When the Format Is Wrong

Format mismatches are more common than format failures, and they produce deliverables that frustrate the client without the client being able to name why. The client who receives a forty-slide deck when they asked for a summary document will read neither the slide text (too long) nor feel they have a reference document (no narrative). The client who receives a ten-page Word document when they expected a crisp presentation will read it like a report and be disappointed that it does not look like one. Naming the format in the engagement scoping conversation eliminates most of these failures before they happen.

1. Confirm the format in the scoping conversation Before beginning any deliverable, confirm: how will this be consumed? Will it be presented live or read asynchronously? Will it be shared with people who were not present during the engagement? Is it a reference document that will be retrieved months later? The answers to these questions determine the format. The format should be agreed on during scoping, not chosen by the consultant in the final week of the engagement.
2. Recognize the format request as a proxy "We want a deck" often means "we want something short and visual." "We want a report" often means "we want something comprehensive that will hold up to scrutiny." Understanding what the client means by the format request is as important as delivering the format they asked for. A client who asks for a deck and receives fifty slides has received what they asked for and not what they needed.
3. Correct the format before delivery, not after If the deliverable that has been produced is in the wrong format for the consumption context — because the context changed, because the format was not confirmed, or because the work turned out to be more complex than a deck can carry — correct the format before delivery. Delivering the wrong format and hoping the client will not notice is not a professional strategy. It is wishful thinking followed by a difficult conversation.