---
name: gtm-consulting-ops
description: >
  Meta-skill for running GTM consulting engagements. Covers engagement scoping, maturity
  assessment, workstream design, deliverable tracking, change management, and stakeholder
  communication for B2B SaaS GTM advisory. Produces engagement scoping frameworks, maturity
  rubrics, workstream plans, deliverable trackers, change management playbooks, and
  consulting communication templates. Use whenever the user mentions consulting engagement,
  advisory scope, SOW, statement of work, maturity assessment, GTM audit, consulting
  deliverables, workstream planning, change management, client communication, QBR for
  consulting, or any question about structuring and managing a GTM advisory engagement.
  Also trigger on "how do I scope this engagement", "what should I deliver first",
  "how do I structure the advisory", "client isn't adopting recommendations", or
  managing the business of GTM consulting. Uses all other GTM skills as its toolkit.
---

# GTM Consulting Ops

This skill operates as the operating system for running GTM advisory engagements. It doesn't produce GTM strategy - the other 11 skills do that. This skill produces the engagement architecture: how to scope, sequence, deliver, and manage a consulting engagement so that the GTM work actually gets adopted, not just delivered.

## Core Belief

The best strategy deliverable is worthless if the client doesn't adopt it. Most consulting engagements fail not because the advice is wrong, but because the delivery model is wrong: too much delivered too fast, wrong stakeholders in the room, no change management, and no feedback loops. Great consulting is 30% expertise and 70% orchestration - sequencing the right work, with the right people, at the right time, in a way the organization can absorb.

## Before Producing Any Consulting Ops Work

Read `references/consulting-ops-playbook.md` for engagement models, maturity frameworks, change management patterns, and communication templates.

## What This Skill Produces

### 1. Engagement Scoping

**Engagement Architecture:**

```
ENGAGEMENT TYPES:

DIAGNOSTIC (2-4 weeks):
  Purpose: Assess current state, identify gaps, prioritize interventions
  Deliverables: Maturity assessment, gap analysis, prioritized action plan
  Effort: 15-30 hours of advisory time
  When to use: New client, unclear where to start, needs buy-in for larger engagement

STRATEGIC ADVISORY (3-6 months):
  Purpose: Design GTM architecture across 2-4 functional areas
  Deliverables: Frameworks, playbooks, processes, measurement systems
  Effort: 20-40 hours/month
  When to use: Client knows they have gaps, ready to invest in building systems

EMBEDDED ADVISORY (6-12 months):
  Purpose: Build AND implement GTM systems with ongoing coaching
  Deliverables: Everything in strategic + hands-on implementation support
  Effort: 30-60 hours/month
  When to use: Client needs execution support, not just strategy

FRACTIONAL LEADERSHIP (ongoing):
  Purpose: Act as part-time GTM leader (fractional CRO, VP Sales, VP Marketing)
  Deliverables: Ongoing strategic guidance, team management support, board reporting
  Effort: 40-80 hours/month
  When to use: Company needs senior leadership but can't justify full-time hire
```

**Scoping Framework:**

```
SCOPING QUESTIONS:

BUSINESS CONTEXT:
  - ARR and growth trajectory?
  - ACV and deal structure?
  - Team size and composition?
  - What's working in the current GTM?
  - What's broken or underperforming?
  - What triggered the need for advisory?

ENGAGEMENT FIT:
  - Who is the executive sponsor?
  - Who will execute the recommendations?
  - What's the budget and timeline?
  - What does success look like in 90 days? 6 months?
  - What has been tried before and why didn't it work?
  - How receptive is the team to external advisory?

SCOPE BOUNDARIES:
  - Which functions are in scope? (Sales, Marketing, RevOps, CS, Product)
  - Are we designing, implementing, or both?
  - What decisions can we make vs. what needs executive approval?
  - What existing systems/tools are non-negotiable?
```

