Services
What can consultancy offer me?
Independent advice, so you spend time and money on the right thing.
What it can do for you, and what the research says.
Why it matters
A little advice early saves a lot later.
Consultancy is independent, expert advice given before you commit, when a clear question and a sensible plan can save the most wasted effort.
It can pay off in several ways at once. Click one for more information.
Return on investment
Less wasted effort.
Most wasted effort is baked in at the start: a question that was too broad, a method that does not fit, a brief that asked for the wrong thing. Advice at the start costs a fraction of finding out halfway through.
The two best-known estimates are large enough to be worth planning around.
- 85%of health research investment is estimated to be wasted through avoidable problems: flawed design, studies never published in full, and reports too unclear to use.Chalmers and Glasziou, 2009
- 47%of unsuccessful projects missed their goals because it was not clear enough what was needed (poorly managed requirements).Project Management Institute, 2014
Better decisions
Decisions made with open eyes.
In a study of 1,048 major business decisions, how a decision was made mattered about six times as much to the result as the quality of the analysis (Lovallo and Sibony, 2010). The better processes discussed what was still uncertain and included views that disagreed with the senior person’s.
How an outsider can help:
- A fresh pair of eyes sees what people close to the work cannot.
- An independent review, or a briefing on one or two pages, helps boards, funders and leaders choose with confidence.
- A weak assumption spotted early costs far less than one found later.
Proof of impact
Evidence of what you achieved, ready when someone asks.
Funders, commissioners and boards increasingly ask what difference your work made. Evaluation is how you answer, and charities that do it say it pays back inside the organisation first.
Charities that measure their impact say the main benefit is better services, then being able to show their results (Ni Ogain et al., 2012). Two thirds of the benefits they report are felt inside the organisation.
Make it easy to answer:
- Decide what success looks like before you begin.
- Take a starting measurement, so change can be shown.
- Build evaluation in from the earliest stages of design, as the UK government’s guide advises (HM Treasury, The Magenta Book, 2020).
Leave it until afterwards and it is very hard to piece together. Of the £432 billion the UK government spent on its major projects, 64% had no evaluation arrangements in 2019 (National Audit Office, 2021).
Reducing risk
Fewer risks to your people and your reputation.
- £17.5mor 4% of worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher, is the maximum fine UK data protection law allows for the most serious breaches.Data Protection Act 2018, section 157
Work that involves people carries responsibilities:
- consent
- safeguarding
- how information is stored and shared
- how findings are reported
Getting these right at the start protects the people you hear from, and the people who fund or rely on the work. It also keeps your options open, because information collected without proper consent can be hard or impossible to use later.
Buying the wrong thing is a risk too. A clear brief makes it easier to compare bids and to explain your choice.
Reputation
Credibility that others can see.
Advice you have taken, and evidence you can show, are things funders, partners and the public can check. A plan built with independent advice, and an evaluation set up from the start, make your claims easier to believe.
Ensuring that money is used well is consistently the most important factor in public trust in charities.
From the Charity Commission’s research on public trust in charities (2024). People trust what they can see and check.
What the difference can look like
Starting with advice, and starting with a hunch.
Imagine two organisations about to begin the same piece of work. This is how they might differ a year later.
Without
Starting without advice
- A broad question, with no clear decision behind it
- A method chosen because it is familiar
- No starting measurement, so no way to show change
- A brief that attracts bids nobody can compare
With
Starting with advice
- One clear question, tied to a decision
- A method that fits the question and the budget
- A starting point measured, so change can be shown
- A brief that gets bids you can compare
Get in touch
Ask us a question.
Ready to talk it through? Whatever your size or stage, we would be glad to discuss how we can help, including anything not listed on this page. See our consultancy services.
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