1. CONSULTING TOOLKIT
Communicating your recommendation
Preparing a dummy pack
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© 2007-2012 Development Rights All Rights Reserved

2. Dummy packs are efficient project management tools
WHAT?
•A “dummy pack” is the first draft of your final presentation
•It has the structure and storyline of the final presentation, but the data is
“dummy” or made up
WHY?
•It enables the rest of your work to be focused on contributing to the final
recommendation
-Highlights gaps and weaknesses early enough to correct them
-Any additional analysis (e.g. interviews, modelling) is more efficient
and intentional, since the output required is clear
•It is an efficient way to communicate
-Within the team - everyone can see where their work fits and the
quality required
-With your client/boss – at any time you can share your latest thinking
without further preparation
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

3. If you follow a disciplined sequence of steps, you will create a
pack very efficiently
SEQUENCE OF STEPS TO CRAFT A PACK
Decide your
hypothesis
Brainstorm the
Hypothesis Tree
Transfer to
Executive Summary
Create a
“Dummy Pack”
Allocate responsibility and
deadlines for each page
Consolidate
the pack
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

4. If you follow a disciplined sequence of steps, you will create a
pack very efficiently
SEQUENCE OF STEPS TO CRAFT A PACK
Decide your
hypothesis
Brainstorm the
Hypothesis Tree
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

5. The starting point for your pack is a well structured hypothesis
tree
HYPOTHESIS TREE FOR A PARTNERSHIP
There is a $y m
The opportunity needs these skills/assets
opportunity
We should partner
We are missing these skills/assets
to pursue this
opportunity Partnering is a better way to get these skills/assets
than alternatives (e.g. hiring, contract, JV or
We should acquisition) Companies X, Y and
partner with Z have the required
Company X are Y are the skills/assets
Company X to best potential partners
capture the $y m Company X is the There is good a good
opportunity best partner for us “chemistry” fit with
Company X and Z need us to
Companies X and Y
pursue this opportunity
We will be able to negotiate a deal that shares
$ym fairly
We will be able to We can structure the partnership to mitigate the risks
execute and
We can manage a partnership successfully
manage a deal
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

6. If you follow a disciplined sequence of steps, you will create a
pack very efficiently
SEQUENCE OF STEPS TO CRAFT A PACK
Decide your
hypothesis
Brainstorm the
Hypothesis Tree
Transfer to
Executive Summary
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

7. Your hypothesis tree maps directly to a dot-point Executive Summary
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR A PARTNERSHIP
We should partner with Company X to capture the $y m opportunity
•There is a $y m opportunity
•We should partner to pursue this opportunity
-The opportunity needs these skills/assets
-We are missing these skills/assets
-Partnering is a better way to get these skills/assets than alternatives
(e.g. hiring, contract, JV or acquisition)
•Company X is the best partner for us
-Company X and Y are the best potential partners
-Company X and Z need us to pursue this opportunity
•We will be able to execute and manage a deal
-We will be able to negotiate a deal that shares $ym fairly
-We can structure the partnership to mitigate the risks
-We can manage a partnership successfully
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

8. Your Executive Summary is the first page of your pack
DUMMY PACK STRUCTURE
The best storyline you
Cover Page
can craft based on your
latest hypotheses
Executive Summary
KEY PRINCIPLE:
ANSWER FIRST!
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

9. You may need to simplify your Executive Summary for visual
presentation
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR A PARTNERSHIP
We should partner with Company
X to capture the $y m opportunity
•There is a $y m opportunity
•We should partner to pursue this opportunity
•Company X is the best partner for us
•We will be able to execute a deal
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

10. You should close your presentation by repeating the top level
points from your Executive Summary
DUMMY PACK STRUCTURE
Cover Page
Executive
Summary
Closing
Summary
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

11. If you follow a disciplined sequence of steps, you will create a
pack very efficiently
SEQUENCE OF STEPS TO CRAFT A PACK
Decide your
hypothesis
Brainstorm the
Hypothesis Tree
Transfer to
Executive Summary
Create a
“Dummy Pack”
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

12. Your Executive Summary maps directly to one chart per point
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR A PARTNERSHIP
We should partner with Company X to capture the $y m opportunity
•There is a $y m opportunity
•We should partner to pursue this opportunity
-The opportunity needs these skills/assets
-We are missing these skills/assets
-Partnering is a better way to get these skills/assets than
alternatives (e.g. hiring, contract, JV or acquisition)
•Company X is the best partner for us
-Company X and Y are the best potential partners
-Company X and Z need us to pursue this opportunity
•We will be able to execute and manage a deal
-We will be able to negotiate a deal that shares $ym fairly
-We can structure the partnership to mitigate the risks
-We can manage a partnership successfully
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

13. Each dot point from your Executive Summary becomes the
headline/message of a chart
DUMMY PACK STRUCTURE
Cover Page
Executive
1 chart illustrates Summary
each point
Closing
Summary
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

14. Following these steps to build your “dummy pack” creates a pack
to “pyramid principle” with “3 Tells”
DUMMY PACK STRUCTURE
Cover Page
Dummy charts TELL 1:
Executive
illustrating your What you’re going
Summary
key points to tell them
TELL 2:
Tell them
Additional support
Closing TELL 3:
under these points
Summary What you’ve told them
“pyramid principle” © 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

15. Your “dummy pack” becomes the key working document of the
team
USING A DUMMY PACK
• Run a Master “dummy pack” continuously after
creation, replacing dummy pages with real ones as the
analysis comes in
• Update the “dummy pack” and share latest version at
every team meeting
• Shuffle pages when you change the storyline, demoting
pages to backup if they are weak; promoting key points
from backup
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

16. You will improve your productivity at putting packs together
with practice
CLASS EXERCISE: PREPARE YOUR “DUMMY PACK”
• Start from your hypothesis tree
• Your first level in your tree becomes your first level of your
“pyramid principle” executive summary
• Prepare “dummy” slides for these 3-4 points:
- Transfer to slides – write each sub-hypothesis as the
“message/lead”
- Imagine the data/analysis that will “prove” this point
- Complete the chart with data, title and source
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved

17. If you follow a disciplined sequence of steps, you will create a
pack very efficiently
SEQUENCE OF STEPS TO CRAFT A PACK
Decide your
hypothesis
Brainstorm the
Hypothesis Tree
Transfer to
Executive Summary
Create a
“Dummy Pack”
Allocate responsibility and
deadlines for each page
Consolidate
the pack
© 2007-2012 IES Development Ltd. All Rights Reserved