Transfer Knowledge

The first job of a client deliverable is to move knowledge from the consultant to the client. Not to display the consultant's knowledge — to transfer it. The distinction matters. A deliverable that demonstrates the depth of the consultant's research without efficiently transferring the implications of that research has served the consultant's ego, not the client's need. The client should finish reading the deliverable knowing something they did not know before — specifically, something that helps them make better decisions or take more effective action.

1. Start with what the client already knows Effective knowledge transfer begins at the edge of the client's existing knowledge, not from first principles. A deliverable that explains context the client understands wastes their time and signals that the consultant has not done the work of understanding the client's starting point. Briefly acknowledge what is already known, then advance to new territory. The first substantive page should be beyond what the client came in knowing.
2. Distinguish findings from analysis from implications A finding is what the consultant discovered. Analysis is what it means. An implication is what the client should do about it. A deliverable that conflates these three levels of interpretation is harder to act on than one that separates them clearly. The client who reads a deliverable should be able to point to the finding, the analysis, and the implication for each key insight. If any of the three is missing, the knowledge transfer is incomplete.
3. Write for the person who was not in the kickoff meeting Deliverables are shared. The person who reads the deliverable may not have been present for the kickoff call, the discovery interviews, or the prior presentations. Every deliverable should be intelligible to a well-informed reader who is encountering the engagement for the first time. This discipline also catches assumptions that the consultant has carried from early conversations but never made explicit in the work product.