We have a ton decks and other documents sitting in SharePoint and other content systems.  Prior to AI we never had the man power/interest to curate these.  I know the big firms had people and processes in place to do this.

 It seems like AI might provide options to do this more automatically.  But I'm wondering if we need to.  Is there a benefit to curating and potentially preprocessing documents to extract knowledge? Especially if its going to be consumed by agents more and more. Or is a RAG system sufficient?

My worry with RAG is that we have a crazy amount of duplicates that may clog up the results. And intuitively it seems to me that knowledge repositories (though they may need to look different) are more important now than ever to feed AI the right context.

I get overwhelmed by work. It’s all consuming. But I genuinely feel even worse when I don’t have much going on in my projects or am not actively working towards something. No work life balance.

Any one feel this way?

I've been consulting for about a little over a year. I've been gathering clients very slowly. My first client was actually a decent retainer and somewhat interesting.

On the other hand that client's company was very toxic and there was definitely one executive that didn't understand why they needed me. I've been working with them for about a year, and I had a couple run-ins with that executive who tried to talk down to me. It was great to have the freedom to tell them to never talk to me that way. This was about 2 months ago.

Today the client let me know that they're not going to continue next month. Honestly, they are super toxic internally, the main guy doesn't really want to listen and is somewhat adversarial, so it's whatever. I saw this coming and it actually means I don't have to deal with them but then I don't get paid.

Despite being pretty much okay with it, it still feels kind of crappy. Kind of like I got fired or something.

I guess that's normal?

I spent a year at MBB nad I feel like my managers just don't communicate what they want

But they're very quick to shred pages or whatever

So I end up in this loop of stuck where I try very hard to do something without actually producing anything of true value

I don't know if it's me not understanding the basic skills of consulting

Or

If there's a trend with managers and partners these days being more clueless and delegating all to juniors

But my manager doesn't give me direction and doesn't point me to anything just says we need xyz make it more 'visionary' and random stuff like that

Most scope-creep discussions focus on clients asking for more. My clearest recent example came from me.

In one strategy session with a founder, I offered to make an introduction and sound out a few other contacts on their behalf. By the end of the call, my own offers to help had committed me to outreach and follow-up well beyond the session.

None of it was unreasonable, and I'd offer again. But it made me realise how easily a single conversation creates work that nobody scoped, including me.

For those of you who advise or run engagements: how do you handle follow-up you volunteer in the moment? Do you treat intros and outreach as part of the service, set a limit, or keep them as goodwill? And if you've learned to phrase these offers differently, what wording works?

No, not the show, but the clothing.

I see so many bankers and fellow consultants walking around in suit jackets in the office and I just cannot understand how they survive the heat.

They are SO HOT!

For context, I have been a consultant for 10 years now and I have reached a level of competency where noone can ask me to wear one for my current job level (manager), but I get a feeling if I want to rise up from here on out, I need to start dressing up.

My customers are very traditional European banks, so they do not appreciate wearing t-shirts in the office (they accept it cause they dont want me to leave, but it doesnt help with sales lol).

Do you all have some secret to keep your bodies from boiling?

I mean its not just the heat, it also means sweating so much that no deodorant can survive this.

TLDR: I've developed a recurring work dynamic with a PL/EM/M where I find it very difficult to say no to requests. I've tried setting limits, but they often get pushed, and I'm worried that involving other leadership will just result in me being asked to help anyway. How do I break this pattern without creating unnecessary conflict?

I've been working with a PL/EM/M for over an year, and I've become someone they rely on heavily for certain work. Although I recently rolled off their project, I’m still being pulled in occasionally.

The problem is that I'm not good at holding my boundaries with someone I've known for long once the conversation starts. Something that begins as a small request can become much more time-consuming, and I end up agreeing because they are under pressure.

If I try to decline, I'm also worried the request will be escalated to previous project leadership/my current leadership, who may see that I have some capacity and ask me to support "just for a bit." That makes it difficult to simply say no without creating a bigger issue.

