Advisory retainer
A standing adviser or advisory board on a monthly rhythm.
Suits Owners and leaders who want an outside view on decisions as they come.
- Monthly sessions with a written note
- Access between sessions
- Paused or stopped with notice
How we work
Diagnose, design, deliver, embed
Every engagement follows the loop in our logo, and ends with routines your team owns and a review to see if they held.
01The loop
Four phases, then round again
- 01
Diagnose
Find out what is really going on. Interviews, data, documents and a look at how work actually happens. We agree the problem before anyone proposes a solution.
- Interviews and site visits
- Data and document review
- A short findings paper you can test
- 02
Design
Shape the answer with the people who will run it. Options, trade-offs and a recommendation, written so the decision is easy to make and easy to explain.
- Options with trade-offs
- A recommended design
- A plan with owners and dates
- 03
Deliver
Do the work, alongside your team. We lead, facilitate or support, depending on what you need, and report progress plainly.
- Hands-on delivery or support
- Plain progress reporting
- Decisions logged as they are made
- 04
Embed
Make it stick. Routines, measures, training and a handover so the change keeps running after we step back.
- Routines and measures
- Training and handover
- A review after a quarter
02Engagement models
Ways to work with us
Choose the shape that fits the problem. Many clients combine them, for example a project followed by an advisory retainer.
Project
A defined piece of work with a scope, a timeline and deliverables.
Suits A clear problem: a cost review, a PMO set-up, a risk framework, a recovery.
- A written scope and plan
- Fixed deliverables
- A close-out review
Program
A connected set of projects and training over a longer period.
Suits Larger change: a new operating model, a merger, a quality system and the training to run it.
- Staged plan with review points
- Delivery and capability building together
- Regular sponsor reporting
Coaching and programs
Leadership programs, workshops and one-to-one advisory.
Suits Leaders and teams who need new skills applied to live work.
- Workshops or multi-week programs
- One-to-one advisory
- In-house or online
03Principles
What you can expect from us
Evidence before opinion
We start with your numbers, documents and people, and we show our working.
Decisions stay with you
We advise, challenge and recommend. Owners, boards and leaders decide.
Small enough to use
Frameworks, registers and dashboards sized for your organisation, so they get used.
We stay for the doing
Plans are followed by check-ins, reviews and handover, not just a report.
Plain words
No jargon where a plain word will do, in our reports or in the room.
Clear on limits
We say what we are not: not a certification body, not your lawyer, accountant or financial adviser.
How are fees set?
Every engagement is quoted and agreed in writing before work starts, based on the scope, the time involved and the format. There are no surprise charges.
Can we start small?
Yes. Many clients start with a diagnostic, a strategy day or a single workshop, then decide what comes next.
Do you work online or on site?
Both. Diagnostic and workshop work is often best on site; advisory and check-ins work well online.
Who will we work with?
An adviser matched to your issue leads the engagement, supported by CAQA family specialists where the work needs them. You will know who is doing what before work starts.
Is our information confidential?
Yes. We handle your information under our privacy policy and the client engagement terms, and we can sign a confidentiality agreement.
Next step
Talk to an adviser
Tell us what is on the table. An adviser will contact you within one business day to talk it through. Fees are quoted and agreed in writing before any work starts.