Measuring Real Consulting Outcomes

Author Introduction 

Kia ora - I am Dan Minkin. After 20 years in consulting and leading delivery teams across Aotearoa, I have seen too many programmes end with impressive decks while business indicators barely budge. This piece addresses that gap - how to evaluate consulting work by the outcomes that matter, not the presentation. It details what evidence to demand, enabling leaders to invest wisely.

Outline

• The challenge of isolating business value from consulting projects

• Why most projects focus on deliverables, not outcomes

• Common traps: inflated invoices, poor success metrics, and slide-deck theatre

• Practical KPIs and SMART objectives for consulting engagements

• The role of continuous improvement in building trust and ROI

The Core Issue

A glossy report is not a business outcome. Yet too often, consulting projects conclude with a presentation that looks impressive but fails to move the needle. It is time to shift the conversation from outputs to measurable outcomes.

Why measuring consulting outcomes is hard

Isolating what value a consultant created - distinct from market conditions, internal initiatives, or parallel programmes - is difficult. Benefits Realisation Management exists precisely because organisations struggle to connect project activity to strategic results and to track whether promised benefits are identified, delivered, and sustained. (Project Management Institute)

A helpful way to make the link explicit is to use a logic model. Start with the outcomes you want, work back to the behaviours and processes that must change, then the activities and inputs that will enable those changes. A well constructed logic model clarifies cause and effect, makes assumptions visible, and defines what evidence will demonstrate success. (naccho.org, NJ.gov, W.K. Kellogg Foundation)

Deliverables are not outcomes

A deliverable is anything produced - a report, a roadmap, a training plan. An outcome is a measurable change that matters to the organisation - improved customer retention, faster cycle time, lower unit cost. The Balanced Scorecard remains a proven way to keep attention on outcomes across four lenses: financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth. Use it to translate strategy into a compact set of outcome measures with both leading and lagging indicators. (Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business School)

Set objectives so they are unambiguous and testable. SMART objectives - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound - reduce the risk that an attractive slide deck is mistaken for progress. (CDC, CDC)

Common traps that destroy outcome clarity

1) Slide-deck theatre

Attractive presentations can mask weak uptake, unclear ownership, or no pathway to value. Without baseline measures and acceptance criteria, a polished slide deck can be confused with impact.

2) Poor metrics and gaming

When a single metric becomes the target, people may optimise the number rather than the underlying outcome - a known phenomenon often described by Goodhart’s Law. Protect against this by using balanced measures, triangulating data sources, and reviewing incentives. (cna.org, Wikipedia)

3) Inflated effort and shapeless scope

If scope is not tied to measurable benefits, busywork expands. Benefits Realisation practice warns that benefits ownership, measurement plans, and in-life tracking must be designed upfront or value will leak. (Project Management Institute, Project Management Institute)

4) Ignoring broader outcomes

In New Zealand, many public and regulated buyers are expected to consider wider social, economic, cultural, and environmental outcomes. Making these explicit - and measurable - strengthens governance and improves the investment case. (New Zealand Government Procurement, New Zealand Government Procurement, OECD, Audit New Zealand)

A practical blueprint to measure what matters

1) Start with a one-page logic chain

• Outcome: What will be measurably different for customers, staff, or the balance sheet

• Changes required: Behaviours, process shifts, or technology adoption that must happen

• Activities: What the consultant will do to enable those changes

• Assumptions and risks: What must be true for the changes to stick

This structure keeps the team aligned on where value will appear and how to observe it. (naccho.org)

2) Build a Balanced Scorecard for the engagement

For each objective, choose a small number of leading indicators that signal adoption or capability is improving, and lagging indicators that confirm business value has landed. The scorecard prevents tunnel vision on a single KPI and provides an at-a-glance view for executives. (Harvard Business Review)

3) Write SMART objectives with acceptance criteria

Examples:

• Reduce average quote-to-cash cycle time from 42 days to 28 days by 30 November, evidenced by ERP timestamps.

• Lift first-contact-resolution in the service desk from 68 percent to 80 percent by the end of Q4, audited via sample tickets.

• Achieve 75 percent active use of the new process within 60 days of go-live, measured by system logs and manager attestations.

SMART framing gives procurement and delivery teams a clear basis for acceptance. (CDC)

4) Define governance and verification up front

Adopt a simple continuous improvement loop - plan, do, study, act - to test changes, review evidence, and adapt quickly. A cadence of mid-point health checks and end-of-sprint reviews helps discover issues before they become expensive. (The W. Edwards Deming Institute, Institute for Healthcare Improvement)

5) Tie benefits to owners and baselines

Every outcome needs an accountable owner, a baseline, and a measurement method. This is the core of Benefits Realisation - benefits are identified, delivered, and sustained with clear ownership. (Project Management Institute)

Consulting Outcomes Scorecard - How to Measure What Matters

Use or adapt this table directly in your programme documentation.

This structure combines logic modelling, Balanced Scorecard thinking, and SMART objectives in a way that procurement, finance, and delivery can all inspect. (Harvard Business Review, naccho.org, CDC)

How to keep metrics honest

• Triangulate results. Validate with at least two independent data sources where feasible.

• Balance the scorecard to blunt gaming. If a metric can be gamed, pair it with a counter-metric. Goodhart’s Law is real - design with it in mind. (cna.org)

• Document calculations in your statement of work. Include data definitions, inclusions and exclusions, and who signs off. ISO 20700 guidelines emphasise clarity, transparency, and shared understanding in contracting, delivery, and closure. (ISO, ISO)

• Secure benefits ownership before kickoff. The business, not the consultant, should ultimately own the outcome line items and the measurement approach. That is central to Benefits Realisation practice. (Project Management Institute)

• Include broader-outcomes measures if you operate in or alongside the public sector - for example local supplier development or emissions intensity - and state how those will be evidenced. (New Zealand Government Procurement, New Zealand Government Procurement)

FAQs

How many KPIs should we track per outcome?

Fewer is better. Aim for one or two leading and one or two lagging indicators per objective to keep focus and reduce noise. The Balanced Scorecard philosophy favours a concise set that reflects strategy. (Harvard Business Review)

How often should we review results?

Match cadence to the rate of change. Weekly for adoption leading indicators, monthly for financial lags, and a formal mid-point health check. The plan-do-study-act cycle encourages frequent, lightweight learning loops. (The W. Edwards Deming Institute)

How do we evidence broader outcomes in New Zealand contexts?

Use recognised references and data sources - for example, local-supplier spend from your finance system, emissions factors applied to travel data, or verified training hours for targeted groups - aligned to Government Procurement Rules on broader outcomes. (New Zealand Government Procurement, New Zealand Government Procurement)

Further reading

This article is part of a five part series on improving consulting outcomes for New Zealand enterprises. It is designed to educate and equip leaders who want measurable results, faster time to value, and stronger capability retention.

Further reading on the topic of RO driven Consulting in New Zealand

Blog 1 - The True Cost of Consulting in New Zealand

Blog 2 - Why "One Size Fits All" Consulting Doesn’t Work for Kiwi Enterprises

Blog 3 - Measuring Real Consulting Outcomes - Beyond the Slide Deck

Blog 4 - The Smarter Path to Consulting - Local Specialists Delivering Measurable ROI

Blog 5 - Realising Long-Term Value - Building Trusted Consulting Partnerships Onshore