The Importance of Execution Planning alongside Strategic Analysis

An excellent strategy document is not always sufficient when trying to win over some consulting clients. More and more emphasis has been put on what comes after recommendations have been made in a particular strategy consulting engagement. Thus, a whole new set of expectations is emerging both in the consulting market and among its customers.

In most cases, people have come across organizations whose enthusiasm at the planning stage turned into problems during the execution stage. Naturally, such experiences do affect decision-making in terms of consulting purchases in the future.

In addition to the analysis of the situation, today's advisory services are evaluated based on the ability to turn suggestions into action. Thus, consulting purchasers' expectations evolve along with their understanding of the challenges involved.

The change manifests itself in the nature of the questions being asked. For example, a client will be less focused on theory and more concerned with implementation issues. They might need to know how suggestions are likely to be applied to existing processes, organization structure, or budgeting needs.

The trend poses a challenge to strategy consulting businesses. Strategic thinking remains the core of the services sold. Still, it seems like buyers would like to know if the consultant has anticipated all possible hindrances that will arise once their suggestions leave the workshop or the meeting.

It is easy to explain why such issues emerge in the first place. Many organizations follow very complicated decision-making processes, which means that something simple during the analysis stage may end up being problematic when it actually needs to be approved.

That is precisely what consulting customers seems to take into consideration while evaluating various offers. Some firms may try to meet their demand by paying more attention to issues related to execution management or implementation planning. Others may try to help their clients to understand possible barriers prior to making suggestions.

The trend will surely impact project evaluation criteria. In the past, consulting engagements had been judged based solely on the degree to which an advisor was able to provide strategic insights. Today, buyers may expect that these suggestions will be implementable under existing circumstances.

This does not mean that there will be any confusion between strategy consulting and implementation consulting as distinct service types. The former continues to be about strategic analysis, insights, and recommendations. It just means that execution feasibility will be considered by buyers in the first place.