity of SoWEndorsement of Consultants tendered approachSoW ExclusionsDeliverablesDeliverable datesOther milestones and deadlinesAcceptance Criteria for deliverables and completion |
| 3 | Supporting Information and Data Providing supplementary information to accelerate the consultant’s understanding of the business context | Beyond the public domain, what information can the client supply to help the consultant get up to speed as quickly as possible? | The case to proceedOrganisational context (eg corporate plan, strategic plan)Org structurePerformance DataPrevious work in the same area (eg other consultants’ reportsOperating model User stories or user journeysOperating procedures |
| 4 | Consultation Understanding, accessing and engaging the key stakeholders | Who are the stakeholders in the client’s ecosystem? Who are advocates for this work, who are sceptics for this work and why? Who among these should the consultant meet? What context or sensitivities should the consultant consider in meeting these people? | SponsorPrincipalProject LeadUser RepsCustomerOperatorUpstream stakeholdersDownstream stakeholdersThe client’s clientAdvocacy groupsRepresentative shareholdersOthers |
| 5 | Engagement Protocols Managing the day to day commercial relationship between client and consultant | What protocols for engagement need to be discussed and understood by the consultant? Has the client understood and accepted the consultant’s assumptions and caveats stated in the proposal? | Meeting frequencyReporting frequencyReporting format Protocols for setting up stakeholder interviewsDeliverable Review and Sign-Off protocols (timing, no of review cycles, feedback format)Stage Gates (eg desk analysis prior to consultation)Invoicing form and frequencyData storage, protection and security classification |
| 6 | Logistics Enabling consultant access to necessary parts of the business | What expectations does the client have about consultant access to building and systems? What are agreed locations for where the work is undertaken? | Work locationSystem accessPhysical accessCar parkingHot desk protocols |
| 7 | Next Steps Clarity on immediate next steps following meeting | What are the agreed consultant actions taken from the meeting? What are the agreed client actions taken from the meeting? Who and when will meeting notes be circulated? |
Summary
The kick-off meeting is a critical part of most assignments, and the point where client trust can be built or diminished. At the same time, the consultant needs to absorb as much information as possible that could be relevant to the assignment. Its worth planning an dpreparing for this meeting as best as possible.
Dr Nigel Nutt
Founder and Principal
Tabiya Services Pty Ltd
www.tabiya.com.au
The views and concepts presented in this article are the intellectual property of Tabiya Services Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. The article may be forwarded or recirculated as long as the article remains complete, and attribution to Tabiya Services is retained.