A TEN STEP CONSULTING PROCESS

By

Geoff Bellman

INTRODUCTION

I was a consultant before I knew what one was, and I have been one for over thirty years.

Since beginning in this work, I have been following a consulting processwhether I knew it

or not, whether I was effective or not. With experience--and help from associates, workshops,

and patient clientsI learned what worked and did not work for me. I talked about better

ways of consulting with my clients, my peers, and eventually consultants on my staff. When I

was faced with helping my staff members develop their consulting skills so came up with ten

steps that define the consulting process as I knew it.

It could have been four steps, or twelve, or seven; but for me, its ten. I created the steps

based on the many different skills involved, rather than the interaction with the client. The ten

step process feels long and detailed to me when I think of it as a guide for my work with a

client. But when I think about helping consultants learn what they need to know, it feels just

right!

In a few pages, we will begin exploring these ten steps. My presentation will be chronological,

detailed, and biased by my experience. This is not an academic treatise on what you should

do; these steps are not based on research. This consulting process has been formed by what

has worked for me. And what has not worked.

I see us consultants as custodians of the consulting process. We need to have answers when a

client asks, What would you do if you were consulting to me? WellWhat do you want me

to do? is not the correct answer! Based on your experience and training, you should be able

to describe to this new client just what the two of you might do together. You may be this

clients first-ever consultant; they may no nothing about how to work with you. They will

expect you to know something about how you prefer to consult; more experienced clients

would want the same. This is a legitimate expectation; it comes with the consultants territory.

In my early years as a consultant, I read what others did; I depended on more experienced

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consultants to tell me how to approach clientsjust as you may be doing as you read this

booklet. With practice, my own sense of my consulting process emerged, and I was able to

more confidently talk with clients about how I preferred to work..

And that is what is happening with you right now. As you read through my ten steps, you may

notice yourself agreeing and disagreeing with me. This is not simply a matter of whos right

and whos wrong; its about your emerging consulting process. So pay attention. Pay

attention to what you especially like about what I propose; it may become part of your

emerging process. And pay attention to what you do not like; that may be a clue to something

in your emerging consulting process that is different from mine. Enough introduction! Lets

jump into the ten steps:

A TEN STEP CONSULTING PROCESS

1. ENTRY

2. CONTRACT

3. INQUIRY

4. INTERPRETATION

5. FEEDBACK

6. ALTERNATIVES

7. DECISION

8. ACTION

9. MEASUREMENT

10. EXIT

Read from one through ten; see if step labels make sense to yousee if they take you

somewhere. The process begins with the initial contact with a potential client and ends when

the work is done. I will help each step become clearer during the rest of this booklet.

When I talk with clients, I seldom say, Heres the ten step process I follow. I am more likely

to say, I follow a process that starts with todays initial exploration of your concerns, of the

issues and opportunities you face. Then Im likely to ask you to send me to a few other people

to get their perspective on it. After that, Ill come back to you in a couple of days to propose

what we do next. Those three sentences are about the first two steps in this ten step process.

At this early stage, I think these are the only steps I must discuss with the client. At this

point, I have no idea whether Ill be working on a major project. I need more information

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about them and they need more about me; then we can decide. But Im getting ahead of

myself

The pages which follow offer explanation and guidance on each of the ten steps. Each step

includes a list of thoughts I find helpful in performing the step better. As you read through this

process, think about how it relates to what you do; think about your skills in performing this

step. It may be useful for you to make a few notes along the way:

Which steps are particularly important to you in your work?

Which steps are you most skillful in?

Which do you need to learn most about?

And, what is your consulting process?

As you become more aware of your process, you will be more able and confident with your

clients.

STEP ONE: ENTRY

The clients first steps toward seeking a consultant begin with an itch. An itch that they feel

they cannot scratch aloneand thats when you or I might get a call, and thats when the

consulting process begins. In my book, Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge, I

talk at length about the itch. More properly expressed, its an important difference between

what the client has and what they want. Its that gap, perhaps clearly known, perhaps felt

intuitively. And they call you because they feel you might be able to help them narrow the

gap. They usually call because they think you might have the unique expertise they need. You

answer their call because you are looking for workand you share their belief that you might

help.might help. Thats the beginning of a new client-consultant relationship.

SoYou are sitting at your desk, wondering what you could do to cause your phone to ring

more oftenand the phone rings! Its a potential client, reminding you of who she is, telling

you she thinks she might need a consultant, and wondering what you might be able to do for

her. After a short discussion, you reach for your empty calendar and ask when the two of you

could meet to talk further about this. You agree on a time and date. You put down the phone,

scream YES!!, and pick up this bookletwhich you study daily until your meeting!

Im going to follow your work with this client through this ten step consulting process. I know

already that you are going to get this work so Im not going to coach you on sales skillsthats

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another book. You arrive at the first meeting with the client ready and willing to work. Here

are some things to think about before your first meeting with this client:

11 Clients usually call because they have a problem; they sometimes call because they have

an opportunity. There is also a good chance that they have tried something else before

calling you. It is common for consultants to be called in long after the ideal intervention

point has passed. You hear about problems when they are well-established and quite

uncomfortable.