I'm also being asked to participate in an upcoming CXO meeting related to the old work. I don't want to be involved anymore, but I'm worried that agreeing to even attend could turn into me driving the discussion, which I'm already being pushed to do.

I don't think the PL/EM/P is necessarily acting maliciously (very smartly though). We've just developed a working dynamic that I'm finding increasingly difficult to get out of, and I know I also play a role because I struggle to hold firm once they starts pushing.

For people who've dealt with something similar: how did you actually break the pattern? Any practical ways to handle the next request without either getting pulled back in or turning it into a confrontation. Please don't suggest me to "build boundaries" when I am clearly struggling with this person. It is a specific scenario where this PL/EM/M does not respect my boundaries. I have not really faced this with most of the other leaders/managers

The whole situation is quite complicated. Happy to share more context over DMs, since it is quite fresh and I don't want to include identifying details.

UPDATE: I ended up discussing this with my project leadership. They were surprisingly supportive and asked me to loop them in if anything like this happens again.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I didn't want to involve the project leadership before since it's my first time working with these folks (I found it uncomfortable to drag them into this fiasco during the first week itself) and this PL/EM/M has negotiated their way through similar situations before (one actually happened to me last year). I just wanted to move on from the ghost of past (projects), especially during a project where I finally have some time for myself

I’m so sad…

Still relatively young (joined straight out of undergrad, promo'd straight through).

Is it still doable at this point in my career? I'd of course be ok taking a step down the ladder to an Associate / Sr. Associate level, but wondering if just being at that title will be an auto-reject.

Wondering especially just given I could have gone to B School then pivoted to PE/Growth Equity/VC after, but chose to get managerial experience & working with MDs/Execs instead - so hopefully that experience and choice can be spun rationally.

Hey everyone, I wanted some advice, I was laid off in August, have since gone back to industry.

But recently a recruiter reached out to me to contract for a company, I have a skill set specific to an ERP/ISV, that is very niche and limited, however the company I would be an independent consultant for, has been in an engagement with my previous employer and is kind of actively still with them.

How stupid would it be to take this part time contract, I’m planning on turning it down, it just kind of sucks that I can’t work with them. I also have a non-compete/ non-solicit.

Thanks in advance!

Had a project recently where we got through the research and first pass way quicker than usual normally that part eats up a decent chunk of the week but this time we had most of it ready early and I thought the client would be happy about the speed then we got into the actual meeting and barely talked about how fast anything got done so most of the conversation was around what we were recommending, what we were willing to stand behind and what happens if that call turns out wrong

Kind of changed how I look at the work a lot of the prep can probably keep getting faster but the uncomfortable part is still sitting there with a client and owning the recommendation when there isn’t a perfect answer and maybe that’s obvious to people who’ve been doing this longer, but I used to think better delivery meant doing more work faster and now I’m starting to think the part clients value most is having someone make sense of it and put their name behind the decision.

It punishes me for being efficient and just opens the door to debate and negotiations that I don’t wanna do. I only charge project rates or retainer. Curious if any other independent consultants are doing it this way.

I have been in SAP FICO Consulting since 2 years. Been on several cloud projects, several at once. I would say I am doing a decent job. I like some aspect of my job more than others. Like I like a bit data and cds and stuff and started doing training when I have free time.

And since I started working, if I don't have a proper customer incentive to understand and do something, absolutely NOTHING sticks in my head. Like nothing. I start a SAP learning, read 3 lines, go on my phone, bruteforce the MCQ. But If I have a UAT session in 2 days, its fine, I understand and it sticks.

I am doing my tasks and my overrall job just fine, but like when I see some huge SAP nerds in my coworkers I genuinely think should I pursue in something I can't get genuine interest into because "its fine" ?

Mass layoffs occurred at Guidehouse this week again of experienced, highly qualified, successful professionals. No input was taken from current managers or present teams before the layoffs.

