Ever feel like your consulting projects are multiplying faster than you can keep up? One moment, you’re laser-focused on a handful of strategic initiatives, and before you know it, you’re knee-deep in a sea of competing priorities. The real challenge isn’t just juggling projects — it’s making sure you’re working on the ones that will actually move the needle for your business.

It’s easy to get bogged down with shiny new ideas and urgent demands. But let’s face it: Not every project deserves your time and resources. So how do you cut through the clutter and zero in on the initiatives that will deliver the most value? The answer lies in knowing how to Prioritise — smartly, strategically, and with an eye on maximum ROI.

In this guide, we’ll tackle the 8 critical questions you need to ask to ensure your consulting projects are not just busywork, but true business drivers. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Are Your Projects Strategic?

When prioritising consulting projects, the first question to ask yourself is, “Are my projects supporting the overarching strategy of my company?” If the answer is anything less than a resounding yes, it’s time to rethink how you’re allocating your resources. Strategy alignment isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the backbone of successful project management.

Strategic projects generally fall into two categories:

• Core Strategic Projects: These are the heavy hitters that push your company’s long-term vision forward. Think of them as the foundation stones of your growth. For example, if your company is focused on digital transformation, any project directly contributing to this mission would be considered core.
• Strategic Adaptation Projects: While they might not be as glamorous as their core counterparts, these projects are still essential. They support the internal adaptations your company needs to stay agile in a fast-changing market. Examples include reorganising departments or upgrading internal systems to align with new market conditions.

If your projects don’t fall into one of these categories, they might not be worth your time and resources. It’s essential to frequently review your project portfolio to ensure every initiative contributes meaningfully to your strategic goals. Consulting spend should always reinforce your strategic direction, not divert from it.

Is Your Effort Congruent?

Prioritising projects isn’t just about choosing the right ones — it’s about making sure all your efforts are aligned and working together toward a common goal. If your consulting projects are disjointed or pulling in different directions, you’re not just wasting resources, you’re missing opportunities for real impact. This is where the idea of congruency comes into play.

To put it simply, congruency means making sure every project you invest in supports and reinforces your broader strategic goals. Think of your consulting projects as pieces of a larger machine. For the machine to work efficiently, each part needs to function in harmony with the others. If one part is out of sync, the entire system suffers — and your competitors will have an easier time catching up.

So, how do you make sure your efforts are congruent? Here are two key questions to start with:

• Have you mapped the key activities that support your strategy? Every strategic goal requires specific actions to achieve it. Have you identified the critical activities that need strengthening? For instance, if you’re aiming for a major market expansion, are your projects focused on building the right capabilities, like market research or product innovation?
• Are there gaps in your resource allocation? It’s not enough to fund a project and hope it succeeds. You need to ensure that all critical areas are receiving the attention they deserve. Sometimes, this means taking a hard look at your consulting budget to see if you’re underfunding key initiatives or over-investing in areas that aren’t as crucial.

In short, congruency means that your consulting projects aren’t operating in silos but are instead contributing to a larger, cohesive plan. By regularly reviewing how your efforts connect, you can avoid fragmented initiatives and make sure every dollar you spend is driving your company toward its goals.

Is Your Sequencing and Timing Optimal?

You’ve likely heard it a thousand times, but it’s true: timing is everything. Even the most well-planned projects can fall flat if they aren’t launched at the right time or in the right sequence. Imagine trying to launch a digital transformation initiative before upgrading your internal IT systems — not exactly a recipe for success, right?

When evaluating your consulting projects, it’s essential to look at more than just what you’re doing. Consider when you’re doing it and how each project fits into the larger timeline of your business objectives. Poor sequencing can lead to resource bottlenecks, while smart sequencing can ensure smooth execution and better outcomes.

Ask yourself:

• Did you launch projects at the optimal time? Sometimes, even the right projects can flop if they’re introduced at the wrong moment. Market conditions, internal readiness, and competing priorities all play a role in timing.
• Were there phases that could have been delayed or expedited? Not every part of a project has to launch simultaneously. Breaking larger initiatives into phases allows you to manage resources better and adapt to changing conditions along the way.
• Did you identify and manage interdependencies? Projects rarely operate in isolation. Make sure you’ve considered how one project might impact, delay, or accelerate another.
• Can you self-fund some of your projects? This can be a game-changer. By integrating quick wins or early gains into your project planning, you can create internal funding mechanisms that allow one project to fuel another.

Effective sequencing is all about making smart, informed decisions on timing. Get this right, and you’ll not only avoid unnecessary delays but also enhance the overall success of your consulting initiatives.

Do You Have the Right ROI?

When it comes to consulting spend, the question of ROI (Return on Investment) is non-negotiable. Every dollar you spend should be working hard to drive the strategic goals of your company. But how do you know if you’ve gotten the right return? Simply put, if you’re not measuring it, you’re guessing.

Consulting projects, by nature, are expensive. So, it’s critical to ensure that every project you launch is delivering value. Yet many organisations find themselves at year-end scratching their heads, unsure if their consulting spend actually moved the needle.