12 Clients have often defined the problem and the solution--that is why this client called you.

If you are a trainer, she called because she thinks training is the solution to her problem. If

you are a strategic planning, she thinks she needs a plan. If you are a team builder, guess

what? And of course, that client may be right. On the other hand, she may not.

13 Respect the client's willingness to act on this problem. The fact that she called you indicates

a willingness to do something about it. With experience, you will discover that at least

seventy percent of the time the clients presenting problem is not the real problem of the

organization. A good way to start things off badly is to tell her this--to suggest that what

she thinks is the problem is not. Respect her definition of the problem. Theres a very good

chance that others in her organization will have different definitions.

14 Begin where the client wants to begin, rather than where you would prefer to begin. She

has a story to tell and needs to tell it. This need is often as important as the story. Listen to

both and demonstrate your respect for what the client says and the feelings that come with

that. Notice the parts of the problem that seem particularly important to her. Listen

carefully to what she has to say.

15 Demonstrate that you understand through facial expressions, nonverbal behavior, and

telling her what you have heard in your own words. After hearing the client out, restate

what you think you have heard in terms of what you think she wants. Check this statement

with the client to make sure you are accurate. Its most important that the client knows

she has been heard and that you understand this problem as she understands it.

16 Establish your interest in helping the client. Tell the client that this problem is interesting to

you, that it is important, and that you would like to help. Make sincere statements that

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establish your willingness to take the next steps with her.

17 Elaborate on the related experience you have had. Offer a couple of examples of other

projects youve worked on. Build her confidence in you. Talk generally about how you like

to work with clients: How you engage them in projects, what you expect of clients, what

they can expect of you. (You have to know this ahead of time, and do because you have

been thinking about it since she called!) As you talk with her, focus on the results you

deliver. Also tell her the fee for your work.

18 Get client support for those few steps that you want to take over the next few days.

Ask for copies of related materials that you can read to help you understand the problem. Just

a 1-3 hours of reading; do not overwhelm yourself. Ask the client to arrange individuals

meetings for you with three or four others who could add their perspectives to hers. Short

meetings (30-40 minutes) will do. Supplement what the client provides with a little on-line

research of your own.

19 Schedule your next meeting with the client before you leave this one. Tell the client what

you will bring her at that meeting: Your updated impressions based on reading and

interviews, and your proposed next steps.

110 As you finish this meeting, ask the client how this meeting went: Did the meeting give her

what she wants? Is there anything else she wants from you?

If you stick to the Entry step, this first meeting will be an hour, perhaps two. If it is longer, you

have probably moved into later steps in the consulting process. In this step, you may find

your need to know more conflicting with the client's need for action. This is a common

discussion point throughout many consultations. You need more information before

committing to action because (as we said earlier) the clients presenting problem is often not

the real problem. Respect the clients need to act now while the two of you negotiate a way for

you to find out more.

Between now and the next meeting with the client

Read materials the client sends your way,

Interview those few people she wants you to talk with,

Assess what you have learned,

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Design your Inquiry (Step Three), and

Make notes on the Contract (Step Two) that you want to make with the client.

STEP TWO: CONTRACT

A contract is the primary outcome of your next meeting with the client. That meeting

concludes with agreement between you and the client on what you will offer to and expect

from each other. This is not a legal contract; it is more dynamic than that; it can be changed

by mutual agreement (not a bad idea to include that in the contract.) Your agreements are

written so that later on you can remind yourselves of what you decided. The contract meeting

deals with these types of questions:

What is the work? The issue? The opportunity? The problem? (Identify what is wanted vs.

what exists.)

What are the outcomes expected? By the client? By you?

How will you approach the problem?

How will you gather information about what is going on? From whom? When?

How will you and the client work with each other? Keep each other informed? Deal with

issues? Support each other? Measure progress?

What will this contract cost in time, money, equipment, and materials?

Come to this meeting with notes on your answers to these questions, knowing that you will

revise what you have written. Suggest that the client do the same. Assume that the contract

you make will be revised later as the work itself informs you. Some specific suggestions for

creating contracts:

21 Make the contract portion of your meeting more business-like, emphasizing mutual

understanding, clarity, and agreement. Take notes throughout the meeting, knowing you

will prepare the agreement from these notes.

22 Early on, before laying out all of your ideas, ask the client what they see as the important

questions you need to answer together, and, talk with them about their answers to their

own questions. Take notes on all of this.

23 Weave your own questions and answers into and around what the client offers. Make this a

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conversation with real dialogue, rather Tell the client when you will meet again and what

results you will bring to that meeting.

24 Follow this meeting with a memo that describes the main elements of the contract. This

way you will both have a copy. Later, check to see if the memo was accurate.

25 Set up times when the two of you will reconsider how the contract is working. The contract

is dynamic and can be altered whenever the two of you want to change it. Unlike a legal

contract, this consulting contract is expected to change; both client and consultant are

expected to keep the contract up to date.

