consulting

A consultant gives advice to solve a problem for a client. Start with the words and the role.

• Learn the terms: client, scope, deliverable, proposal, fee, stakeholder, findings, recommendation.
• A consultant advises; the client decides and acts.
• Consulting needs listening, clear thinking and honest reporting.
• Pick a field you know and write who you could help and with which problem.
• Write a one-line problem statement for a client you could help.
• Compare giving advice with doing the work and say which one you sell.
• Rate yourself 1 to 5 on listening, analysing and writing, with one piece of proof for each.

Activity. Define ten words and write one sentence on the problem you could help solve.

Standard to meet. Task: define terms and name a problem. Condition: from memory, then check. Standard: meanings plain and the problem statement fits one sentence.

An engagement has steps. If you name them, you can plan time and avoid surprises.

• The steps: first meeting, scope, proposal, agreement, research, findings, recommendations, handover, follow-up.
• Scope says what is in and what is out of the work.
• Ask questions first: What is the problem? What have you tried? What does success look like? By when?
• Agree how many meetings and reviews are included.
• Draft a one-page engagement outline with the steps and dates.
• List what is out of scope and write it in the proposal.
• Add a buffer of about one hour in every ten to your plan.

Activity. Write a question list and run a mock first meeting.

Standard to meet. Task: run a first meeting. Condition: with a pretend client for 30 minutes. Standard: problem, success measure, deadline and scope boundaries are written down.

Now you apply a method. Gather facts, find causes, write clearly.

• Collect facts: interviews, numbers, documents and observation.
• Separate facts from opinions. Mark what you are sure of.
• Ask 'why' five times to reach a root cause.
• Write findings in plain language: what we found, why it matters, what to do, what it costs.
• Draw a table of facts with a source beside each.
• Test a cause by asking what would be different if it were true.
• Compare two options on cost, effort and risk and recommend one.

Activity. Complete a mini review of a small business with consent and write a two-page findings note.

Standard to meet. Task: write a two-page findings note. Condition: from at least three sources of facts. Standard: each finding has evidence, a cause and an option with cost.

Consultants work under business, tax and privacy rules.

• Business structure and registration are set by provincial and federal rules; check the current rule with the local authority.
• A consultant is usually self-employed, not an employee. The tax agency has tests for this; check the current rule with the tax agency.
• Do not claim a licensed title you do not hold. Some fields, such as law, engineering, accounting and health, are regulated; stay inside your lane.
• Keep client information private and follow privacy law. Sign a confidentiality agreement when asked.
• Write down the topics you will refer to a licensed professional, and keep the list with your client notes.
• Describe how you keep business and personal money apart.
• Check whether you must collect sales tax and ask the tax agency.

Activity. Build a table of rule, who sets it, what you must do and where you checked, for ten situations.

Standard to meet. Task: build a rules table. Condition: using official public pages. Standard: each row has a dated source; unclear items say 'check the current rule with the local authority'.

You are paid for outcomes and time. Work out your fee and write a clear proposal.

• Time includes meetings, research, writing, reviews and admin.
• Compare hourly, daily and fixed project fees.
• A fixed fee needs a tight scope and a change process.
• A proposal states the problem, the work, deliverables, timeline, fee and what you need from the client.
• Calculate your hourly break-even from costs and your pay target.
• Compare a fixed fee with hourly pricing for the same project.
• Draft a change rule: extra work is quoted before it starts.

Activity. Write a one-page proposal for a pretend client and price it.

Standard to meet. Task: write a proposal. Condition: from your first-meeting notes. Standard: scope, deliverables, dates, fee and exclusions are stated and a mentor can follow the numbers.

Clients hire consultants they trust.

• Write a clear offer: who you help, what problem, what result.
• Show a short case note with permission: problem, action, result.
• Meet local business owners with a specific idea for each, not a general pitch.
• Keep a list: contact, date, reply, next step. Contact only people who agree to hear from you.
• Write a 100-word case note with the problem, the action and the result, using numbers.
• Choose five local businesses and write one idea for each.
• Track contacts, replies and calls and work out your reply rate.

Activity. Write one case note and send ten tailored messages.

Standard to meet. Task: run a two-week outreach. Condition: with consent rules followed. Standard: ten messages sent, replies logged and one lesson written.

Trust is the product. Protect it.

• Tell the client about any conflict of interest in writing.
• Do not promise results you cannot control. Report what you found, even if it is not welcome.
• Keep client files secure and delete them as agreed.
• Write an agreement: scope, fees, payment dates, confidentiality, ownership of work and how to end it. Ask a lawyer to review larger deals.
• Describe how you respond if a client asks you to change a finding.
• List where client files are stored and the date you will delete them.
• Draft a conflict-of-interest sentence for your agreements.

