Use case · Consulting and strategy

Sell a recommendation the client can actually decide on.

Consulting risk extends beyond late payment. An analysis can be hard to evaluate and then become an endless series of “small adjustments”. The deal should give a clear shape to the decision being purchased.

Create a Dealokr deal Use the guide

Dealokr supports the deal and its history. Payments and file permissions remain with the relevant providers.

The framework

Strategy projects move through decisions as well as deliverables.

The client is buying an answer to a question and the ability to choose a direction, rather than a slide count. The workflow should reflect that.

01
Question
Write down the problem the project should help solve and the boundaries of the engagement.
02
Inputs
List interviews, data, access or approvals the client must supply.
03
Options
Plan how scenarios or recommendations will be presented and compared.
04
Decision
Name who approves the recommendation or chooses the next step.
05
Plan
Define the handoff after approval: presentation, roadmap, priorities or a debrief workshop.

In practice

Make the next action clear.

Each step should show who decides, what needs checking and what follows. That makes the workflow useful day to day.

Define the question before starting workshops.

A strategy project becomes vague if it starts with “let’s think together”. Define the initial question, analysis scope, interview participants, available data and expected phase result. This gives the client a way to recognise progress.

Leave room for exploration without promising unlimited availability. New subjects or workshops that change the original question can become a separately discussed phase.

Prepare a real review decision.

A recommendation presentation should show what must be chosen: a priority, direction, sequence, positioning, hypothesis or roadmap. Ask the client to approve that decision or identify the point preventing approval.

General feedback such as “we should explore further” can be useful without automatically reopening the whole analysis. Tie the feedback to a question and agree on the next action.

Hand over a plan the team can use after you leave.

The handoff may include a summary, recommendations, a 30-60-90-day plan, prioritisation, hypotheses or workshop materials. Name them in the deal so the client knows what they receive and you know when the phase is handed over.

Dealokr records scope, review and the decision. It does not replace legal, financial or regulated advisory services.

Operational checklist

The checklist before presenting a strategy.

Use it before presenting a recommendation or requesting approval on a direction.

Scope

The strategic question and project boundaries are written down.
The necessary people and sources are identified.
The phase deliverable is named.

Review

The presentation identifies the decision to make.
Options or priorities can be compared.
The client knows how to approve or request a specific further analysis.

Handoff

The delivered materials and recommendations are listed.
Next actions and owners are visible.
The approved version and handoff are recorded in the deal.

Useful wording

Simple language for the moments that matter.

Adapt the bracketed details to your situation. These examples clarify the project; they are not legal clauses.

At kickoff

State the strategic question.

“This phase answers [question]. It includes [workshops, analyses] and ends with a recommendation requiring approval on [decision].”

The client understands what they are buying beyond time spent.

At presentation

Ask for a decision rather than a vague opinion.

“This recommendation proposes [direction]. Can you approve it, or identify the specific point preventing a decision so we can define the next step?”

This makes review productive.

At handoff

Close the phase with a readable handoff.

“The chosen direction is recorded. The handoff package contains [list], with the agreed priorities and next actions.”

The client knows what is finalised.

A system, rather than an abstract promise

A deal becomes reliable when everyone sees their next action.

The value comes from connecting scope, payment, review, approval and handoff. Keep your commercial documents, obligations and external permissions current separately.

Common questions

Useful answers before starting the project.

Does Dealokr suit consulting projects without final files?

Yes. The handoff may be a recommendation, decision, workshop document, roadmap or priority list rather than production files.

How do I stop strategy work becoming unlimited consulting?

Define the question, deliverables, included workshops and the point where a new subject becomes another phase.

Can several people approve a recommendation?

Yes, but agree on who consolidates feedback or owns the final decision to avoid contradictory responses.

A protected next deal

Keep payment and final handoff in the same deal.

Create a clear project for you and your client, with a protected payment flow through the configured provider, protected delivery and visible approval.

Create a Dealokr deal See the workflow