26 If you have not already emphasized the point, ask the client how she will know whether the

project has been successful when it is all over. Write down the response. Return to these

notes in the measurement step.

One uncomfortable pattern I can see in my career as a consultant: Most of my problems with

cleints came through unclear contracting. I thought I was to do something different from what

the client expected. We thought we understood each other when we didnt. Or, I wanted to do

something but wasnt clear with the client. After the collapse of the work, when I look back, I

almost always find a shabby contract was the cause.

STEP THREE: INQUIRY

This step is all about intentional learninglearning about the client organization. It is often

labeled Data Collection; I called it that myself for years. But I like the tone of inquiry

better; it comes with a genuine and positive curiosity; it is not simply the assembling of dull

information. Inquiry involves a intentional search, an openness to what is going on in this

place. Appreciative Inquiry and its disciples would go farther with this--see the Resources at

the end of this booklet for more information about the AI perspective and methods.

You, with the support of your client, have to decide how you are going to learn more about the

problem and what surrounds it. You will use different methods to explore the organization for

the information you need. And your inquiry in large part will be directed toward people. You

gather information by watching, listening, asking, and reading. You can do any of these in

more-to-less structured way.

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You will always watch people and interpret what you see.

You will likely read about what has been happening around the organization.

You will always talk with/interview some individuals.

You may gather people in groups to talk with themor have them talk with each other.

You may ask people to complete a questionnaire of your own or someone elses design.

You may watch people systematically for particular aspects of their behavior.

You may ask them to perform certain tasks to see what they do and how they do it.

Any of these methods and more can be appropriate; it just depends on the projects purposes

and resources (For example: time, money, energy, geography, culture). You can deal with

people face to face, in groups, on the telephone, or on-line. You can do the inquiry yourself, or

you can have people in the client organization do it. The key is to be aware of the information

you are looking for, to consciously select and use a method, and to have the skills important to

the method you are using..

This Inquiry step is first --deciding what you want to learn from whom, second--choosing

methods for learning that, and third--going into the organization with your questions and

methods. And you your client is involved in each of these decisions. Heres what I try to think

about as I inquire:

31 Draft your approach to Inquiry before completing the Contract step; you need to have at

least roughed-out Inquiry before you can Contract. Use the materials the client gave you

and the few interviews youve had to develop your proposal to the client about how you will

gather information. Select inquiry methods that are easy to use and for the client to

understand. If the client doesn't understand what you are doing, chances are she will not

believe the data that comes out of this step.

32 Build out bias. One common mistake is gathering information in a way that confirms your

assumptions. For example, suppose you were to ask managers, What are your three

biggest problems in working here? You would likely leave the inquiry convinced that this

organization has BIG problems among the management! But your question created the

bias reflected in the data.. Ask the same managers, What are your three greatest joys in

working here? Quite a different bias would likely emergeAnd both questions combined

might not get at the really important issues here. Your challenge: Inquire in a way that

does not bias the response you receive.

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33 Gather information in a way that allows people to speak to what is happening at work that

is important to them and the organization. If you are a trainer, do not ask what kind of

training they need. If you do, they will tell you, and you have misled yourself into thinking

you have discovered something importantNot likely. Instead, ask what is happening at

work and what should be happening. Or, ask what present performance is and what they

think it should be. Get people to talk about what they know best: their work, their

performance and their results. Later in our consulting process, you can help them decide

what needs to be done and consider how you might contribute.

34 When the client first called you, she has already done a preliminary diagnosis that resulted

in her pushing buttons her telephone. Your buttons. When you receive her call, you have

the opportunity to confirm the client's early and usually hasty diagnosis. This Inquiry step

is about getting past what the client figured out ahead of time and into what is really going

on.

35 Polish your interviewing and observing skills. Inquiry always includes interviewing and

observing. There is no avoiding talking to and seeing people along the wayeven if it is

just the initial contact person.

36 Collect lots of paper and electronic data. Recorded data is all history; it has already

happened, and indicates how things have been done. The future usually builds on the past,

so paying attention to history will help you be wiser about influencing the future. And,

attending to history also shows the client that you respect their pastIts not as if

everything really important began with your arrival!

37 My idealistic goal is to inquire of everyone who might be invested in the issue and its

resolution. I never realize this ideal; its just too time-consuming and expensive. But it

does bias me toward including more rather than less people. The change that happens

down the road will require the support of many people. And people are more likely to sup-

port change when they have participated in the steps leading to the change.

38 Collect data from management first. These are the people who invited you in. Working with

them first reassures them about what will be happening in the organizations they lead. It

also allows them to influence your approach, build their trust in you, and commit to the

project.

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39 Tell those you involve as much as you can about what you are doing. Be as open with them

as you expect them to be with you. Know that when you are less than open, this will be

sensed and will affect that data you are given. Be open about the process you are using.

Tell them what you have learned so farbut not until you have heard from them; you dont

want your comments to influence what they say.