### 2. Maturity Assessment

**GTM Maturity Rubric** - Assess the client across all functional areas on a 1-5 scale.

```
DIMENSIONS (assess each):

For each of the 17 functions in the GTM scaffolding:
  1 = Ad Hoc: No shared definitions. Reactive. Tribal knowledge.
  2 = Emerging: Basic definitions exist but inconsistently applied.
  3 = Defined: Documented frameworks adopted by the team.
  4 = Managed: Frameworks maintained and measured. Data-driven iteration.
  5 = Optimized: Industry-leading. Self-reinforcing systems. Competitive advantage.

ASSESSMENT METHOD:
  - Interview 5-8 stakeholders across GTM functions (30 min each)
  - Review existing documentation, CRM, reporting, and tools
  - Shadow 3-5 sales calls / team meetings
  - Analyze available data (pipeline, conversion, win rates, activity)
  
OUTPUT:
  Maturity scorecard (function × score × evidence × priority)
  Gap analysis (where are the biggest gaps between current and needed?)
  Prioritized intervention plan (what to fix first, second, third)
```

### 3. Workstream Design

**Workstream Planning Framework:**

```
FOR EACH WORKSTREAM:

WORKSTREAM: [Name]
OBJECTIVE: [What changes when this workstream is complete]
OWNER (Client): [Who is accountable on their side]
ADVISOR ROLE: [Design / Review / Coach / Implement]
DEPENDENCIES: [What must be done first]
TIMELINE: [Start → End]
DELIVERABLES: [Specific artifacts with due dates]
SUCCESS METRICS: [How we know it worked]

SEQUENCING PRINCIPLES:
  1. Foundational before functional (ICP before sequences)
  2. Diagnosis before design (understand before prescribe)
  3. Quick wins before long builds (credibility before complexity)
  4. High-pain before nice-to-have (solve what hurts most)
  5. Never more than 3 active workstreams (organizational absorption capacity)
```

### 4. Change Management

**Adoption Framework** - Ensuring recommendations get implemented.

```
THE ADOPTION EQUATION:

ADOPTION = (Value Clarity × Ease of Implementation) / (Organizational Resistance)

TO MAXIMIZE ADOPTION:
  
  INCREASE VALUE CLARITY:
  - Connect every recommendation to a metric the client cares about
  - Show the cost of NOT changing (make status quo uncomfortable)
  - Provide examples from peers (social proof reduces perceived risk)
  - Start with a quick win that demonstrates value immediately

  INCREASE EASE:
  - Provide templates, not just frameworks (don't make them build from scratch)
  - Implement in phases (don't overhaul everything at once)
  - Train the team (don't just hand over documents)
  - Be available for questions during implementation (support, not just advise)

  DECREASE RESISTANCE:
  - Involve the team in design (co-create, don't dictate)
  - Address "what's in it for me" for each stakeholder
  - Identify and neutralize blockers early
  - Get executive sponsor to visibly endorse changes
  - Celebrate early wins publicly (momentum builds adoption)
```

**Stakeholder Management:**

```
STAKEHOLDER MAP:

For each engagement, identify:
  EXECUTIVE SPONSOR: Who is paying and has authority to enforce change
  CHANGE CHAMPIONS: Who will advocate for the new approach within teams
  IMPLEMENTERS: Who will actually execute the recommendations daily
  SKEPTICS: Who is resistant and why (address their concerns directly)
  BLOCKERS: Who could derail the engagement (manage proactively)

COMMUNICATION CADENCE:
  Executive sponsor: Biweekly 30-min update (progress, decisions needed, risks)
  Change champions: Weekly working session (collaborative design and feedback)
  Implementers: Training + ongoing coaching during rollout
  Skeptics: 1:1 conversations to understand and address concerns
  Full team: Monthly all-hands update on GTM transformation progress
```

### 5. Consulting Deliverable Management

**Deliverable Quality Standards:**

```
EVERY DELIVERABLE MUST:
  1. Solve a specific, stated problem (not a generic framework)
  2. Be immediately actionable (team can use it tomorrow)
  3. Include implementation guidance (not just "what" but "how")
  4. Be reviewed with the team before being finalized (co-creation)
  5. Have a clear owner on the client side (someone is accountable)
  6. Have success metrics (how do we know it's working?)
```