Activity. Write an agreement template and a delivery checklist.

Standard to meet. Task: produce a template and checklist. Condition: reviewed by a mentor. Standard: scope, fees, confidentiality and ownership are in plain words.

Now you run it: deliver, measure and choose what to do next.

• Set a pilot goal such as one paid or agreed project with a clear result.
• Record hours, fee, scope changes and client feedback each week.
• Ask the client what changed because of your advice.
• Choose: stop, change or grow, and write a 12-month plan.
• Calculate your effective rate as the fee divided by hours.
• Record each scope change and what you charged for it.
• Evaluate the result against the success measure agreed at the start.

Activity. Run the project and present a 12-month plan to a panel of three.

Standard to meet. Task: deliver one project. Condition: real client and signed agreement. Standard: deliverables on time, log complete and the plan uses numbers.

L1: Finance aware learner. You can define: name the main terms, people and rules of consulting. Focus module: Know the words and the job of a consultant (Understand, 6 h). A consultant gives advice to solve a problem for a client. Start with the words and the role. Key points: Learn the terms: client, scope, deliverable, proposal, fee, stakeholder, findings, recommendation. A consultant advises; the client decides and acts. Consulting needs listening, clear thinking and honest reporting. Pick a field you know and write who you could help and with which problem. Write a one-line problem statement for a client you could help. Compare giving advice with doing the work and say which one you sell. Rate yourself 1 to 5 on listening, analysing and writing, with one piece of proof for each.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A shop owner says sales are flat. The consultant's job is to find out why and suggest options, not to run the shop. Three options costing $400, $900 and $0 let the owner choose with the facts in front of them. Then set the activity: Define ten words and write one sentence on the problem you could help solve. Mark against the standard: Task: define terms and name a problem. Condition: from memory, then check. Standard: meanings plain and the problem statement fits one sentence. Check at this level: What is the role of a consultant? Model answer: To give advice; the client decides and acts. Level note: Start here if new. Evidence: a one-page glossary and a visit or interview note.

L2: Clerk or assistant. You can describe: explain how consulting works from first contact to result. Focus module: Explain the steps of an engagement (Apply, 6 h). An engagement has steps. If you name them, you can plan time and avoid surprises. Key points: The steps: first meeting, scope, proposal, agreement, research, findings, recommendations, handover, follow-up. Scope says what is in and what is out of the work. Ask questions first: What is the problem? What have you tried? What does success look like? By when? Agree how many meetings and reviews are included. Draft a one-page engagement outline with the steps and dates. List what is out of scope and write it in the proposal. Add a buffer of about one hour in every ten to your plan.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A client wants a 'full review'. You narrow it to: 'Review the order process and give three options within 30 days.' With 4 meetings of 1 hour, 10 hours of research and 6 hours of writing, the plan is 4 + 10 + 6 = 20 hours. Then set the activity: Write a question list and run a mock first meeting. Mark against the standard: Task: run a first meeting. Condition: with a pretend client for 30 minutes. Standard: problem, success measure, deadline and scope boundaries are written down. Check at this level: What does scope state? Model answer: What is in and out of the work. Level note: Evidence: a flow chart and a two-minute spoken explanation.

L3: Bookkeeper or junior analyst. You can apply: carry out a routine task in consulting to a written standard. Focus module: Analyse a problem and write findings (Apply, 10 h). Now you apply a method. Gather facts, find causes, write clearly. Key points: Collect facts: interviews, numbers, documents and observation. Separate facts from opinions. Mark what you are sure of. Ask 'why' five times to reach a root cause. Write findings in plain language: what we found, why it matters, what to do, what it costs. Draw a table of facts with a source beside each. Test a cause by asking what would be different if it were true. Compare two options on cost, effort and risk and recommend one.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. Fact: 30% of orders ship late. Cause: the packing bench is shared. Option: add a second bench, cost $400. If the shop ships 200 orders a month, 30% is 60 late orders; cutting it to 10% leaves 20, which is 40 fewer. Then set the activity: Complete a mini review of a small business with consent and write a two-page findings note. Mark against the standard: Task: write a two-page findings note. Condition: from at least three sources of facts. Standard: each finding has evidence, a cause and an option with cost. Check at this level: How do you reach a root cause? Model answer: Keep asking why until you reach the cause. Level note: Evidence: a supervised task record that meets the standard once.

