What Tess did
The case-study explained
The What Tess did case-study
The Tess case-study demonstrates how Tess, an IT consultant, uses the Engage canvases to progress her relationship with Kiran Mallick, a key decision-maker in an opportunity to win a large IT project with Kiran's employer: Holmes Beck LLP, an Asian law firm.
While your situation may not exactly parallel Tess's situation, the lessons from her use of each canvas, should help you as you address your own client or customer.
While your situation may not exactly parallel Tess's situation, the lessons from her use of each canvas, should help you as you address your own client or customer.
Read on to learn the case-study details and background, or stop here and get started with using the canvases
Below is information on:
- Tess Cheung, Kiran Mallick and the Holmes Beck opportunity
- The canvases (with links) used at each stage – before, during and after each meeting
- More details on Olicana Advisory
- More details on Holmes Beck LLP
Tess Cheung, Kiran Mallick and the Holmes Beck opportunity
Tess Cheung is a senior IT consultant, based in the Hong Kong office of Olicana Advisory, a New York headquartered IT Consultancy.
Kiran Mallick is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Holmes Beck Asia.
Tess knows Kiran socially, as their children are in the same dance class and are in the same year group at school. They occasionally bump into each other at performances and school events.
Tess has in the past invited Kiran to Olicana business and social events. Kiran has attended a few of these, though no projects have happened yet.
Awareness of the opportunity
At the last Olicana client seminar, Tess was asked to look after Kiran, and they sat together at the follow-on lunch.
They had an interesting chat, initially on family and holiday plans. They then talked about Holmes Beck’s business plans, with Kiran mentioning that business was very good, and they were expanding. Their IT systems though, were struggling to keep up with the growth and their evolving client and staff needs.
Tess mentioned that they were seeing similar things in other organizations, especially with changing work patterns, and perhaps they should discuss this further.
Kiran showed some interest, though said he was busy at the moment and travelling a lot, as well as going to a Holmes Beck conference in New York next week, followed by a two-week holiday.
Progressing the opportunity
Tess knows that to win the Holmes Beck work would be a big boost for her career.
She also understands that in order to win, Olicana must to find ways to differentiate themselves from the numerous other firms that could also advise on the project.
She also understands that in order to win, Olicana must to find ways to differentiate themselves from the numerous other firms that could also advise on the project.
Tess's firm recently subscribed to the Engage suite of application canvases and she has already skim-read the canvases. She decides to apply them on the Holmes Beck opportunity.
Tap on the image to explore Engage canvases
At the last Olicana client seminar, Tess was asked to look after Kiran, and they sat together at the follow-on lunch.
They had an interesting chat, initially on family and holiday plans. They then talked about Holmes Beck’s business plans, with Kiran mentioning that business was very good, and they were expanding. Their IT systems though, were struggling to keep up with the growth and their evolving client and staff needs.
Tess mentioned that they were seeing similar things in other organizations, especially with changing work patterns, and perhaps they should discuss this further.
Kiran showed some interest, though said he was busy at the moment and travelling a lot, as well as going to a Holmes Beck conference in New York next week, followed by a two-week holiday.
The canvases (with links)
used at each stage – before, during and after each meeting
To evaluate her relationship with Kiran, Tess completes:
Kiran expressed an interest in meeting and Tess is keen to ensure this happens.
Meeting 1 - online video-call
Kiran sees value in having a conversation around Holmes Beck's existing IT systems, having received Tess's email requesting a meeting and is happy to discuss it while in Australia, over a video call.
Before this meeting Tess uses the canvases below to prepare and anticipate questions plus to guide the conversation, which Tess hopes will be free-flowing and interesting for both of them.
Preparation and conversation
Note that the canvases below work best when applied prior to any conversation – as a planning and preparation activity.
Canvases can also be used to review and analyze approaches and behaviors after conversations, helping to de-brief conversations and learn lessons.
- Avoiding bias - limiting the impact of damaging instincts
- Aligning behaviors with Prefrr©
- Tech check yourself - solidify your setup
- Setting the conversation environment
- Curiosity, enthusiasm and understanding
- Injecting commercial focus with Focus-5
- Guiding to value with Value Sheets
- Thinking further, broader, deeper
- Piquing interest with questions that surprise and unblock
- Deep listening
Post conversation follow-up
To evaluate her relationship with Kiran, Tess completes:
Kiran expressed an interest in meeting and Tess is keen to ensure this happens.