310Do not collect secrets or gossip. When people load you up with confidential data, they are

giving you a responsibility that you cannot carry. You can only help this client when you can

use what you learn. I find it useful to tell people that what they tell me is not confidential

but anonymous. They can expect to see anything they tell me in a report, but written in a

way that protects their identity.

311Do not yield to the temptation to analyze the data while you are still collecting it. Doing so

usually results in premature conclusions and affects the way you collect data from that

point forward, and biases your results. Wait until the Interpretation step.

Inquiry creates expectations. Change of some sortmostly imagined at this pointhas already

started. Peoples expectations will vary greatly and will not be eliminated by saying, Don't

worry. These concerns can be reduced by carrying out the Inquiry quickly and reporting out

the results to those involved.

You are biased; we all are. Give up the notion that you are an objective observer; you aren't.

Know your biases and put them aside during Inquiry. At this point you want to ensure that you

are really seeing what is going on in this organization. Later on you will make judgments about

what ought to be done, and you want to be certain those judgments are based on your clear

vision of reality.

STEP FOUR: INTERPRETATION

Im tempted to rename this fourth step Discovery, because that is what most engages me

and Inquiry and Discovery fit so well together. But discovery is only a small, important part

of this step; the larger part of it truly is interpretation.

There are two parts to analyzing the information you have collected: What does it say, and,

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What does it mean? What is says is the more literal part; what it means is the more

interpretive part. Sorting data for content (what it says) leads to what it meansAt least thats

how I approach it.

Piles of data spread out before youwhat in the hell does it all sayand what does that

mean??? Thats what you and your client have to figure out. Because there is much at stake

here, its very useful to engage the client in this Interpretation step. Here are my observations

on analyzing reams of data with no prepackaged way of doing so:

41 Find the new order. Make sense of whats in front of you in a new way. That is what this

interpretation is about. How could all of this data make sense in a way that would be useful

to the organization? That sense may emergeor it may have to be imposedor it may

never come about (my lingering fear).

42 It is easier to do this step if your information is displayed so that you can move it about

easily. For example, it is a lot easier to move around 3" x 5" cards, each containing one line

of data, than it is to move around 8 1/2" x 14" sheets, each containing twelve to twenty

lines of data. Juxtapose separate bits of data so you can build the patterns in front of you.

When you are back at Step Three, Inquiry, think about how you will eventually sort what

you learn; that will help you gather information in a way you can better sort it in this

Interpretation step.

43 Sort the data three or four ways, withholding your commitment to any one of them. For

example, you might sort the data by who said it, looking for patterns among the job titles

or levels of those interviewedAnd then you might sort again based on geographic

location...Or shiftAnd yet another sort would be by common issues. Don't try to finish

this step too fast. Again, pay attention to your biases. It is safer to test them here than in

the earlier step, but dont confine yourself to a one bias analysis.

44 Do not be afraid to get lost in the data; be willing to not understand what it all means. The

client may have been struggling with the issue for years. Why should you immediately

understand it??? A natural part of the interpretation process is to be confused for a while;

the data does not always make sense As the saying goes, if you are not confused, then

maybe you just don't understand! Being clear too early can mean that you are blind to

what is really happeningBut then again, maybe you really do understand. Either is

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possible-which tells me that you should consider more alternatives than the first to present

itself.

45 If a clear sort of the information does not emerge, then force one. This can allow other

possible sorts to present themselves. Yes, there are times when no significant patterns

exist. Sometimes it means there was nothing to find; other times it means you need to

know moreand what you have presents you with clues on where to look..

46 Shape your resulting analysis in a way that can be readily understood by the people who

will be seeing and using it. If they cannot understand it--or dont believe it--you will be in

the position of selling them on what you think they told younot a comfortable position for

you.

To reinforce an earlier point, when you can, involve the client deeply in this interpretation step.

She can help your understanding of what the data means. And her involvement in the analysis

builds her commitment to act on its outcomes. If you want the client to believe your eventual

recommendations, she needs to agree on the validity of the data youve collected and

understand the way you analyzed it. No better way to do this than her being there.

Your product from this step is a written report which contains:

A brief explanation of how the Inquiry and Interpretation were done.

Identification of who was involved.

The datawhat it says. Sorted without interpretation

The interpretationwhat it means.

All of this will be useful in the next step

STEP FIVE: FEEDBACK

This step has to do with giving the data and the interpretation to the client in a way that she

can understand it and accept it. She needs to believe it; she needs to own it. She might say

something like, "YesI understand your reportIts organized in a helpful wayThis data is

clearly from our organization I think it accurately reflects what is going on around here."

Thats the ownership we are looking for: She has made this report her own.

This is often a focal and challenging meeting with your primary client and others. You are

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usually bringing important issues into sharp focus. She and others in the room likely had a

hand in creating the issues that the report reveals. Thanks to your fine work, they are now

being confronted with acting on these issuesAnd frequently the real issues revealed are

different from the presenting issues the client originally called you about. Yes, this is a

culminating, exciting and tough step. Here are some tips that have helped mewhen Ive

been successful in feeding back data and my interpretation:

51 Feed back the data in a meeting attended by key people critical to understanding, support

and eventual action. You collected the data, so you run the meeting. Plan meeting time for

people to absorb what the data says and figure out what it means. This often quite time-

consuming, and there is nothing worse than having to quit in the middle of the groups

work on the data.

