8.3Defining necessary facts

Facts are the building-blocks of any consulting work. Consultants need a considerable number of facts to get a clear picture of the situation, arrive at a precise definition of the problem and relate their proposals to reality. Facts are also needed if the assignment is trying to develop something new and using a great deal of imagination and creative thinking. Collecting facts may be the most tiring and painful phase of the consultant’s work, but there is no alternative.

When diagnosis starts, a certain amount of data will be handed over to the operating consultants by their colleagues who did the preliminary problem diagnosis during the entry phase. The diagnostic phase will go much further, and will define issues and collect facts in considerably greater detail.

The kinds of facts collected will depend on the area in which the assignment takes place, and on the definition of the problem and the assignment objectives. Facts should enable the examination of processes, relations, performances, causes and mutual influences, with special regard to underutilized opportunities and possible improvements. The conceptual framework reviewed in section 8.1 indicates the main areas in which facts are normally collected.

Plan for collecting data

Data collection has to be prepared for by thoroughly defining what facts are wanted. Consultants should continue to apply the principle of selectivity, although at this stage they need more detailed and precise facts than during the preliminary diagnosis. Virtually unlimited amounts of information are available