Technique
Is Your Program Actually Viable?
Missed dates and stressed teams aren’t the problem. They’re symptoms. The Viable Systems Model (VSM) can help consultants diagnose structural underlying issues.
Consulting Insight
Timesheets Without Tears: How to Make Them Work for You
Timesheets are necessary commercial hygiene in consulting, but they also reveal culture. Done well, they’re quick and useful; done poorly, they steal Fridays.
Project Management
The Anatomy of an engagement Status Report That Builds Executive Trust
Executives don’t ignore status reports by accident. They ignore bad ones on purpose. Good reports surface uncomfortable truths early and make it obvious where leadership attention is needed.
Technique
ChatGPT script to give you a winning consulting approach
Win your next assignment with structure, not luck. This script helps you craft a best-practice consulting approach through guided questions that turn ambiguity into clarity, delivering clear phases, outcomes, deliverables, and tools you can adapt for any engagement.
Consulting Insight
Lessons in developing an Investement Logic Map from the North Pole
Chapter 4: This is the 4th in a series on Santa's digital transformation. See my Investment Logic Map Framework here and lessons for consultants when they develop one with a client
Tool
ConsultantCafe Executive Decision Support Super-Prompt
A decision-support super-prompt that asks consultants targeted questions to clarify the situation, uncover complications, interpret implications, and produce a clear “What → So What → Now What” advisory package with options, actions, and recommendations.
Consulting Insight
Lessons establishing a PMO from the North Pole (download the PMO framework)
Chapter 3: I'm going to try to bring consultant tools, templates and techniques to life using Pole Enterprises as my case study. This is the 3rd in a series on Santas Digital Transformation. See my PMO Framework here.
Consulting Insight
Lessons in Customer Journey Mapping from the North Pole
Chapter 2: I'm going to try to bring consultant tools, templates and techniques to life using Pole Enterprises as my case study. This is 2nd in the series on how to do customer journey mapping. The 1st was Mrs Claus letter.
Project Management
The Anatomy of a Change Management Dashboard: Cutting Through the Illusion
Change dashboards must tell the truth, support decisions, and reflect the human reality of change, not just make things look tidy. This article serves up the special brew for building a change management dashboard that gives executives the clarity they need to lead with confidence.
Tool
ConsultantCafe.com Tech Stack: What Keeps It Brewing Smoothly
A peek behind the scenes at ConsultantCafe.com, my tools, struggles, and progress as I build rhythm, share workflows, and grow a community for consultants.
Technique
Turn Messy Thinking into Clear Wins, like a Jedi Mind Trick
MECE is the secret weapon consultants use to turn messy, conflicting data into clarity. With simple, structured buckets, you’ll eliminate confusion, surface insights, and deliver solutions that help clients see the path forward.
Consulting Insight
Communications Plans
Done well, comms is a strategic tool that drives understanding, reduces resistance, and builds momentum. This article shows how to move your plan from nice-to-have to an essential consulting craft.