Seven Cs of Consulting, The

Added value

The bottom line for any change must be to add value to the system being changed. This might be through modifications in people's behavioural routines, implementation of a new information system, or completion of a strategy to meet an international standard. If the core value cannot be extracted from the outcome then it becomes difficult for the management team to justify the time and expense to the stakeholders of the business. In the closure stage, you must ensure that the added value is clearly understood by and communicated to the client and the end consumer. The notion of recency is paramount at this stage, in that their lasting memory of you and the consulting engagement will be heavily influenced by the final messages and signals ...