Our Process
Learn the details of the six project stages Kestrel Consultants™ services takes to deliver results.
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Six Steps to Results
It's not unusual for founders and business owners to feel lost in the weeds on the road to success. You need to know where you're going before you can get there, and it's easy to get sidetracked along the way. Kestrel Consultants fractional leadership and business consultants are your eyes in the sky with a sharp lookout for what's ahead, and the extra help you need to get there. We provide the perspective, experience, guidance, and tactical support customers need to find their way through even the most challenging landscapes.
When Kestrel Consultants accepts a project, we proceed along the following high-level project management path of six project phases, each one tailored to our customers' situations and needs. Depending on project complexity, some phases may pass quickly, while others may take longer to complete.
1. Engagement
Our first step to is a complementary session to learn about your project, including scope, schedule, resources, and budget. This step completes with a Kestrel Consultants service agreement for new customers, a Statement of Work (SOW) for the specific project, and the assignment of an executive lead from our consulting network. Your executive lead will head up the project, will be a primary point of contact, and will involve and direct other project team members as necessary.2. Audit
Next, your Kestrel Consultants executive lead and project team will create and execute an audit plan to assess current baseline status and gather data to develop objective metrics for the project. Depending on the scope of the project, this may include in-person field visits and reviewing information from third-party sources, as well as any internal sources the customer makes available. This step concludes once the audit plan is completed.3. Analysis
Thirdly, your Kestrel Consultants executive lead and project team review and analyze the information and input gathered during the Audit step to determine findings at a strategic, systemic level. This step concludes with a presentation of findings, as well as directional recommendations for next steps. If the findings and recommendations indicate the SOW needs to be updated, we also determine that as part of this step.4. Plan
Upon customer approval of the recommended next steps, your Kestrel Consultants executive lead develops a project plan to break down strategic objectives into defined tactical steps necessary to achieve desired results. The plan includes clarity on resource assignments, critical path identification, and expected due dates. This step concludes with agreement on the project plan.5. Execution
Next your Kestrel Consultants executive lead and project team will manage execution of the agreed project plan. The execuive lead communicates regularly to provide updates and visibility into the plan's progress and any potential risks to schedule, scope, or budget. This step concludes once the agreed project plan is complete.6. Outcome
In the final step, your Kestrel Consultants executive lead delivers a summary of the measurable results to the customer in order to close out the project.