A consultant who doesn't have some sort of framework for dealing with business issues isn't an expert.  They're just making it up as they go along. On the other hand, you don't want to be locked into a highly-complex framework that isn't quite right for your problem but is going to cost a bunch of money and take a lot of time.  I've got a lot of professional certifications and I know about a lot of frameworks, but those shouldn't come into play until you're ready. 

My framework isn't right for every situation, but it is right for cases where immediate action is called for. It's the same basic framework we apply to first aid situations:

• A = clear the Airway.  Identify the problem that will stop anything else from working.
• B = restore Breathing.  Take the initial steps that will allow you to breathe again.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel!
• C = Control the bleeding. Deal with the problems that are stopping you from operating now.  Do enough to get it under control.  It doesn't have to be cutting edge technology or a world-class best-practice solution; in fact, those are probably impractical right now and won't work for your situation anyway.  Then start fixing things that will cause problems later.  By the way, even though your patients are bleeding, they'll fight the treatment.  My Simmer System is the method of finding ways to help them fix things they want fixed in a way that gets you to your solution.
• D = Turn it over to the Doctor. Now that the situation's under control, turn it over to the people who can apply lots of expertise and resources to producing a optimal solution that will last for the long term.  This is the expensive part.  Now you're in position to choose the right providers and solutions. 

If you run across a car accident victim who has also got a cancer that will eventually be life-threatening, you don't spend your time coming up with elaborate chemotherapy programs. There's no point figuring out how to extend their life by 6 months or 5 years if they're going to be dead in 20 minutes.  You provide first aid: clear the airway, restore the breathing, control the bleeding. Get them into the ER or ICU where they can be stabilized. Then think longer term. Today is not the day for the lecture about how they should stop smoking.

This happens to businesses all the time.  When they ask for advice on their immediate problems, the experts talk them into high-cost, long-term implementation of best practices and maturity models [models that, ironically, few consultancies practice themselves]. When you're running short of money, the last thing you need to do is throw gobs of it at a solution that isn't going to pay off for quite a while, if ever. 

There is a choice.  After working with dozens of organizations, I've learned how to shake off those early and expensive false starts. 

We've regrouped to try different approaches, based on my Simmer System (SM), and gotten the main problems solved fairly quickly and much less expensively.

Then, sure, it's time to think about raising the bar and joining your industry leaders in their best practices. You can do ISO or CMMI or whatever your preferred standard is, and for that, you'll need a lot of help.  It won't be cheap, and it may well be worth it.   I'll even help you shape and find that help. When you're ready.

Just not today.

You've got some issues that need to be resolved today. 

Let's stop spending money and start solving problems.

 

Over those three decades I kept getting my nose rubbed into the fact that so many organizations were striving to use industry best practices but they simply weren't working.

Over time, I developed methods of dealing with the perfectly normal frictions of bringing about change, and I developed an approach from bridging the gap between "no practices" and "best practices".

At first I just started seeing that the same things were working.  After a while I started consciously re-using variations on the approach, and eventually it occurred to me that it's an actual system.
Then I wrote the book on it: Let It Simmer.
It's a little different from the usual crop of books that just parrot the best practices.  But I've been asked to speak by several organizations composed of my fellow professionals and most of them spend most of the session nodding their heads.  They've seen the same issues before. And they're very enthusiastic about discussing my approach to the solution, and what's worked for them too.

Of course, every consultant says they don't do work that isn't a good fit.  Then they take on work that isn't a good fit, reckoning they'll just hire some people to do it.  You know how well that works.  We understand why it happens; they've got people they have to pay now who they want to keep around for whenever they do get more appropriate work.  And they have sales quotas to meet if they want to keep their own jobs.

My business model doesn't work that way.  I don't have to worry about making payroll for the employees I don't (and will not) have; and I don't have to hit a quota number someone else set for me.  It's just me, and I can only work with a limited number of people at once.  If you're happy, you'll tell others.  So, no, I'm not going to take on just any work offer that comes along.  I want to make a difference for you by making it easier and faster for you to make a difference in your role.  If we can succeed in that, good things will happen for both of us.  

I look forward to meeting you!