Walden Consultants usually works on a project basis. We do, however, have clients on
"retainer" for engagements which lend themselves to this arrangement. Each engagement
has a written proposal outlining its context, objectives, scope, conduct, schedule and
estimated budget. We design our proposals as confirmatory documentation of preliminary
discussions with our client. We do not see proposals as stand-alone selling documents,
nor do we respond to RFPs without first meeting with the client.
Each engagement entails continuing communication with our client, both informally and
at periodic review meetings which may include interim presentations of work to date.
Each engagement ends with a formal presentation and discussion of results and recommendations.
Typically we establish a small team of Walden Consultants and client staff to ensure
the smooth running of the engagement.
We think of an engagement as having four phases of activity:
>Reconnaissance
>Research
>Resolution
>Recommendations
In practice these phases usually overlap in order to make the most effective and efficient use of time.
The purposes of this phase are to review the scope and conduct of the engagement; to
establish the modus operandi of the team; to air hypotheses; and to set in motion the
research components of the engagement.
Elements of this phase are likely to include:
>Interviews with client management and staff
>Review of existing documents, research etc.
>Informal preliminary research among key constituencies affecting our client's competitive performance
>Review, and if needed, revision of objectives and scope in view of preliminary research findings
All our engagements include original research.
The purpose of this phase is to collect information which will be used, in
subsequent analysis and interpretation, to draw conclusions and make recommendations.
Elements of this phase include:
>Design of the research method, particularly its division into primary and secondary components.
>Conducting primary original research among all pertinent constituencies. This original research
may range from formal marketing research, using traditional methods and the Internet,to in-depth
one-on-one unstructured interviewing.
>Doing secondary research: including source selection and
screening, data collection, and synthesis.
The purpose of this phase is to analyze and interpret information collected
in the research phase in the context of the engagementıs objectives in such a
manner that our client obtains new knowledge and insight.
In order to accomplish this purpose, we use specific analytical tools
(outlined elsewhere in this website) such as strategic market segmentation,
delivered value analysis and transaction analysis.
Always, our analysis takes into account the elements of our concept Success
is a System as they apply to the specific circumstances which caused
Walden Consultants to be engaged by our client.
This phase leads to conclusions which the analysis itself implies.
Having drawn conclusions from our analysis, we make succinct, unambiguous
and specific recommendations.
Our recommendations are prepared with the engagement's objectives in mind.
Always we remain cognizant of the feasibility of our client being able to
carry out our recommendations successfully, given availability of time,
capital and human resources.
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