Consultant Toolkit

1. Excel for Consulting

Excel is the workhorse of consulting analysis. Speed and accuracy in Excel directly impact your productivity and credibility.

Essential Formulas

Pivot Tables

Pivot tables are essential for rapid data exploration:

• Rows: Categories you want to group by (e.g., Region, Product)
• Columns: Secondary breakdown (e.g., Year, Quarter)
• Values: Metrics to aggregate (Sum, Count, Average)
• Filters: Slice data to specific subsets

Financial Modeling Basics

Key principles for robust financial models:

STANDARD MODEL LAYOUT
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TAB 1: ASSUMPTIONS
       All inputs in ONE place (blue cells)
       Scenarios: Base, Upside, Downside
       
TAB 2: CALCULATIONS
       Revenue build-up
       Cost build-up  
       Working capital
       CapEx
       
TAB 3: OUTPUTS
       Income Statement
       Balance Sheet
       Cash Flow Statement
       
TAB 4: ANALYSIS
       DCF Valuation
       Sensitivity tables
       Charts

• Hardcodes in blue: All inputs should be clearly identifiable
• Formulas in black: All calculated cells use formulas
• Links in green: References to other sheets are highlighted
• No circular references: Use iterative calculations sparingly
• Error checks: Add balance checks (Assets = Liabilities + Equity)

Keyboard Shortcuts

2. PowerPoint Best Practices

In consulting, PowerPoint is how ideas become reality. Your slides should tell a story, not just display data.

Slide Structure

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ACTION TITLE (Complete sentence with the "so what")         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│   ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│   │                                                     │   │
│   │               BODY CONTENT                          │   │
│   │           (Charts, tables, text)                    │   │
│   │                                                     │   │
│   │   Key insight: Use visual hierarchy               │   │
│   │   - Most important information largest/top         │   │
│   │   - Supporting details smaller/below               │   │
│   │                                                     │   │
│   └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Source: Company data; Client interviews (n=25); 2024       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Chart Selection

Formatting Standards

• Fonts: Sans-serif (Arial, Calibri); 24pt titles, 14-18pt body
• Colors: Limit to 3-4 colors; use firm brand palette
• Alignment: Use guides; align everything to a grid
• White space: Don't fill every inch; let content breathe

Consulting Templates

Common slide types in consulting decks:

• Agenda slide: Overview of presentation structure
• Executive summary: Key findings and recommendations upfront
• Data slide: Chart with action title and source
• Framework slide: Visual 2x2 or process diagram
• Recommendation slide: Clear action items with owners and timelines

3. SQL Basics for Consultants

SQL lets you extract insights directly from databases. Even basic SQL dramatically expands what you can analyze independently.

SELECT Queries

SELECT column1, column2        -- What columns to retrieve
FROM table_name                -- Which table to query
WHERE condition                -- Filter rows
ORDER BY column1 DESC          -- Sort results
LIMIT 100;                     -- Limit number of rows

-- Example: Get top 10 customers by revenue
SELECT 
    customer_name,
    SUM(order_total) AS total_revenue
FROM orders
WHERE order_date >= '2024-01-01'
GROUP BY customer_name
ORDER BY total_revenue DESC
LIMIT 10;

JOINs & Relationships

JOINs combine data from multiple tables:

Aggregations & GROUP BY

-- Count, Sum, Average, Min, Max
SELECT 
    region,
    COUNT(*) AS num_orders,
    SUM(revenue) AS total_revenue,
    AVG(revenue) AS avg_order_value,
    MIN(order_date) AS first_order,
    MAX(order_date) AS last_order
FROM orders
GROUP BY region
HAVING SUM(revenue) > 100000   -- Filter AFTER grouping
ORDER BY total_revenue DESC;

Practical Examples

4. Project Management Basics

Consulting projects have fixed timelines and deliverables. Structured project management keeps everything on track.

Workstream Planning

Break projects into parallel workstreams:

GROWTH STRATEGY PROJECT (8 weeks)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Workstream 1: Market Analysis        [Lead: Sarah]
├── Week 1-2: Market sizing
├── Week 3-4: Competitor deep-dives  
└── Week 5: Customer interviews

Workstream 2: Capability Assessment  [Lead: Mike]
├── Week 1-2: Current state analysis
├── Week 3-4: Gap identification
└── Week 5: Benchmarking

Workstream 3: Financial Modeling     [Lead: Alex]
├── Week 4-5: Build base case model
├── Week 6: Scenario analysis
└── Week 7: Sensitivity testing

Integration & Final Deliverable      [Week 6-8]
└── Combine findings → Recommendations → Final deck

Gantt Charts & Timelines

Gantt charts visualize tasks against time:

• Tasks: Break down into 1-3 day activities
• Dependencies: What must complete before next task starts?
• Critical path: The longest chain; delays here delay the project
• Milestones: Key check-in points and deliverables

Risk Management

Status Reporting

Weekly status reports should include:

• Summary: Overall project health (Green/Yellow/Red)
• Accomplishments: What was completed this week
• Next steps: What's planned for next week
• Risks/Issues: What might derail progress
• Decisions needed: What do you need from the client/leadership

5. Productivity Tips

Consulting hours are long. Working smarter—not just harder—separates top performers.

Time Management

• Time-box analysis: Set deadlines for "good enough" answers
• 80/20 ruthlessly: Which 20% of work drives 80% of value?
• Batch similar tasks: Do all data pulls together; all formatting together
• Protect focus time: Block calendar for deep work

Email Best Practices

Meeting Efficiency

• Send agenda in advance: Include objectives and pre-read
• Start on time: Respect everyone's calendar
• Assign a note-taker: Capture decisions and action items
• End with next steps: Who does what by when?
• Send follow-up: Email summary within 24 hours

6. Series Conclusion

Congratulations on completing the Complete Consulting Frameworks Series! You now have a comprehensive toolkit that covers: