Our Six Step Engagement Model and Deliverables
Over many years of consulting we have developed a six step engagement model that structures our disciplined approach to solving problems with clients. This model combines the discipline of established scientific method with good business management practices. Each of the six steps produces insight into managing the company’s workplace more effectively. We work closely with the stakeholders in each step to understand the issues they face and share with them our methods and insights. This close working relationship ensures that the proposed solutions are grounded in the realty of your organization and are carefully tailored to fit your company’s culture and priorities.
1. Understand the central problem.
This step allows us to fully expose all of the potential challenges your company faces, from the presenting problem to the reality of the company’s markets and competitive position.
Our Deliverables: We prepare a concise and confidential description of the current business challenges to be solved, set in the context of the organization’s financial, organizational, regulatory and workplace realities.
2. Apply a conceptual model.
This begins our process of identifying the underlying connections between your workforce and the challenges your company is facing. We generate hypotheses based on models from business and social science that point to the essential data required to investigate targeted relationships and avoid analysis paralysis.
Our Deliverables: We develop and review with clients a conceptual model which best fits the company’s issues and identifies the factors and critical data which are most relevant to the research.
3. Capture relevant data.
We map and extract the required data from existing sources in Human Resource, Financial, Marketing and Sales, and Operational systems and translate this administrative information into the meaningful measures required by our conceptual model. The model may also require information not held in current administrative systems, such as external benchmarks or internal surveys.
Our Deliverables: We deliver an analytical database populated with valid and reliable data; a data source map; documentation of data definitions; an evaluation of the current quality of the data kept in the normal course of business.
4. Apply analytical methods.
Using a variety of mathematical and statistical techniques we explore the relationships between selected workforce variables and targeted business outcomes, looking for stable patterns over time. We also model the requirements, costs, and benefits of potential solutions.
Our Deliverables: We generate robust explanatory models and fact-based solutions that can be evaluated by your company and tested against the reality of the company’s operating environment and financial constraints.
5. Present the findings to stakeholders.
Presenting your stakeholders with a fact-based understanding of the company’s problems and modeling the solutions breathes life into the analysis process and stimulates valuable feedback. We conduct focus groups and interviews as part of our presentation process to augment statistical findings with stakeholder experiences that enrich everyone’s understanding and ensure engagement with the solution’s success. This step is key to translating the analysis results into clearly focused actions that will achieve the strategy and goals of the company.
Our Deliverables: We construct and deliver a presentation of results that is accessible and clear. We incorporate valuable feedback from stakeholders into our action recommendations. We document new problems that emerge which require further analysis.
6. Define action steps to implement the solution.
Incorporating the insights gained from stakeholder feedback, we work with our clients to build a road map that specifies actions and timelines to implement the solution. We phase in changes to process, technology, organizations and people to optimize your ROI.
Our Deliverables: We operationalize the recommended changes in policies, procedures, and management actions and produce a step by step plan with time lines, technology, actions and measureable goals for achieving the desired outcomes.