52 Youve prepared the data for feedback, sorted it in a way that will make ready sense to the

client. For example, if your Inquiry process included a series of interview questions, list

each question with the responses you gathered beneath it. This is simple and

understandable; it is a logical extension of the interview process they went through. Your

sort needs to fit with the expectations you helped create when you contracted with your

client.

53 Separate the sorted data from your interpretation of the data; do not give it all to the client

at once. IF you can (he says, conflicting with what he wrote in the previous step) do not

analyze the data until after the client has seen it in its sorted form. That is a big IF! My

experience has shown that the client wants the data and your interpretation togetherand

usually your recommendations too! Whats wrong with this, you ask? Showing your

interpretation before the client has made her own, can both preclude her important

analytical work and reduce her ownership of your interpretation. When you can, avoid

committing yourself to an interpretation before the client has even seen the data. What if

they dont like the data? What is they dont like your interpretation? What if you are

wrong?

54 Seek their ownership of the data. Ask them if they agree that this data is probably

representative of the organization. Do not ask them whether they agree with the data;

that is quite a different point! When people challenge the data as false, invalid, or dis-

torted, ask them for the data that is missing, and add it to what you have already

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collected. You need not defend the data because it is not yours. It comes from them and

their people.

55 After they own the data, help them move to interpreting it. Draw out their interpretation

and weave in your own. Acknowledge that your analysis was before having heard from

them; let them know that what they have said has affected you. Its better to build on

their work than to present your (no doubt brilliant) interpretation separately in a way that

briefly feeds your ego but starves your effectiveness.

56 Expect some negative reactions. This is important stuff! If the people in the room had

known how resolve the issues, they would have done so without inviting you in. Some

people may feel challenged, criticized, and defensive. This feedback step may be their first

indication that they are not doing as well as they thoughtand they are getting it in in

front of their peers.

Yes, all of this suggests a more formal presentation to the client group. Find out how they

typically do this; what are they likely to expect?. Then do it better. As you prepare, keep in

mind the clients focus on action and results. Too often we consultants are entranced by our

own methodology; we waste precious client time explaining for too long how we did this, and

the client wants to know what we came up with. They need to know about both the how and

the what, with an emphasis on the what. In preparing your presentation, plan:

What you are going to say,

What you are going to show,

What you are not going to say, but are ready to talk about,

How you are going to involve them,

What outcomes you expect.

(TIME OUT)

We have completed five of the ten steps and we are still a long way from our action step.

Lets use the time out to notice how you are liking/not liking this ten step consulting process:

How natural does the process feel to you? What has this process asked you to do that you

would not ordinarily do? What have you learned from this process? Where do you feel that

the process and I are off-base? And, what does my process suggest about your own?

______________________________________________________________

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STEP SIX: ALTERNATIVES

Now that we agree on what the data says and what it means, its time to explore what we

might possibly do about it--with the emphasis on "possibly." Too often we and our clients rush

to judgment and action; this step intends to slow us down enough to consider the array of

actions we might take before we decide what we will do. This potentially creative step is not as

limited by practical considerations as are the two steps that follow--Decision and Action.

61 Develop alternatives against your clear, shared interpretation of the situation, plus a set of

parameters related to the desired outcomeslook for these in your early Contract step.

Decisions made, chosen from alternatives, give the deciders increased confidence in their

actions because they know they have deliberated; they are more in control.

62 Involve the clients in developing the alternatives. Again, we run up against clients

demands to move ahead and may have to compromise. Their involvement results in more

and better ideas without sacrificing any of the ideas you have developed. The amount of

client involvement in this step depends on a number of factors: their expertise in your

area, the amount of support they will be asked to contribute to the eventual decision, time

pressures, and your own ability to generate alternatives.

63 If you have collected data, analyzed it, and still not met with the client, draft alternative

actions to take with you to this first meeting. Do not make them into a beautiful report, but

do have good ideas on what the client might do next. Having thought of alternatives ahead

also allows you to ask questions and present thoughts that stimulate the clients to deal

more seriously with the data before them. Plan how you will involve them in developing

their own alternatives. Do not preempt them, but do think ahead. Then, weave your

alternatives in with those that come from the clients.

Three actions you can perform within this step include:

Develop alternatives,

Help clients develop alternatives,

Offer your alternatives.

Our cultural bias toward action often means this Alternatives step gets short shrift. The result

can be a less creative and less complete solutions.

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STEP SEVEN: DECISION

The Decision is usually wound up with Step Six: Alternatives. I only sort them out here

because they involve such different skills for you, the consultant. And also for the client.

Where Alternatives involves a creative reach outward; the Decision involves a narrowing in on

the choice. Both usually involve people who were not there when you and the client began this

consulting process.

