Consulting can be a tricky business.
When I worked in consulting for other companies, I had to balance doing great work with staying inside the project budget. That sometimes meant making tough decisions about where to spend time, what to refine, and what was simply good enough.
That balance could also lead to lower than desired CSAT scores. Not because the work was bad, but because the end users giving the rating were not always the people who agreed to the contract, the scope, or the budget. Sometimes they expected Mt. Everest when the project was scoped and priced for Mt. Diablo. If you're not familiar with the San Francisco Bay Area then this analogy might be a little lost on you.
I understood it then, and I still understand it now. Scope matters. Budgets matter. Timelines matter. Profitability matters.
But I was never completely happy with that model.
Now that I run my own business, I get to make decisions I was not always allowed to make before.
As I type this blog, I am nearing the end of a client project where the scope has stayed exactly where it should be. There has not been any scope creep. The work still fits within the agreement.
The difference is in how I chose to do the work and what the deliverables I'm providing to my client actually are.
I made the decision to structure the deliverables in a way that would be much more useful to the client long term. It took way more effort. It took far more time. It was so much harder to build.
But it was the right decision.
One of the biggest reasons is their end user adoption and AI integration capabilities. The way the information is being delivered allows the client to index it into their AI platform and make it easier for their users to find what they need. That matters. It means the content is not just sitting in a folder somewhere. It becomes something people can actually use, search, ask questions against, and apply in their daily work. It also mean less computing spend for them as well, because the information provided is so much more than they ever intended.
That was not the easiest way to deliver the project.
There were late nights. There were doubts. There were times, especially in the beginning, where I rebuilt things from scratch several times, because I knew the first few versions were not good enough for what the client really needed.
But looking back, I can honestly say it was worth it.
I love working with clients who are trying to improve how their teams operate. I want to put my best work in front of them. I also want to be reasonable with time, budget, and delivery expectations. Sometimes that means taking a hit on my revenue per hour because I choose to invest extra time into delivering something better than what was originally expected.
I am okay with that.
Because for me, the goal is not just to finish the project. The goal is to leave the client with something that continues to help them long after the project is done and I'm gone working with other clients.
That is the kind of consulting business I want to build.
If your team is trying to improve how people use technology, training, process, or AI-enabled knowledge, Cedar Rock Consulting can help. We focus on building practical solutions that are useful long after the project is complete.
If that is the kind of support your organization needs, let’s talk.