Timesheets aren’t just admin. They sit at the intersection of effort, billing, and contracts. This article unpacks four types of time, why they often differ, and the simple test that helps consultants record time honestly, bill correctly and apply better commercial judgement.
Best Self
The myth of seniority is that titles create authority and value. They don’t. Some of the best leadership on a consulting job can come from the most junior person on an engagement.
Consulting Insight
You don’t need to be everywhere to be valued. The best consultants build a presence that keeps working when they’re not in the room
Tool
Download my Delivery Certainty Risk Framework to give you a practical framework for choosing the right commercial and consultant model based on delivery certainty
ConsultantCafe Shop
Download the anatomy of a good status report PowerPoint template
ConsultantCafe Shop
Download 44 pages. Six parts. One practical method for turning change into an organised, measurable program.
Consulting Insight
If clients are capping day rates, stop selling days. Learn how fixed-price services can help consultants build more valuable, scalable businesses....including an LLM script to help you get started.
Timesheets aren’t just admin. They sit at the intersection of effort, billing, and contracts. This article unpacks four types of time, why they often differ, and the simple test that helps consultants record time honestly, bill correctly and apply better commercial judgement.
You don’t need to be everywhere to be valued. The best consultants build a presence that keeps working when they’re not in the room
Download my Delivery Certainty Risk Framework to give you a practical framework for choosing the right commercial and consultant model based on delivery certainty
Notes from our open CaféShot: two dozen consultants agreed that radical transparency, ethics and integrity aren't a competitive edge. They're the price of entry.
Buiding remarkable consulting careers. Unlock your real strengths, master your craft, and build the consulting career you are proud of, without burning out or selling out.
One year, one award, 50+ articles and countless coffees. A look back at how ConsultantCafe grew into something bigger.
Notes from our open CaféShot: two dozen consultants agreed that radical transparency, ethics and integrity aren't a competitive edge. They're the price of entry.
Build your career moat with rare skill stacks, a visible reputation, wider networks and measurable wins.
A tongue-in-cheek sketch of 29 personas who show up to a facilitated session, and the serious truth about meeting each of them where they actually are.
There is no write or wrong when it comes to contracting or consulting. It just means trying to notice the opportunity cost.
Every consultant has a method drawer. Mine became a London Tube map with 89 stations across several lines in one slightly nerdy ride. Mind the methodology gap.
This is an open invitation for anyone to join a ConsultantCafe Cafe Shot Master Class on ethics in consulting. Subscribe to the free mailing list, and you will get an invite.
Enjoy these 44 pages of my Change Playbook. I have tried to capture everything I have learnt over the years about change management.
Consulting is messy. Another 4 timeless laws help you spot patterns early, manage the chaos, and steer complex work toward outcomes that actually stick.
Business development is a long game of building trust and earning the right to ask for the work when the timing is right.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Business Awards, 2026 winner of the Breakthrough Business.
I wrote the original article anchored in the old-school way of tracking project burn-downs. The fundamentals still hold, but AI now gives us a not-so-old-school way to keep forecasts current....and it will blow your mind.