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Things I do when I start a consulting project.Permalink On twitter.com
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I start with a new folder under 'Projects'. My files are organized according to Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives (P.A.R.A) as taught by @fortelabs fortelabs.co/blog/para/Permalink On twitter.com
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The first thing in that folder is usually a google doc with meeting notes taken while scoping out the gig. The second doc is a google slides document that I use to keep a running timeline of the project. It basically tells the story of what happens, as it happens.Permalink On twitter.com
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I'm often working on multiple projects, so that slide deck is critical for helping me re-remember where we are and where we've been. Basically, I choose to optimize for "re-loading" the context instead of trying to remember it all. Basically it's my narrative prosthetic.Permalink On twitter.com
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P.A.R.A. helps me keep everything organized, but I still sometimes need help finding the right thing at the right time. And sometimes important resources live outside my google drive (e.g., a miro board). So links to those things get added to the slide deck, as they come up.Permalink On twitter.com
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Next I need to get immersed in the details. I want to understand the context I'm entering as best I can. So that's a new Miro board, with every document, link, etc. all laid out so I can sort through it.Permalink On twitter.com
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(wife calling, hang tight, will describe some important things about the Miro board shortly)Permalink On twitter.com
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Okay, and we're back. (Liana and I have been married for 10 years today, so you BET YOUR ASS I'm taking that call.)Permalink On twitter.com
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So something really useful for sense-making in miro is webpage screenshots. Miro actually has a tool for it in their extended menu (I think it's called "web page capture"). Sometimes it doesn't work, so I also use a browser plugin that will capture a full page.Permalink On twitter.com
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Web page screenshots are useful for things like examining client sites, competitors, industry blogs, etc. BUT it's also useful for grabbing screenshots of LinkedIn profiles. I want to know everything I can about all the main players, so that I know how to best serve them.Permalink On twitter.com
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Sometimes there will be patterns. Like people going to a particular college, or an interesting background / career change. These all inform my mental models of the people involved, and that helps me show up on the right foot on day 1.Permalink On twitter.com
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When I'm catching up on a (new-to-me) industry, usually I'll grab a bunch of blog posts and wikipedia articles that seem representative. I'll skim them for patterns, ontologies, etc. that help me see how it "works."On twitter.com
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In miro, I'll turn interesting words and phrases into stickies next to the screenshot of the article. Then I can sort and group them later. Some of those will end up in a Wardley Map or two of the basic ideas in play.Permalink On twitter.com
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Once I've made enough sense of the client context, I'll boil down the most useful parts into take-aways for the slide deck. This placeholds my sensemaking work so I can re-remember important conclusions or beliefs later on when I'm skimming that deck to pick the context back up.Permalink On twitter.com
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Again, the slide deck becomes the keeper of the project narrative. Anytime a new deliverable draft, set of meeting notes, or client artifact enters the scene, it gets added to my folder and then referenced with a link in the slide deck.Permalink On twitter.com
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Another thing I'll do is start the first draft for any deliverables right away. I'll even just put a placeholder headline in place, turn those into headings, and then add a table of contents. That way I can work on it throughout the whole project instead of waiting until the end.Permalink On twitter.com
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Whenever I take meeting notes, I process those notes afterward in order to find notable highlights for the slide deck. If there's relevant content, I may also copy them into the deliverable draft for later editing.Permalink On twitter.com
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Basically, I try to make having to start from a blank page nigh impossible. And since I'm drafting the deliverable bit-by-bit as the project unfolds, there's very little heavy lifting to be done towards the end. It's just a cleanup and organization problem.Permalink On twitter.com
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There are some other things I do which are helpful... One is creating a Burja Map of all the key players so I can stay actively aware of relationships, alliances, and personal dispositions. tasshin.com/blog/series/burja-mapping/Permalink On twitter.com
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On a weekly basis, I'll refresh my ideal present for the project. Just to make sure I'm being intentional about the work. (I hate hate hate when a project turns into a slow motion trainwreck, so I want to do everything I can to catch any problems early.) @HiredThought/1384586203194925056Permalink On twitter.com
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There are other little things, such as setting up a new project in my time tracker, but I think I've covered the big ones for starting a new consulting gig. Hope you found this useful! 👍Permalink On twitter.com