I secured a little free time; hence, I describe the thing nowadays I’ve thought. I have no doubt that consulting is not manufacturing business but service business. On the other hand, I saw several case in which consultants behave like manufacturer in problem solving.
Consultants strictly define their job is to achieve the project objectives. (the premise is that the objectives is consisted with the client business objectives) and they also strictly define the structure and contents of their outputs in the project. What elements should be included in their agenda of final reports, what research items they should take with proper logical structure, and what is the hypothesis to answer the question they should answer through the project.
After that, some consultants concentrate to complete all of tasks they designed with minimum effort, most efficiently. The concept sometimes let they regard the client members and other stakeholders as the people who have deeper information in the industry in which the client company operates.
It’s partly right because certainly the client persons do their business in the industry for a long time and accumulate a lot of good/need to improve experiences, skills, knowledge, and insights, but they are simultaneously the people who should go through real business after they define the strategy and tactics with consultants. For example, if the client develop the strategy to enter and expand its business in a certain emerging economy with consultants, and the scope of the project is only developing the strategy, the client should do their business with the strategy without consultants.
Under the above understanding, the consultants who only concentrate to develop the strategy (report or presentation) is like manufacturers because they will output the accurate product the client required (the strategy to enter and expand the client’s business in the certain emerging economy) as their product.
However, as I wrote, the client finally have to establish their business in the economy and gain revenue or profit with limited resource, in limited time. From the viewpoint that the client will encounter after they develop the strategy, the strategy book is not enough even if it’s extremely elaborated and tailored for the client. The client also need confidence, commitment, and belief for success.
From the perspective I described above, consultant have to concentrate not only develop precise strategy on their report but also make the client members more confident to succeed its business, and ignite their motivation more. To achieve them, consultants pay enough attention for the process in their consulting project. it’s not only the process to put out the strategy book but also the process in which the client obtain enough confidence, commitment, and belief for their success in the future.
Needless to say, consultants should avoid the client from bravely going with wrong strategy, to wrong direction, and they also should avoid the client from hesitating to enter the emerging market with embracing the possibly accurate strategy.