Day 6/30: Oversharing about my consulting biz

Day 6/30: Oversharing about my consulting biz How I onboard consulting clients Rule #1: Do Not Start Without a Signed Contract What Counts as Starting Too Soon: - Joining kickoff before the agreement signed - Reviewing documents (see signed docs) - Getting client buy-in - Doing system access work/before payment is set - Letting the client put meetings on your calendar before the engagement is live The Distinction That Matters: A contract is a momentum-builder. A signed agreement is the business infrastructure that makes getting paid possible. You do not start work without it. It's not the same thing, and the contract is repeat the scope/subdocument/payment terms before new activity. Meaningful work begins. Four things should be in the contract: the scope is documented, payment terms are clear, and any required deposit or first payment has been received. Suggested language: "I agree to quantify work through what is included and what's not. We agree on what the contract is. We agree on the scope and the dollar payment in terms of when you can schedule it." Get the Admin Setup Done Before Delivery Agreement & Scope: - Scope of work, confirmed - Deliverables, timeline, and preliminary exclusions - what is included and what is not. Vendor & Tax Setup: - PO req'd before moving - Vendor setup complete, billing portal - PO requirement clarified Invoicing Contacts: - Who receives invoices and knows the vendor - What payment terms and what the payment is Set the Communication Rules Early Communication norms are part of the operating model. Key pieces: - Email setup - you should be in their systems. - Are you owning Slack or Teams, etc.? - Where will formal approvals live? Get System Access Moving Immediately System access is one of the most common onboarding delays. Start it ASAP. Identify what you need access to before kickoff whenever possible. If access is required for certain document/system, they will pass side delays. Common Systems to Request: - Email, Slack, or Teams - Google Drive, Smartsheet, Dropbox - CRM, finance, or billing systems - HRIS and analytics dashboards - Documentation software and reporting tools - Customer support and implementation systems Clarify Before You Request: - Who owns approvals and science/tax? - Who is the vendor? - Read-only vs. editor vs. admin level needed - Security requirements - How access will be terminated at engagement's end This one can take longer than you think so start asap Map Stakeholders and Decision Rights Remember your you-know-what has the same authority. You know who is who before delivery begins. Sponsor (Budget) Decide (Organization) Consult (Primary working team) How-to-be-informed (Primary working team) Approve (Executive) Subject Matter Expert (Support) Inform (Calculate or vet) Worker (Execute or vet) Informed Stakeholder (Needs context) Design the Meeting Cadence Develop the right meeting cadence. A good meeting cadence has a clear purpose and is concise and confirming them leads to better outcomes, but accomplishes nothing. 1. Kickoff Meeting - Confirm/review scope, review simple sign-on, tentative, clarify roles, confirm needs, identify roles, and set meeting cadence. 2. Weekly Working Session - Review progress, discuss blockers, and keep the work moving forward. 3. Stakeholder Interviews - Gather context, understand system, identify pain points, and surface compelling problem. 4. Executive Sponsor Check-in - Keep alignment high, escalate decisions, project business outcomes, avoid getting buried in the weeds in planning and execution. Review Scope Live Before Delivery Starts Start of the contract is signed. Review the scope live before work begins. Performance is key - if the client has already signed off on the scope, you want to confirm that before delivery starts, not draw attention to where expressions have already changed. Suggested language: "I want to quickly walk through what is included and what's not. We agree on what the contract is. We agree on the scope and the dollar payment in terms of when you can schedule it." What's In & Out - Deliverables, timeline, and preliminary exclusions - what is included and what is not. Assumptions & Dependencies - Assumptions, dependencies, and what the client is responsible for providing. Approval & Revision Process - How approvals are handled, how many revision rounds are included and how changes are funded. Change Order Process - What triggers a change order, how to document and any not to-exceed/fixed-fee process. Define Success Before Everyone Gets Busy Align on them before delivery starts, otherwise you'll be measuring against different standards of award. Questions to Ask in Discovery to Inform: - What needs to be different in 30, 60, or 90 days from kickoff? - What would make this the most valuable investment? - What would make this a wildly successful? - What does leadership care about most? - What would make this engagement feel unsuccessful? Success Can Look Like: - Reduced or faster decision making. - Reduced or faster demand. - Fewer bottlenecks and decreased WIP. - Clearer, faster, more efficient, or easier to acquire. - Clearly defined requirements. - How access will be terminated at engagement's end.