Scoping & Diagnosis
Getting to the real problem before solving the wrong one.
The most common consulting mistake isn't bad analysis — it's excellent analysis of the wrong question. This category covers the tools for slowing down at the start of an engagement: diagnosing what's really going on, structuring the problem space, and agreeing with the client on what you're actually trying to solve.
Scoping & Diagnosis
Problem Framing
The question behind the question: how to reframe what the client is actually asking.
Scoping & Diagnosis
The Double Diamond
Two rounds of diverge/converge: discover the real problem, then develop the right solution.
Scoping & Diagnosis
Issue Trees & MECE
Structuring a problem so nothing overlaps and nothing is missing.
Scoping & Diagnosis
Hypothesis-Driven Approach
Start with a provisional answer and test it — consulting's most distinctive intellectual habit.
Scoping & Diagnosis
Stakeholder Mapping
Who has power, who has interests, and how to read a room before you walk into it.
Scoping & Diagnosis
Root-Cause Tools
Five Whys and Ishikawa / fishbone for drilling past symptoms to the real cause.
Scoping & Diagnosis
Scoping the Engagement
Objectives, deliverables, and the underrated discipline of saying what's out of scope.