Week two, and the analysis still has nothing to analyse
The engagement kicks off with a data request: headcount by function, cost centre reports, process documentation, system lists, customer data extracts, last year's budget. The list goes to the client's project lead as a spreadsheet. They forward pieces to finance, HR, IT and operations. Files trickle back by email, through a shared folder, on a USB stick in one case. Some are the wrong year. Some are PDFs of tables you needed in Excel.
Two weeks in, the team is still reconciling what they have against what they asked for, and the analysis plan has slipped.
Why data requests drag
- One client contact is asked to coordinate many data owners they do not manage.
- The request list is a spreadsheet that goes out of date as soon as it is sent.
- Files arrive through several routes, some of them insecure.
- Nobody checks each file on arrival, so problems surface days later.
- Chasing is awkward and falls to whichever consultant feels brave.
Consultants also ask for more than they need. Standard request lists are long because they cover every engagement type, and clients faced with sixty items tend to send the easy ones first. The data that actually drives the analysis may be the last to arrive.
What slow data costs the engagement
| Delay or gap | Effect |
|---|---|
| Data arrives late | Analysis compressed, quality suffers |
| Wrong or partial data | Rework and repeated requests |
| Data sent insecurely | Risk to client confidentiality and your reputation |
| No view of status | Awkward conversations with the sponsor |
On fixed-fee work, every week of waiting is a week of team cost with little progress. On time-and-materials work, the client pays for waiting, and notices.
How we build a data request portal
- The request list is built in the portal, starting from your standard lists by engagement type, and tailored for this client.
- Each item gets a description, format, period, a named client owner and a due date, agreed with the client project lead.
- Owners receive a link to their items only, with secure upload slots.
- Uploaded files are checked for obvious issues, such as the wrong period, a PDF where a spreadsheet was asked for, or empty columns, and the owner is told straight away.
- Reminders go to owners before and after due dates, with the client project lead copied on overdue items.
- The team sees status by item, owner and function, and can mark files accepted or needing changes.
- A status summary for the sponsor is generated for weekly check-ins.
Files are stored in your secure environment, with access limited to the engagement team, and deleted or returned at engagement end in line with your agreement with the client.
We usually rebuild your standard request lists with the team first, marking which items are essential for each engagement type. A shorter, prioritised list gets a better response than a complete one, and the portal makes the priorities clear to client owners.
The first weeks, with a portal
Client data owners know exactly what is expected of them and have one place to put it. The engagement team sees gaps on day three, not day ten. Chasing happens automatically and politely.
The sponsor sees status without asking, which often speeds things up more than any reminder.
Are your engagements starting like this?
- Data requests go out as spreadsheets.
- Files arrive by email and USB sticks.
- Nobody knows what is outstanding without checking.
- Problems with files are found days after arrival.
- Analysis starts late because data is late.