To evaluate whether you’re getting the right ROI, consider the following:

• Did your projects achieve the strategic goals you set out at the beginning of the year? It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to lose sight of the original purpose as a project evolves. Regularly track the progress toward your initial objectives.
• Are you satisfied with the ROI of the projects launched last year? If not, what went wrong? Was it a lack of execution, poor timing, or something else? Evaluating the ROI of past projects can help inform better decisions for the future.
• How did your consultants perform? Sometimes, it’s not the project itself but the people driving it. Are the consultants you hired delivering on their promises, or are they falling short of expectations?

Measuring ROI isn’t just about crunching numbers; it’s about determining whether your consulting spend is aligned with your strategic goals and generating the expected results. Don’t be afraid to reassess and pivot if your investments aren’t delivering as planned.

Have You Defined a Consulting Strategy?

Many companies dive headfirst into consulting without a solid plan, only to end up overwhelmed by project management and underwhelmed by the results. If consulting is a key part of your strategy (and it often is), you need a Consulting Strategy that aligns with your broader business goals. Without it, you’re just throwing money at problems and hoping they go away.

A well-defined consulting strategy ensures that you’re not only hiring the right consultants but also using them at the right time and for the right projects. It helps you avoid reactive, last-minute decisions and gives you the power to leverage consulting in a way that drives real value.

Here’s how to craft a consulting strategy:

• Translate your high-level business priorities into consulting clusters: Identify the major areas where consulting support is needed and allocate resources accordingly.
• Identify potential projects within each cluster: Break down each strategic priority into concrete consulting projects that will support it.
• Define priorities and manage interdependencies: Consulting projects rarely exist in isolation. Make sure you’re prioritising them in the context of your overall strategy and managing the overlap.
• Run a make-or-buy assessment: Is this a project you can handle internally, or is external expertise required? Being clear on what needs to be outsourced and what can be done in-house will save you a lot of headaches down the road.

Creating a consulting strategy is a team effort. It requires input from multiple stakeholders and a clear understanding of both short- and long-term business objectives. Done right, it will ensure your consulting efforts are focused, aligned, and poised for success.

Are You Optimising Your Consulting Utilization?

Let’s face it — most organisations could do a better job of optimising how they use consulting services. Whether it’s hiring the same firm for similar projects across different departments or launching redundant initiatives, inefficiencies can quickly add up. Optimising your consulting utilization is all about eliminating waste and maximising the value you’re getting from external expertise.

Here are some practical ways to optimize:

• Are you grouping similar projects? If different departments within your company are working on similar initiatives, there might be opportunities to consolidate. This could lead to cost savings and more cohesive project outcomes.
• Are you working with the same consulting firm across multiple departments? Sometimes, it makes sense to leverage a single consulting firm’s niche expertise across different areas of the business. However, be mindful of potential over-reliance on one firm, as it can limit your access to fresh perspectives.
• Have you identified potential synergies? Some projects are interlinked, whether by focus area or required resources. By grouping similar efforts, you can often achieve faster and more impactful results.

When you take the time to review how consulting is being used across the organisation, you might be surprised by the opportunities to streamline efforts and save money. Remember: optimization isn’t just about cost-cutting; it’s about making sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

Did You Design Your Make-or-Buy Strategy?

One of the most critical decisions when prioritising consulting projects is whether to handle a project internally or bring in external consultants. This is where a clear make-or-buy strategy becomes essential. It’s about determining which projects are worth outsourcing and which ones are better suited for in-house teams.

The make-or-buy decision isn’t always a “winner takes it all” question. Sometimes, the answer lies in the middle — with part of the project handled internally and another part outsourced to external experts. The key is to establish a framework that helps you assess each project individually, ensuring that you’re making the most strategic choice every time. This framework should also include pre-approved options that align with your organisation’s goals, so you can move quickly and confidently when making decisions.

Here’s how to build and apply a make-or-buy framework:

• Is this project core to your strategy? If a project is central to your long-term goals, you might want to develop internal expertise rather than rely on outside consultants. Building an internal team not only aligns the project with your organisational culture but also retains valuable knowledge in-house.
• Will external consultants bring unique value? Sometimes, bringing in an external team is the smarter choice, especially when the project requires niche expertise that your in-house team lacks. Consultants can offer fresh perspectives, access to industry best practices, or speed in delivering complex solutions.
• Could the project be split between in-house and outsourced work? In some cases, it may be more effective to handle the strategic elements in-house while outsourcing technical or specialized aspects to external partners. The key is having the flexibility to customize your approach for each project.

By developing a structured framework for make-or-buy decisions, you ensure your organisation has the flexibility and insight to make informed choices. Pre-approved options make it easier to adapt your approach to each unique project while staying aligned with your strategic goals.

Conclusion

Each of the questions we’ve explored — from determining if a project is strategic to optimising sequencing and ROI, to defining your make-or-buy strategy — forms part of a larger, interconnected process. These elements aren’t isolated steps. They often overlap and intertwine, and all are strategic in nature. In fact, these considerations typically occur before you even decide to launch a project or engage in the procurement process.

The key takeaway here is that optimising your consulting projects doesn’t rest solely in the hands of procurement. While procurement can play a significant role in negotiating contracts and managing costs, many of the most critical decisions lie within other parts of the organisation — particularly Strategy and Finance. These teams must align their priorities, ensure resources are allocated effectively, and guarantee that every dollar spent is in service of the company’s overarching goals.

By viewing consulting projects as a strategic lever rather than a transactional expenditure, you’ll not only improve efficiency but also ensure that your consulting spend is driving tangible, long-term value for your organisation.