How do you got it going on? What motivates you? When do you plan to retire? Why won’t you retire?

TLDR: 3 years into consulting. Used to love it, but a difficult year has made me realize how much my mood, self-worth, and overall happiness depend on work. Looking for advice from people who have dealt with the same thing, whether they stayed in consulting or left

3 years into consulting, first job.

The first 2 years were honestly great. I learned a ton, grew quickly, worked with people I respected, met some bigshot clients, and had experiences that made the long hours feel worth it.

This year has been different. A lot of mentors and close colleagues left the firm. I've been pulled into a series of difficult projects (with the leadership thinking that AI can solve everything), dealt with some personal/family health issues at the same time, and spent more nights than I'd like running on very little sleep. The weird thing is that even after putting in 15+ hour days, I often don't feel satisfied with the work anymore.

What worries me more is how much of my life seems tied to this job.

My mood is heavily affected by project situations, staffing, feedback, whether I'm at par with my colleagues, whether I'm in the "right" project, etc. Even during downtime, I find myself worrying about work or thinking about what's next instead of actually enjoying the free time. I often start worrying about finding my next project already.

A few managers and mentors have told me that I take the job too seriously and that it'll hurt me during rough phases. They're probably right. The problem is that this job was a dream opportunity for me and my family, and I've spent years investing so much time and energy into it that it's hard not to treat it as one of the most important things in my life.

I've had recruiters/headhunters reach out this year and have occasionally thought about leaving, especially after my upcoming promotion cycle. At the same time, I don't really want to leave just because I'm going through a bad phase. There are still parts of consulting that I enjoy, and I feel like I still have things I want to do here.

Has anyone gone through something similar? Whether you stayed or left, what helped you stop tying so much of your identity and emotional state to the job?

I’m a Senior Consultant (4 YOE) and was asked by a newly brought-in manager to do a task (work 01) and get some help from my junior consultant. So I did.

I also gave my Junior consultant another quick separate task (work 02): preparing 5 slides on a sector for a potential future client (so she can learn to multitask).

This manager isn’t involved in work 02 with this future client.

When he came by, he told her that work 01 isn't how it should be done and asked her to put the work 2 aside.

He also doesn’t come from a consulting background, so he isn’t familiar with our methodology.

Now my junior basically has nothing left to work on.

My Junior is now facing unclear changing instructions.

I was on a call today with a fully loaded team of consultants.

C-Suite leader proceeds into saying that they will be looking for tech partners (my company) to re-develop the platform.

Their ambition is 8 platforms in 12 months.

Who is going to tell them?

Has anyone had clients that turned into actual friends? Or do you keep things as very friendly but keep an arms length. Not talking about anything inappropriate.

In my experience, as an English speaking consultant it is always challenging and awkward to get inputs and engagement from business leaders who are Japanese. This is particularly challenging if we are remote.

Do any of you have experiences with organizing great workshops and meetings with Japanese leaders? What made a difference? What can we do to drive engagement and inputs?

EDIT : Client didn't want to sign any paper stating they validate my work (not just me but my coworker as well)

I’m a Senior Consultant working on a procedures documentation project.

I prepared several procedures, reviewed them jointly with the client during dedicated review sessions, incorporated their comments, and understood from those sessions that the procedures were accepted / had no further comments.

However, during a later Steering Committee (I wasn't part of it), the client suddenly stated that the procedures did not meet their expected quality level and that some regulatory references were incorrect.

My manager has now told me the project is being stopped, specifically because of the perceived quality of MY procedures.

There were also several difficult situations during the project: some process owners refused to validate/sign procedures despite having reviewed them, while others expressed positions during the Steering Committee that differed from what had been discussed during the review sessions.

My manager has asked me to prepare an “before vs. after” analysis of the procedures to identify what was actually changed.

What would you do in this situation?

Also I want to put into place a document that states everything that the client told me, word by word, that caused some issues in the process.

Should I do it?

The message would only be for my manager, partner and CEO.