71 For the decision to work when it is taken to Action (in the next step), its best to involve

people who will be affected by the decision. Suggest to the client that she invite these

kinds of people to the alternative-building and decision-making meeting:

People with related and useful expertise.

People with necessary authority.

People affected by the decision.

People whose commitment is needed.

People who need to support the decision.

72 Involving people does not necessarily mean they make the decision together. They may

act as listeners, or advisors, or decision-makersor the boss can make the decision on her

own if she so desires. Whatever the roles of all involved, make sure that they know their

role in relation to the decision. Before the meeting, if possible.

73 Make sure that people know what is being decided and the potential impact on them and

the organization. They will have to live with this decision from day to day, and you want it

to be well supported. If they choose a decision because it is sold to them, their

implementation of it will be less than enthusiastic.

74 Try to keep the client group from making the decision until they have heard all the

alternatives. Ideally, they will have complete and shared understanding of the data, its

interpretation, and the alternatives before the decision. Part of this is considering the

consequences of each of the more viable alternatives.

After the decision, help the client lay out who will do what, where, and by when. Make this

widely understood among those present. Those specifics will inform what happens next in the

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Action step.

STEP EIGHT: ACTION

You and the client have done a lot of work to get to this Action step. Without you, the client no

doubt would probably have acted earlier--and would certainly have acted differently. With this

action step, the clients real talents come to the fore. Many organizations are much better at

action than they are at preparing for it. (That same truth stands for many of us consultants

tooat least in our private lives!) With many clients, I feel like turning them loose, now that

they have pointed themselves in the right direction. Others, heavy with committees and

bureaucracy, meet their first real test with this action step: They are too talented in

preparation and lack the will to act. This action step may be the first point that you detect

resistance to change. Before now, we were just talking about it, but now that we are

beginning action, that is threatening! Here are some ideas that seem to help:

81 Encourage immediate action, building on the momentum established in earlier steps. Resist

the temptation to relax now that the client has decided to act. Very important work is

about to begin; help it happen! All the good inquiry, interpretation and planning will be lost

if the momentum is not maintained. Momentum is precious; dont squander it!

82 Participants involved in the last few steps of the process should see a direct, dynamic

relationship between the action that is beginning and what they participated in earlier.

Current action should be consistent with earlier plans and the underlying assumptions. For

example, if earlier steps anticipated involving a wide array of people, that should be

happening in this action step. Participation put aside in favor of unilateral direction would

undermine the project.

83 Help the key leaders find and take specific, observable, immediate action that

demonstrates change in line with the projects direction.

What could key leaders do right now? They are the models others will look to.

What could an individual employee do? How is the organization supporting that?

What information, familiarization, or training would help people move into action more

quickly?

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How could recent changes be communicated across the organization?

What could be done to reinforce individual and group initiative that supports the change?

Carry out your part of the action promptly with no doubt that others will do their parts. Be a

good and public example of support for the changes being implemented.

84 Observe early actions closely; see them as a measure of commitment to and

understanding of the project. Support and reinforce people who are trying new behaviors

as a result of the changes being instituted. Even support changes that don't work that well;

support the fact that they were tried.

85 Find ways to coach and counsel your clients through their new actions rather than taking

over and doing it for them. Avoid your tendency to fill the breach because you think they

dont know how to do it, are neglecting it, or lack commitment. Its their organization, not

yours. They live here; you dont. Certainly help, but they should be extending far more

energy than you.

86 Expect setback and help your clients expect them. Your and their idealism can put you on

what looks like a constantly rising, starry path. Know that you will have problems. The

more noble your aspirations, the more likely problems will occur. Anticipate those problems

and develop contingency plans for dealing with them. Make "unexpected" problems

"expected." Help your clients build this anticipation into their actions in Step Seven.

Encourage and lead meetings that help people review how they are doing, accept their

success and slippage, and figure out what they could do to build on their success.

All these ideas are ways of maintaining the project progress and priority through time. My

most common difficulty with this step: Project initiators and leaders feel great about what they

have done; they feel the change has been instituted; they expect others to carry it out; they

shift their attention to more immediate priorities. Ive seen more projects fail for this reason

than any other.

STEP NINE: MEASUREMENT

We arrive at a most difficult and often neglected step in the consulting process: Measurement.

Few of those involved look forward to it; Im not in love with it myself! If the project is very

successful, people are inclined to celebrate their successes and exaggerate accomplishments.

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If it fails, participants often run for coverincluding the consultant! Im not bragging about

this; Im reporting on what Ive seen myself and clients do. Most often, the results (so far) are

some combination of success and failure. We made a net gain, but not without some losses

along the way. Or, we didnt come close to accomplishing what we intended in the beginning,

but we did make a significant difference.

We have at least two difficulties with measurement: First of all, it cant be accurately done,

and secondly, we might be held accountable. To the first point, the breadth and depth of the

impact of even a small change effort seeps out in directions to numerous and expensive to

document. Nobody knows how much difference this change project made in any absolute

ways. Yes, we might be able to quantify the time and money we put into it, but what about

the energy? The commitment? The excitement? And the same holds for what comes out of

the effort.

