A first consultation is more productive when the consultant can understand the business problem and its boundaries. Prepare a short overview rather than an unfiltered collection of passwords, screenshots, and equipment invoices.
Describe the business need
Write the decision you need to make, the people affected, and what happens if nothing changes. Include any deadline, upcoming office move, hiring plan, or vendor renewal that influences the work. Distinguish a current outage from a longer-term improvement project.
Gather the environment summary
- Approximate user and device counts.
- Office locations and remote-work arrangements.
- Essential applications and service providers.
- Existing support responsibilities.
- Known recurring issues and previous attempts to resolve them.
Share sensitive documents only through an agreed channel after the scope and authorization are clear.
Identify decision owners
Name who can approve budget, access, downtime, and vendor changes. Explain whether the consultant is expected to recommend a plan, implement it, or support it afterward. These roles affect the proposed engagement.
Ask for a concrete next step
At the end of discovery, confirm what information is still missing, what deliverable is proposed, and what the business must provide. Request assumptions and exclusions in writing. Keep account and documentation ownership explicit.
Read finding an IT consultant for service-fit questions or send a consultation request with this overview and the decision you need help making.