Seven Cs of Consulting, The

Step one: Stool

Consulting projects often fail because all the needs of the various stakeholders are not taken into consideration. This puts the whole project out of alignment because one group's needs are given priority over another's. Like a three-legged stool, the consultancy process must always be in balance, and the needs of the client, consultant and consumer (end user) understood and maintained.

All three have deep motivational needs and if one is left partially dissatisfied, the project is likely to hit problems. In any project that has failed this lack of alignment is likely to be a source of the problem:

• You have developed a good sense of rapport with the client, agreed a contract and are ready to start the implementation phase. However, ...