And to my second concern: Measurement of our project often links to our own issues related

to personal responsibility and control. As in, Im being held responsible for something I do

not control. Or, I am being measured by others who do not understand, and I cannot control

their conclusions about me. Measurement works much better when approached as the

opportunity to learn--rather than with the possibility of punishment.

These concerns should not outweigh the organizational necessity of asking: How are we doing

on this project in relation to what we intended? Are we getting what we wanted? How has the

organization been affected? What have we learned along the way? How does what we did

affect what we will do next time? How is our client-consultant relationship developing? Most

measurement questions can be sorted into four realms:

Impact within the organization: What is happening differently: What is being done? How

are people behaving? How do they feel? What do they understand?

Results outside the organization: How are the outcomes, products, image, morale,

services different because of this project?

Meeting our contract: How well have we honored our original and evolving agreement?

Learning: What have we learned as a result of this project?

These are the kinds of questions you and your client should be talking about. You should

certainly be talking about them during the project as well as at the end. In addition to the

dialogue between you and your client, there is also your internal dialogue, evaluating your

work. The following ideas can be useful in either dialogue:

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91 Expect this project to be evaluated. Organizations attempt to measure what is important

to them and don't measure what is unimportant. Push to have the project evaluated.

Clarify what will be measured, when, and how. Know who will do it and how much it will

cost in time and money. This ties back to the Contracting step.

92 Do not wait until this ninth step to measure. Build in progress reviews that happen

regularly during the project. For example, after reviewing the data coming from Inquiry

and Interpretation, check with the client on how the project is going. Another example:

When the client is planning actions, encourage them to build in meetings to assess the

actions, to recognize successful actions, or to reinforce areas of weakness.

93 Do not make measurement a separate project. Instead, incorporate measurement actions

into plans in the Action step discussed earlier. Help your client see measurement as

necessary to project success rather than tacked on as an afterthought. When it is planned

for ahead of time, it often happens and can be quite constructive. When it is added

because of immediate concerns, it can be destructive.

94 If you want regular progress reviews with your client, chances are, you will have to initiate

the meetings. Most of my clients only initiate an evaluation, update, or progress review

when they feel like they are trouble. You don't want to find out about problems that late.

And, there is a very positive side to regular reviews: together you can look at the success

you have had together. Success reinforces mutual commitment to the effort, it builds trust,

and its sure nice to be able to remind yourself of it when the bad times hit!

95 Separate from the client; check with yourself to see that you are getting what you want out

of this project. When there are other consultants involved, make sure that you check

progress amongst yourselves. This will knit you closer, reveal results to celebrate, give

recognition to key players, and often result in early identification of potential problems.

96 Consider measurement as another version of the Inquiry-through-Action steps in this

consulting process. Isnt that what you do when you evaluate? You inquire; you analyze;

you feedback what you learn; you consider what to do; you decide what to do; you act.

97 Help your client (and yourself) understand that your attempts at measurement will fall far

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short of accurate. And that is just fine! Asking what has happened affects what people do

and see and makes a positive difference in the results achieved.

Evaluated projects get more attention than unevaluated projects. When people know that

their project is being measured, they usually deliver better results. Some people see this

measurement as a sign that their work is worth following; it is valued. Others perform better

to avoid looking bad or because they think they are being watched. If your project is

important, the organization should know enough about the project to help it succeed.

STEP TEN: EXIT

It is time to finish your work and leave--at least for now. This is more difficult than it might

seem, especially with a very successful project. Exiting means saying, "Our work together is

winding down; we have little more to do under our agreement. This project is finishing; how

might we best conclude it?" Perhaps these ideas will help you decide what to do:

101A summary report from you near project completion is one good way to acknowledge the

work is coming to a close. The report helps both you and the client step back from the

work and collect your thoughts before letting go. And it is also an opportunity to suggest

getting together to close the project in person.

102One of the primary ways that people build relationships is through working together. Thats

likely happened with you and your clientand perhaps with some others in the client

organization. How might you best end? There are better ways to exit than to just walk out

the door. Closing often involves some combination of reflection--on at what youve done

together, and acknowledgmentof what you have gained through your work together. And

sometimes liquid refreshments and/or cake are involved!

103Create a small occasion. Not an measurement session; that was in the previous step of

this process. No, this closure, this separation, has more the feel of a birthday party than

an audit meeting. There may be a little storytelling about some particular triumphOr, a

near-tragedy that everyone can laugh about nowAnd, maybe some acknowledgement

about what everyone poured into this work you all did together. This is the time to

recognize the group more than individuals; this is not the time to objectively sort out who

deserves more and less recognition. Its a good time with good feelings, and may last ten

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minutes or over dinner or over a weekend.

104Model the kind of behavior you would like to see coming from others. Tell a few stories;

ask others to tell theirs. Tell how the project has positively affected you, and ask others

how its affected them. Acknowledge that these people are important to you, and that you

will miss them.

