The Big Consultancy Delivered Their Deck. Now What?
When you're left implementing a strategy you don't fully understand, designed by people who've moved on.
The Big 4 spent months diagnosing your challenges, designed a transformation strategy, delivered a beautiful deck, and then… left. Now you're responsible for implementing recommendations that look great in PowerPoint but feel impossible in reality.
Your teams don't understand it. You don't have the expertise that designed it. And the consultancy won't return your calls unless you pay for another six-figure engagement.
What The Post-Consultancy Gap Really Costs You
Transformation strategy deck gathering digital dust
Teams confused about what they're supposed to do differently
Frameworks that don't fit your reality now that consultants are gone
No one to ask when you hit implementation challenges
Leadership losing patience as months pass with no results
Millions invested in strategy, nothing changing in delivery
The symptoms you're seeing:
70% of consultancy recommendations are never fully implemented.
You've paid £500K-£2M+ for a strategy. Failure to execute means writing off that entire investment.
The financial impact:
You're holding a beautiful map but don't know how to navigate with it.
Every obstacle feels insurmountable because the people who designed the solution aren't there to help you solve real-world problems.
And leadership is asking: "When will we see the ROI?"
What it feels like:
Why Consultancy Strategies Don't Get Implemented
It's not your fault.
This is a known gap in how big consultancies work:
01.
Designed for Ideal State, Not Your Reality:
The strategy assumes perfect conditions. Reality includes legacy systems, budget constraints, organisational politics, and cultural resistance.
02.
No Implementation Expertise:
Strategy consultants are great at diagnosis and design. Implementation requires different skills - execution, change management, hands-on delivery.
03.
Their Success ≠ Your Success:
They're measured on delivered decks, not delivered outcomes. Once the deck is approved, their job is done.
03.
Knowledge Transfer Failure:
They promise to "build your capability" but it's always superficial. Real expertise isn't transferred in workshops.
05.
No One Accountable After:
When problems arise (and they will), there's no one to call. You're on your own.
⤓
The real issue:
Big consultancies sell strategy. You need execution. These are fundamentally different capabilities.
Our Approach to Post-Consultancy Implementation
We don't redo the strategy. We make the strategy actually work in your reality.
What we do:
-
Review the consultancy's recommendations
-
Identify what fits your context vs. what needs adapting
-
Surface hidden constraints and challenges
-
Create realistic implementation roadmap
-
Prioritise based on impact vs. effort
ADAPT
Translate Strategy to Reality
What you get:
Honest assessment of what's implementable and what's not—plus a realistic plan.
-
Adapt frameworks to your context (not textbook implementation)
-
Create change management approach that addresses your culture
-
Build quick wins to prove value and maintain momentum
-
Establish governance that enables (not blocks) implementation
-
Train your teams to work in new ways (not just present to them)
What we do:
ALIGN
Build the Foundation
What you get:
Implementation that actually sticks, with visible progress.
-
Solve problems as they arise (we don't leave when it gets hard)
-
Refine approach based on what's working
-
Build internal capability so you're not dependent on us
-
Scale successful pilots to broader organisation
-
Establish self-sustaining improvement mechanisms
-
Scale improvements across multiple teams
What we do:
ACCELERATE
Embed and Sustain
What you get:
The consultancy's vision, actually realized in your delivery.
Outcomes, Not Just Outputs
Short-term
6-12 Weeks
Consultancy recommendations fully implemented (adapted to your reality)
Measurable business improvements
Internal capability to sustain and evolve
ROI on consultancy investment realised
No ongoing dependency on external help
Specific
Deliverables
Clear implementation roadmap (what to do, in what order)
Quick wins that prove the strategy can work
Teams trained and starting to work differently
Governance established to track progress
Governance established to track progress
Long-term
6-12 Months
Strategy-to-implementation roadmap
Change management plan
Teams trained and starting to work differently
Team training and enablement
Sustainability playbook
How We've Made Consultancy Strategies Work
Financial Services Client:
£2M Strategy, Zero Progress - Until We Got Involved
The Challenge
Big 4 consultancy delivered SAFe transformation strategy. 8 months post-delivery, nothing had changed. Teams confused. Leadership frustrated.
Our Soultion
Reviewed the strategy. Adapted SAFe to their context (hybrid model). Created realistic implementation roadmap. Embedded with teams to make it work in practice.
The Results
-
Strategy implemented within 4 months (after 8 months of no progress)
-
Delivery predictability: 40% to 75%
-
Time-to-market: 35% improvement
-
ROI on original consultancy investment finally realised
"Agilicist took what was a shelf-ware strategy and made it actually work for us."
- CTO, Financial Services
Is This Right For You?
You're a Good Fit If:
You've received strategy/transformation recommendations from big consultancy
You're 3+ months post-delivery with minimal implementation progress
Your teams don't understand or aren't following the recommendations
You need hands-on help making it work, not more strategy
Your board keeps asking "where are we on [strategic objective]?" and you can't easily answer
Leadership is losing patience and wants to see results
This Isn't Right If:
You're still in the strategy phase (not implementation)
You're not willing to change the current approach
You expect us to implement without your team's involvement
Common Questions About Post-Consultancy Support
Sometimes yes, often partially. Most big consultancy strategies have good elements - they just don't account for your reality. We'll tell you what to keep, what to adapt, what to abandon.
Depends on scope, but typically 6-12 months for full implementation. You'll see progress in first 6-8 weeks.
Yes. We often work alongside them. We handle execution; they maintain strategic relationship.
We can work with you diplomatically. We're not here to throw them under the bus - we're here to make their strategy succeed.
Typically 40-60% less than re-engaging Big 4 for implementation support, and we're specialists in execution (not just strategy).
Let's Review What You've Been Left to Implement
Here's what happens when you book a post-consultancy assessment:
We've implemented 15+ big consultancy strategies that were gathering dust.
Let's make yours work.
We're often brought in by Big 4 consultancies themselves when they need execution experts.
1.
15-Minute Call: We ask targeted questions about what's happening
2.
Honest Assessment: We tell you if we think it's salvageable - and what it would take
3.
Quick Win Identification: If we can help, we'll identify 2-3 quick wins we can deliver in weeks
4.
No Sugar-Coating: If it's unsalvageable, we'll tell you. If it needs different help, we'll tell you that too
1.
15-Minute Call: Tell us about the consultancy's recommendations
2.
Document Review: We'll review the strategy deck (if you can share)
3.
Honest Assessment: We'll tell you what's implementable as-is vs. what needs adapting
4.
Implementation Roadmap: If we engage, we outline exactly how we'll make it work