The assessment dilemma: Re-thinking the process of IT consulting.
Have you ever read an article that starts like:
Consulting assessment engagements: Process and value.
Consulting assessment engagements are pivotal in diagnosing and resolving organizational challenges. These engagements offer a structured approach to evaluating various aspects of a business, from operational efficiency to strategic alignment. In this blog, we explore the core components of consulting assessment engagements, their significance, and the process involved.
I have. In fact, I’ve written similar content. For most of my career, I fiercely advocated for initial assessments. And I get it—to provide real value, a consultant unfamiliar with an IT environment ideally understands its details before proposing a solution. And so, we assess.
Some clients understand and accept this, though it’s rare they request an assessment. In the uncommon scenario they do, it’s usually because they’ve lost faith in their IT team and they’re seeking an unbiased opinion, or they know they have a problem, but lack a documented source. More often, clients want a provider to skip the assessment and just get to work—to solve the problem.
Context provided, a recent wholly unrelated event dramatically changed my thinking about assessments.
Assessments and plumbing
It started with a call from a close friend. She needed my help with her flooding basement. While she’d called a plumber, she knew additional support would reduce undue water damage. I told her I’d be right over, then put on some grubby clothes and grabbed a bucket and sump pump (yes, I have one laying around, but that is a topic for a different blog).
When I arrived, the water was ankle deep—thankfully, a duo of other friends were stepping into the fray, too. She’d shut off the main water valve and was using a bucket to bail water. As a team, we set up the pump. I carefully connected the power for the pump, then joined in on bailing.
What happened next caught my attention.
A swift fix
The plumber arrived. Within minutes, he offered a price estimate and got to work. He quickly identified the issue. Forty-five minutes later, he turned on the water, sparking another issue. Again, he swiftly addressed it.
With the plumbing now in order, my friend paid the plumber, and the rest of us started carrying waterlogged things outside and mopping the floors. Finally, the company with the dehydrators arrived. Relief.
My friend thanked us profusely and made an offer of pizza. Waiting for our meal, the conversation turned to the plumber. I expressed feeling grateful she had a plumber who knows her home so well and could take on problems with ease; it seemed to me he’d already known the likely cause of the issue given the speed of his service.
“No,” she responded, explaining, “I just prompted Alexa, ‘Find a plumber near me.’” Surprised, I responded, “I guess he was just a great plumber—and luck was on your side.”
Still top of mind
Days later, I found myself spinning on the question of how, among the myriad potential issues, the plumber was able to adeptly apply the fix without first assessing the root cause. Then, it hit me—the plumber wasn’t extraordinary; he was a craftsman.
Experienced in his trade, he was able to recognize patterns he’d witnessed before; patterns that pointed him to the likely culprit. He tested his repair, identified more work, and got to it. He was updating his knowledge in the moment.
The link to IT consulting
Like the plumber, I could be considered a craftsman in my trade. I’ve partnered with hundreds of clients throughout my career, and I’ve seen many patterns repeated across companies and industries. While every organization has its unique capabilities, needs, and technologies, the general patterns are present.
Power in patterns
Recognizing patterns empowers us to take a more agile approach to providing solutions and business outcomes for our clients. As we recognize patterns, we can get to work early in the process and deliver value rapidly—without an assessment. In the course of our work, we learn more about the nature of each client, and pivot when necessary.
Let’s be rational
At 2nd Forge, we sometimes refer to this process as “rationalization,” borrowing from the British definition of the word: “The act or process of reorganizing and integrating an industry, company, etc., to make it more efficient and profitable.”
By stating the desired outcome up front, “…to make it more efficient and profitable,” we take on each stage of client engagement with a collective mindset primed to learn, drawing from patterns from past experiences. We deliver business value, fast—and we don’t require introductory assessments.
Time to Value, supercharged
Focused on Time to Value metrics, I’ve seen shorter sales cycles, improved CSAT scores, and fewer change orders. While assessments can be offered to clients truly seeking them out, they’re no longer a compulsory step in every engagement.
Rationalization is a cornerstone in our methodology at 2nd Forge, acting as a bridge between initial client engagement and the realization of value. The philosophy allows us to leverage collective experience and insights to rapidly address client needs, recognize patterns, and expedite the delivery of solutions.
On our team, each engagement is a learning opportunity—every client conversation contributes to our repository of approaches to patterns and resulting knowledge. This standard encourages adaptability and innovation, and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. It also builds trust.
We’re confident a continued emphasis on Time to Value—delivering real results effectively and efficiently—will reinforce our reputation as trustworthy advisors and partners.
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Interested in exploring what’s possible in partnership with 2nd Forge?
Please reach out—we’d love to connect with you.