105A successful project often means a closer and unique work relationship with this client.

Wonderful! Celebrate itas discussed above. And separate that celebration from

considerations of other work. Dont build on the emotion of the moment to propose more

work, or accept work that the client puts forth while under the influence of the moment.

Make an appointment to talk about future work in more sober moments back at the office.

106We consultants sometimes become dependent on our clientsfinancially dependent. And,

we are tempted to make our clients dependent on us. Some of are rewarded within our

consulting firms for helping our clients understand why they cannot get along without

continued, close consulting support, extending our contract indefinitely. Watch for this

temptation in yourself. Too many of us derive both our wealth and our sense of importance

from making clients dependent on us. We end up doing work the client should be doing, or

recommending work that does not have the priority we say it does.

After you have exited from the project, and you valued the experience, maintain regular,

informal contact. Im not talking about calling to make a sales pitch; you dont need to do

that; the client already knows your work. Just call to catch up and remember the good work

you did together. Sure, there will be an opportunities to check in on future work, but that is

not the primary intents of these conversations.

SUMMARY

Before we finish this booklet, lets take one more look back over the ten step process:

1. ENTRY

2. CONTRACT

3. INQUIRY

4. INTERPRETATION

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5. FEEDBACK

6. ALTERNATIVES

7. DECISION

8. ACTION

9. MEASUREMENT

10. EXIT

There is an important underlying pattern to this process that we have not talked about.

Think of it as a reaching outas in stretching your arms and hands outward, and then a

drawing inas in bringing your hands together in front of you. In the reaching out phase,

you gather information, you develop alternatives, you think creatively. What you gather in

your reach feeds the bringing together phase in which you consolidate information, set

priorities, decide action. This out and in process is present all through the ten steps.

In the Entry step, you and the client meet; the client agrees you should go out to see

what else you can learn in a short whilethats the reaching out to gather information.

You bring this information together in your proposal to the work in Contract.

In Inquiry, you reach out to gather information from the larger organization. In

Interpretation and Feedback, you gather this information together for client

consideration.

In Alternatives, you reach out for the possibilities. In Decision and Action, you narrow

your options and act.

In Measurement, both the reaching out and drawing in are involved. You gather data on

how you are doing; you decide what actions to take based on that data.

Even the Exit step has this reaching out and drawing in aspect to it. You gather stories

about what has happened from all involved, and use those to focus on closing the

project.

This reaching out and bringing together is not just a coincidence, it is the underlying

rhythm. It feeds the life of the consulting process; it is as if the process lives by breathing

outthen by breathing in.

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The Author

Geoff Bellman is a Seattle-based author and consultant. Over the last thirty years, he has

consulted to the private, public, and social sectors. He has written six books along the way.

This booklet is based primarily on two of his books: Getting Things Done When You Are Not

in Charge (Berrett-Koehler, 2001) and The Consultants Calling: Bringing Who You Are to

What You Do (Jossey-Bass/Pfieffer, 2002). Contact Geoff at 206-365-3212 or

geoffbellman@yahoo.com.

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Consulting And Change Resources

Biech, Elaine. The Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond. San Francisco: Jossey-

Bass/Pfeiffer, 1999. A book for readers who are thinking of setting up their own consulting

business. All the nuts and bolts of a practice that you need to worry aboutand more!

Bellman, Geoffrey. The Beauty of the Beast: Breathing New Life into Organizations. San

Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2000. About our aspirations to change organizations and the

reality of doing it. Twenty assertions about making change work.

Block, Peter. Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2000. A classic. Practical help in all phases of the consulting process.

Hiebert, Murray and Eilis. Powerful Professionals: Getting Your Expertise Used Inside Your

Organization. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Recursion Press, 1999. A very specific and

detailed how-to book for consultants. Useful to all of us, but especially to newer

consultants.

Holman, Peggy, & Devane, Tom (eds.). The Change Handbook: Group Methods for Shaping

the Future. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2001. High leverage change methods collected

in one book including, Appreciative Inquiry, Future Search, Open Space, and many more.

Schwarz, Roger M. The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective

Groups. . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 1994. Second Edition in 2002. More help

on leading groups than you will ever be able to absorb. A wonderful analysis of what goes

on among people and how a talented facilitator (i.e. you) can assist a teams effectiveness.

Very practical.

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A TEN STEP CONSULTING PROCESSSTEP TWO: CONTRACTSTEP FIVE: FEEDBACKSTEP SIX: ALTERNATIVESSTEP EIGHT: ACTION STEP NINE: MEASUREMENT STEP TEN: EXIT SUMMARYThe AuthorGeoff Bellman is a Seattle-based author and consultant. Over the last thirty years, he has consulted to the private, public, and social sectors. He has written six books along the way. This booklet is based primarily on two of his books: Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge (Berrett-Koehler, 2001) and The Consultants Calling: Bringing Who You Are to What You Do (Jossey-Bass/Pfieffer, 2002). Contact Geoff at 206-365-3212 or geoffbellman@yahoo.com.Consulting And Change Resources