Management consulting: renewal or repeat-engagement conversation
Use this renewal or repeat-engagement conversation exercise to review delivered work and current needs before proposing the next period or engagement. You are discussing a focused operating-model review with a CEO dealing with a stalled operational initiative. The point of the practice is to make a useful decision together, including recognising when the offer is not a fit.
Agree the next scope and approval process or document a clean, respectful handover.
The situation
In this fictional brief, teams disagree about who owns the next decision. The buyer wants an agreed decision map and a practical implementation sequence. Your offer is a focused operating-model review, but you must first establish whether its scope addresses the actual need.
A relevant delivery constraint is that the client team has limited time for interviews and workshops. Treat that as a fact in the exercise; do not remove it to make the sale easier.
| Your counterpart | a CEO dealing with a stalled operational initiative |
|---|---|
| Offer under discussion | a focused operating-model review |
| Evidence available | a worked example of roles, decision rights and escalation paths |
| Terms to clarify | Define access to stakeholders, deliverables, decision owners and handover. |
How to approach renewal or repeat-engagement conversation
A useful question for this stage: “If we were deciding from scratch today, what would you keep, change or stop?” Ask it when the conversation creates a reason for it, rather than reciting every question in order.
- Compare delivered work with the original scope. Discuss unresolved issues and changed priorities. Propose the next scope on current needs.
- Ground the discussion in the buyer’s work. Ask: “Which unresolved decision is holding the initiative back today?” Listen for a concrete example before making a claim.
- Use evidence relevant to the decision: a worked example of roles, decision rights and escalation paths. Explain what it demonstrates and what remains unverified.
- Agree the next scope and approval process or document a clean, respectful handover.
An industry-specific concern
Buyer: “Consultants leave us with slides and no execution.”
Possible response: “Let us define the decisions, owners and implementation artefacts you need, and make handover a named deliverable.”
Why this response helps: it acknowledges the concern, brings the discussion back to a verifiable requirement and leaves room for a different decision. Adapt the wording to what the buyer actually said.
Run the practice
- Prepare for two minutes. One person takes the seller role and one plays a CEO dealing with a stalled operational initiative. Read the offer and constraint separately from your preferred answer.
- Have a five-minute conversation focused on review delivered work and current needs before proposing the next period or engagement. The buyer should answer consistently with the brief and ask for evidence when a claim is vague.
- Add this challenge: The buyer is broadly happy but cannot identify a reason to continue at the same level. Discuss right-sizing or ending the engagement.
- Pause for feedback. Quote one useful question and one missed opportunity. Repeat the difficult exchange using a different response.
- Finish by writing the actual agreement. A sensible option, when it fits, is to map one cross-team process and test the proposed ownership with its participants. A clear decision to pause is also a useful outcome.
What to avoid
| Common mistake | Assuming a satisfied contact has approved another contract. |
|---|---|
| A stronger direction | Let us review the evidence and priorities before deciding whether the same arrangement still fits. |
| Scope and claim boundary | Separate your recommendations from outcomes that depend on client execution. |
| What to measure in real work | the number of blocked decisions resolved with named owners. Establish a baseline and definition before interpreting a change. |
An example conversation
What has been useful so far, and what still needs to change?
Our concern is that teams disagree about who owns the next decision. Also, the client team has limited time for interviews and workshops.
Which unresolved decision is holding the initiative back today?
Consultants leave us with slides and no execution.
Let us define the decisions, owners and implementation artefacts you need, and make handover a named deliverable.
If we were deciding from scratch today, what would you keep, change or stop?
Your working sheet.
Make the exercise your own. Notes are saved in this browser when storage is available. Download a copy to keep; avoid confidential information on a shared device.
Example: teams disagree about who owns the next decision; the client team has limited time for interviews and workshops.
Example: If we were deciding from scratch today, what would you keep, change or stop? Industry question: Which unresolved decision is holding the initiative back today?
Example: a worked example of roles, decision rights and escalation paths. Separate your recommendations from outcomes that depend on client execution.
Example: Propose a clear next step, such as: map one cross-team process and test the proposed ownership with its participants. Confirm the owner and date.
Review your work
This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.
Questions
Who is this management consulting exercise for?+
Can I use the example as a script?+
How should I assess the result?+
Fictional training scenario. The dialogue illustrates response choices; it is not a customer testimonial or a record of a real sale.
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