L4: Accountant or adviser. You can analyse: diagnose why a consulting result missed its target and fix it. Focus module: Follow Canadian rules for consulting (Evaluate, 8 h). Consultants work under business, tax and privacy rules. Key points: Business structure and registration are set by provincial and federal rules; check the current rule with the local authority. A consultant is usually self-employed, not an employee. The tax agency has tests for this; check the current rule with the tax agency. Do not claim a licensed title you do not hold. Some fields, such as law, engineering, accounting and health, are regulated; stay inside your lane. Keep client information private and follow privacy law. Sign a confidentiality agreement when asked. Write down the topics you will refer to a licensed professional, and keep the list with your client notes. Describe how you keep business and personal money apart. Check whether you must collect sales tax and ask the tax agency.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A client asks for legal advice about a contract. You say that is for a lawyer and offer to prepare the business questions to bring. You write down five questions so the meeting with the lawyer is short. Then set the activity: Build a table of rule, who sets it, what you must do and where you checked, for ten situations. Mark against the standard: Task: build a rules table. Condition: using official public pages. Standard: each row has a dated source; unclear items say 'check the current rule with the local authority'. Check at this level: Why avoid claiming a protected title? Model answer: Some fields are regulated and titles are protected. Level note: Evidence: a fault or gap analysis with a fix and a repeat test. This course targets this level.

L5: Senior adviser or manager. You can evaluate: judge options for consulting against cost, risk and quality. Focus module: Find clients and show proof (Create, 6 h). Clients hire consultants they trust. Key points: Write a clear offer: who you help, what problem, what result. Show a short case note with permission: problem, action, result. Meet local business owners with a specific idea for each, not a general pitch. Keep a list: contact, date, reply, next step. Contact only people who agree to hear from you. Write a 100-word case note with the problem, the action and the result, using numbers. Choose five local businesses and write one idea for each. Track contacts, replies and calls and work out your reply rate.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. You email a café: 'Your online menu is hard to read on a phone. Here are three fixes. May I send a one-page review?' If 10 messages bring 3 replies and 1 call, the reply rate is 3 / 10 = 30%. Then set the activity: Write one case note and send ten tailored messages. Mark against the standard: Task: run a two-week outreach. Condition: with consent rules followed. Standard: ten messages sent, replies logged and one lesson written. Check at this level (this question is covered in module 5: Price and propose): What does a proposal include? Model answer: Problem, work, deliverables, timeline, fee and what you need. Level note: Evidence: an options paper with numbers and a recommendation defended to a panel.

L6: Head of finance. You can create: design and pilot a new offer or process in consulting. Focus module: Protect clients, ethics and quality (Evaluate, 6 h). Trust is the product. Protect it. Key points: Tell the client about any conflict of interest in writing. Do not promise results you cannot control. Report what you found, even if it is not welcome. Keep client files secure and delete them as agreed. Write an agreement: scope, fees, payment dates, confidentiality, ownership of work and how to end it. Ask a lawyer to review larger deals. Describe how you respond if a client asks you to change a finding. List where client files are stored and the date you will delete them. Draft a conflict-of-interest sentence for your agreements.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. Your agreement says: 'The consultant gives advice; the client decides. The report is owned by the client once paid in full.' It also asks for a deposit of 50% of $1,848, which is $924, before work starts. Then set the activity: Write an agreement template and a delivery checklist. Mark against the standard: Task: produce a template and checklist. Condition: reviewed by a mentor. Standard: scope, fees, confidentiality and ownership are in plain words. Check at this level: Why keep client files secure? Model answer: They are private; privacy law applies. Level note: Evidence: a pilot with measured results over at least 30 days.

L7: Partner or chief officer. You can lead: run a team or business in consulting and develop others. Focus module: Run a real consulting project and decide (Create, 8 h). Now you run it: deliver, measure and choose what to do next. Key points: Set a pilot goal such as one paid or agreed project with a clear result. Record hours, fee, scope changes and client feedback each week. Ask the client what changed because of your advice. Choose: stop, change or grow, and write a 12-month plan. Calculate your effective rate as the fee divided by hours. Record each scope change and what you charged for it. Evaluate the result against the success measure agreed at the start.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. After 45 days: 1 project, 26 hours, fee $1,820, two scope changes agreed. That is 1,820 / 26 = $70 an hour. You change the template to price changes up front. Then set the activity: Run the project and present a 12-month plan to a panel of three. Mark against the standard: Task: deliver one project. Condition: real client and signed agreement. Standard: deliverables on time, log complete and the plan uses numbers. Check at this level (this question is covered in module 7: Protect clients, ethics and quality): What is a conflict of interest? Model answer: A situation where your interest may affect your advice; tell the client. Level note: Evidence: a record of results over a year and of people you have coached to a higher level.