---

name: engagement-design
description: "Scope a consulting engagement from initial conversation to proposal-ready SOW, with scope creep and unprofitable assumptions killed before signing."

/engagement-design

Unscoped engagements are how independent consultants get paid for one project and deliver three. The client remembers the conversation differently than you do. "Strategy" meant a 40-slide deck to you and a weekly retainer to them. Deliverables that sound clear in a kickoff call become contested at invoice time. The scope creep doesn't happen because clients are unreasonable — it happens because the engagement wasn't defined precisely enough to make creep visible when it occurs. This skill converts a messy initial conversation into a proposal that defines what's included, what's excluded, what success looks like, and where the engagement breaks down if assumptions are wrong.

Current State vs Desired Future State vs the Real Gap

• Current state: what is actually happening now, in measurable terms? Not "their marketing is underperforming" — "their CAC is against an LTV of , and 70% of spend goes to a single channel."
• Desired future state: what does the client want to be true at the end of the engagement? Force them to be specific: "profitable paid acquisition" is not a future state. "CAC below with channel diversification across at least 2 channels by Q3" is.
• The real gap: what's actually preventing the move from current to desired state? If the gap is data quality, a strategy engagement won't close it. If the gap is internal alignment, a deliverables-based engagement won't close it. Name the real gap before scoping the work — otherwise you'll deliver the wrong thing excellently.

Deliverables: Measurable, Not Vague

• List every deliverable as a noun with a completion criterion attached: not "strategic recommendations" but "a 3-scenario channel strategy document with budget allocation, expected CAC per scenario, and implementation sequence, reviewed and approved by the client's CMO."
• If a deliverable can't be described with a completion criterion, it isn't a deliverable yet — it's a hope.
• Separate deliverables by phase if the engagement has phases. Each phase must have a go/no-go checkpoint.

Explicit Out of Scope

• Name at least 5 things that are explicitly not included. Out-of-scope items should be things a reasonable client might expect to be included — that's exactly what makes them worth naming.
• Examples: "Implementation support after strategy delivery," "design or creative production," "vendor negotiation," "team training or change management."
• The out-of-scope list is not a penalty box — it's clarity. Clients who want those things can commission a separate engagement.

Timeline Anchored to Client Urgency

• What is the client's actual deadline and why does it exist? "We'd like this done by Q2" is not an anchor. "We present to the board on May 14 and need a defensible strategy before that" is.
• Map the timeline backward from the client's anchor date. Identify the latest possible start date for each phase to hit the deadline.
• Name what compresses the timeline if any phase slips: "If stakeholder interviews aren't completed by March 28, the May 14 delivery date is at risk. Client must schedule interviews within 5 business days of engagement start."

Pricing Anchored to Value, Not Hours

• What is the economic value of closing the gap? Quantify it — "closing the gap from CAC to CAC on /month of spend saves ~ annually."
• Anchor the fee to a fraction of the value created, not to an hourly rate. If you quote hours, the client will optimize for fewer hours. If you quote value, they optimize for the outcome.
• State your fee and the value calculation explicitly in the proposal. If the client can't see the ratio, they're comparing your fee to nothing.

The Assumption That Could Blow Up the Engagement

• Name the single assumption in your scope that, if wrong, invalidates the timeline, deliverables, or fee.
• Examples: "We're assuming clean CRM data is accessible from day one," "we're assuming the CMO has authority to approve recommendations without board sign-off," "we're assuming the client team will dedicate 4 hours per week to collaboration."
• For each critical assumption: state what happens if it's wrong and what the client must do to validate it before signing.

Rules

1. Deliverables have completion criteria. "Recommendations" is not a deliverable.
2. Out of scope is explicit and specific. Vague exclusions get ignored.
3. Timeline anchors to the client's business event, not to your availability.
4. Pricing is presented with value context, not as an hourly rate.
5. Every critical assumption is visible in the proposal, not buried in your head.
6. If you can't name the real gap, don't write the scope — go back to discovery.

The output is a proposal that can go directly to a contract, with every scope dispute preempted and every success criterion clear before a single deliverable is started.