**Engagement Tracker Template:**

```
ENGAGEMENT: [Client name]
TYPE: [Diagnostic / Strategic / Embedded / Fractional]
START: [Date]  END: [Date]
EXECUTIVE SPONSOR: [Name]

WORKSTREAMS:
  #  | Workstream        | Status      | Next Deliverable | Due    | Owner
  1  | ICP & Segmentation | In Progress | ICP Framework    | [date] | [name]
  2  | SDR Process        | Not Started | Signal Model     | [date] | [name]
  3  | Competitive Intel  | Planned     | Battle Cards     | [date] | [name]

DECISIONS NEEDED:
  - [Decision 1]: By [date], from [person]
  - [Decision 2]: By [date], from [person]

RISKS:
  - [Risk 1]: Mitigation: [action]
  - [Risk 2]: Mitigation: [action]

NEXT CHECK-IN: [Date and time]
```

### 6. Advisory Communication

**Check-In Structure (Biweekly with Executive Sponsor):**

```
FORMAT: 30 minutes, structured

PROGRESS (10 min):
  - Workstream updates: what was delivered, what's in progress
  - Metrics movement: any early indicators of impact
  - Team engagement: how is the team responding to changes

DECISIONS (10 min):
  - Decisions needed from sponsor (come with a recommendation, not just options)
  - Trade-offs to discuss (scope, timeline, resource allocation)

FORWARD LOOK (10 min):
  - What's coming next (next 2-4 weeks)
  - What could go wrong and how we're mitigating
  - Any scope or timeline adjustments needed
```

## Context-Specific Guidance

### Open-Source / Community-Led Companies

Advisory for OSS companies requires adjusted sequencing and sensitivity:
- **Start with community signal architecture** (not traditional ICP) - the community IS the pipeline
- **Respect the dual culture**: engineering/community values vs. commercial GTM values. Don't push enterprise sales language into community-facing functions.
- **Expect longer feedback loops**: community-to-commercial conversion cycles are 3-6 months. Set client expectations accordingly.
- **DevRel alignment** is a workstream unto itself - don't skip it or assume it happens naturally
- **The biggest competitor is often internal DIY** - the client's own engineering team maintaining the OSS version. TCO arguments are critical.

### Scale-Stage Companies Under-Equipped for Their Stage

Many advisory clients are companies that grew fast but didn't build GTM infrastructure along the way (Fleet DM is a perfect example - Series B, 6x growth, but SDR and demand gen are still nascent):
- **Don't judge the gap** - they grew on product strength and founder hustle. That's not wrong, it's just not scalable.
- **Sequence for maximum near-term impact** - they need pipeline NOW, not a 12-month transformation plan
- **Build systems that match their current team size** - a 5-person sales team doesn't need enterprise RevOps infrastructure. Right-size everything.
- **Plan for the team they're building, not just the team they have** - design processes that scale to 2-3x their current headcount

### Displacement-Heavy GTM

When the primary sales motion is displacing incumbent vendors:
- **Competitive intelligence workstream is mandatory**, not optional
- **Displacement playbooks** should be built per competitor with specific talk tracks
- **Timing intelligence** (contract renewal dates, incumbent contract terms) is a critical signal
- **Partner strategy** should leverage the incumbent's ecosystem (their SI partners, technology partners)

## Workflow

1. **Scope the engagement** - Understand the client, define boundaries, align on outcomes
2. **Assess maturity** - Run the GTM maturity assessment across relevant functions
3. **Read the playbook** - `references/consulting-ops-playbook.md`
4. **Design the workstreams** - Sequenced, prioritized, with clear deliverables and owners
5. **Use the other 11 skills** - Each workstream pulls from the relevant functional skill
6. **Manage adoption** - Change management, stakeholder management, communication cadence
7. **Measure impact** - Track metrics that prove the engagement is delivering value
8. **Deliver as files** - SOWs as .docx. Trackers as .xlsx. Frameworks as .md.

## File Naming Convention

```
consult-{type}-{client}.{ext}

Examples:
  consult-scope-fleet.md
  consult-maturity-assessment-fleet.xlsx
  consult-workstream-plan-fleet.md
  consult-tracker-fleet.xlsx
  consult-change-management.md
  consult-stakeholder-map.md
  consult-checkin-notes-[date].md
```
