Before the first conversation
Consultant engagement checklist
A short preparation list for a useful first conversation about a delivery problem, commercial decision, or product question.
Use this list
Bring what you know; flag what you do not.
You do not need every answer before you start. Use the prompts to organise the information available and identify the questions that need a conversation.
- Name the decision or milestone — Write down what needs to move, what is currently difficult, and when the decision or milestone matters.
- Describe the current situation — Bring the short version of what has happened, what is known, and where delivery, commercial, or product uncertainty remains.
- Identify the people involved — List the sponsor, decision-makers, subject-matter experts, delivery partners, and teams who need to be part of the conversation.
- Gather the available evidence — Collect the plans, proposals, requirements, reports, assumptions, or other material that will help explain the decision in front of you.
- Set the boundaries — Note the constraints that shape the work, such as time, dependencies, governance, procurement context, or the scope that is out of bounds.
- Be ready to discuss the next useful shape — Consider whether a diagnostic, focused sprint, or embedded support would help, while leaving the final shape to the conversation.
Next step
Turn preparation into a focused conversation.
Use the form to share the decision, context, stakeholders, and any buying-route information you already know. Geode can help identify a practical first step.
Need to start with the situation instead?
Use the problem-led guides to connect a stalled project, vendor decision, or unclear product strategy to the relevant Geode service.