Meeting 2 - face-to-face
Following the video-call, Kiran is interested to talk again, and arranges a face-to-face meeting with Holmes Beck’s senior personnel including Jane Fong (CFO), Eric Lee (HR partner) and Jake Wu (IT Director).
then uses the canvases below to prepare for the second conversation:
To prepare for this critical meeting, Tess reviews the following completed canvas worksheets from her first meeting:
then uses the canvases below to prepare for the second conversation:
After the 2nd meeting
Meeting 2 goes well and following it Kiran has discussions with the executive team of Holmes Beck China and outline the benefits that could be achieved from updating and upgrading their systems.
He also puts forward a recommendation to hire Tess and the Olicana team to help with the project.
Holmes Beck's team agree to consider getting Tess involved, though want to see costs and other details before agreeing to proceed.
Tess still has work to do, but recognizes the role that the canvases have played in getting her to this point.
More details on Olicana Advisory
Tess’s employer, Olicana Advisory is an international business advisory firm, headquartered in New York, with offices in Chicago, London, Munich, Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The firm has around 1,150 professionals worldwide.
Olicana Advisory offers services ranging from business process improvement, outsourcing, risk management, and IT advisory.
Tess works in Olicana’s IT Advisory division in Hong Kong and specializes in:
- IT strategy assessment and development
- Business case and requirements definition support
- IT Project Management Assistance including Project Risk
- System Selection Assistance
Tess also has a good understanding of major ERP/CRM systems and has worked on many client engagements with legal, financial and professional service firms over the past 15 years.
More details on Holmes Beck
Holmes Beck Asia, is a member firm of the international network of legal partnerships Holmes Beck International.
The organization’s focus is on corporate law: mergers and acquisitions (M&A), restructuring, commercial and business litigation, intellectual property, and employment law.
The organization globally has around 1,800 professionals and support staff worldwide.
Holmes Beck Asia, has 250 professionals in its Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai offices. It is looking to expand in China and open new offices in the next five years in Beijing, Shenzhen and Hangzhou.
Holmes Becks' current IT systems
Current IT systems were developed internally around 20 years ago with periodic updates and enhancements.
In view of Holmes Beck’s recent and planned expansion, as well as the apparent lack of integration between systems (time recording, billing, payroll, case and contract management, etc), Kiran Mallick, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), is interested to discuss options for improving their systems.
The Tess case-study demonstrates how Tess, an IT consultant, uses the Engage canvases to progress her relationship with Kiran Mallick, a key decision-maker in an opportunity to win a large IT project with Kiran's employer: Holmes Beck LLP, an Asian law firm.
While your situation may not exactly parallel Tess's situation, the lessons from her use of each canvas, should help you as you address your own client or customer.
Below is information on:
- Tess Cheung, Kiran Mallick and the Holmes Beck opportunity
- The canvases (with links) used at each stage – before, during and after each meeting
- More details on Olicana Advisory
- More details on Holmes Beck LLP
The Tess case-study demonstrates how Tess, an IT consultant, uses the Engage canvases to progress her relationship with Kiran Mallick, a key decision-maker in an opportunity to win a large IT project with Kiran's employer: Holmes Beck LLP, an Asian law firm.
While your situation may not exactly parallel Tess's situation, the lessons from her use of each canvas, should help you as you address your own client or customer.
Read on to learn the case-study details and background, or stop here and get started with using the canvases
Below is information on:
Below is information on:
- Tess Cheung, Kiran Mallick and the Holmes Beck opportunity
- The canvases (with links) used at each stage – before, during and after each meeting
- More details on Olicana Advisory
- More details on Holmes Beck LLP
The Tess case-study demonstrates how Tess, an IT consultant, uses the Engage canvases to progress her relationship with Kiran Mallick, a key decision-maker in an opportunity to win a large IT project with Kiran's employer: Holmes Beck LLP, an Asian law firm.
While your situation may not exactly parallel Tess's situation, the lessons from her use of each canvas, should help you as you address your own client or customer.
Read on to learn the case-study details and background, or stop here and get started with using the canvases
Below is information on:
Below is information on:
- Tess Cheung, Kiran Mallick and the Holmes Beck opportunity
- The canvases (with links) used at each stage – before, during and after each meeting
- More details on Olicana Advisory
- More details on Holmes Beck LLP
The Tess case-study demonstrates how Tess, an IT consultant, uses the Engage canvases to progress her relationship with Kiran Mallick, a key decision-maker in an opportunity to win a large IT project with Kiran's employer: Holmes Beck LLP, an Asian law firm.
While your situation may not exactly parallel Tess's situation, the lessons from her use of each canvas, should help you as you address your own client or customer.
Read on to learn the case-study details and background, or stop here and get started with using the canvases
Below is information on:
Below is information on:
- Tess Cheung, Kiran Mallick and the Holmes Beck opportunity
- The canvases (with links) used at each stage – before, during and after each meeting
- More details on Olicana Advisory
- More details on Holmes Beck LLP
Building trust, one conversation at a time.