Process
Five steps, and you know the cost before step three ends.
Every HERA engagement follows the same transparent arc, from a structured discovery questionnaire to a line-item written proposal you can phase, adjust, or decline.
Every HERA engagement follows the same transparent arc, from a structured discovery questionnaire to a line-item written proposal you can phase, adjust, or decline.
Before we meet, you complete a structured questionnaire covering your organization's history, legal structure, staffing, funding sources, pain points, and priorities across every service area. It takes 30 to 45 minutes, and partial completion is fine. The purpose is simple: the first conversation should start from substance rather than introductions.
A 60 to 90 minute working conversation, virtual or in person. Dr. Joseph arrives with an initial outline of potential support areas built from your questionnaire responses. Together you determine what is most urgent, what is most impactful, and what fits your budget and timeline.
Within one week you receive a written proposal naming every deliverable, its complexity rating, estimated hours in low, mid, and high scenarios, applicable rates, and a total cost range. You can adjust scope, reprioritize, or phase the engagement. The proposal is a starting point for conversation, not a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
A consulting agreement sets out deliverables, timeline, payment terms, data protection protocols, and confidentiality. A kickoff meeting aligns everyone on communication cadence, key contacts, document sharing, and milestones. For larger engagements this includes limited-access document rooms and minimum-necessary data principles.
Work is delivered in phases with drafts you review before anything is finalized, two revision rounds included per deliverable, and hours tracked transparently against the original estimate. Larger engagements run on a documented cadence of bi-weekly check-ins, monthly written updates, and quarterly readouts.
You will never be surprised by an invoice.
A defined set of deliverables scoped and priced individually, billed against tracked hours. Best when you know what you need and want cost certainty per item.
A total project fee divided across phases, with payments tied to deliverable completion. Best for larger multi-phase engagements where budget predictability matters most.
Start with the most urgent phase and add scope over time as capacity and funding allow. Best for organizations building toward a larger transformation incrementally.
Good consulting relationships are built on explicit agreements about cadence, data, decision rights, and what happens when something changes. These are ours.
A typical comprehensive engagement produces some combination of the following, formatted for leadership, board, and stakeholder audiences.
Request the discovery questionnaire and see what a focused, transparent engagement feels like.