Technology Consultations 101: What They Are, When to Use Them, and Why They Matter

Let’s paint a picture. Maybe you’re at a big organization, knee-deep in a tech stack that feels like a Jenga tower, and you need help executing a solution. Or maybe you’ve got a big idea—a product so unique it practically deserves its own theme song. Or hey, maybe you’ve already built it! Your engaged parties are clapping like you’ve just won an Oscar—except the end users are treating it like it’s a straight-to-DVD release. Ouch.

In any of these scenarios, you’re stuck. You know you need outside perspective or support, but you’re not sure what that looks like. What you do know is that your internal team doesn’t have the bandwidth or expertise to tackle it alone. So you start calling around, and now agencies are pitching a consultation. A consultation?! Isn’t that another buzzy word like “synergy” or “optimization”? What could a consultation deliver that actually moves the needle?

Introducing…REAL Technology Consultation!

Alright, fine—I’ll bite. What is a technology consultation? At its core, it’s a research project. The goal? To make sure what you’re building—or what you’ve already built—actually solves the right problems and works for the people it’s meant to serve. In plain terms: is it useful, delightful, and not secretly making your audience cry in frustration?

A consultation can also uncover issues in your current setup and help realign it with your actual goals.

Here are a few scenarios where a consultation really earns its keep:

1. You’ve got a technical stack with old and new products that don’t play nicely together. They’ve become inconsistent, confusing for users to navigate, and a headache for internal staff to manage.
2. You launched your product, but the user experience (UX) or customer experience (CX) isn’t hitting the mark.
3. You’ve got a big idea, but it’s expensive or complex—and you’d rather not find out halfway through that it’s solving the wrong problem or missing a key differentiator.

The main output of a consultation? A plan. Not a jargon-filled PDF that gathers dust—a real, legible plan that you can read, understand, and, most importantly, use. Think of it like a roadmap for your digital future. It tells you what to do, who needs to do it, and when. It’s everything you need to move forward with clarity and confidence.

The Stages of a Technology Consultation

Alright, alright—you’re intrigued.

We said the first step was research, but what kind of research are we talking about here? Great question. Consultation projects can include a mix of research techniques, all tailored to your unique situation. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach—this isn’t a poncho.

Before choosing the right methods, a good consultant will dig deep into your business goals, existing product (or tangled tech stack), your audience’s full journey, and what your dream future state looks like. It’s a true partnership—collaborative,transparent, and built on trust from day one.

Based on what’s uncovered, your project team will be assembled with the right mix of experts: UX designers, developers, product strategists, content strategists—whoever’s needed to move your vision forward. The exact team depends on your needs, not a preset template.

Stage 1: Research, Research, Research

Welcome to the deep dive! The research phase is where consultants roll up their sleeves and get into the real work: analyzing and auditing the current state. It’s the bread and butter of a consultation project—the core of it all, and where the focus should be.

The true value here is clarity. Not assumptions. Not guesses. Real understanding of the problem space, grounded in data and evidence. This phase helps identify actual needs and surface the insights that will shape what comes next.

Depending on your situation, the research might include a mix of techniques, each tailored to your goals:

• Person of interest interviews
• Product walkthroughs
• User research & testing (including user interviews, usability testing, top tasks, treejack testing, surveys
• Current state user flows/journeys
• Audits (including analytics, accessibility, UX, content, technical, performance and security audits)
• Comparative analysis
• User personas
• Technical research

Basically, the goal here is to validate the problem—or idea—with real data. This phase helps separate assumptions from facts, prioritize what truly matters, and lay the groundwork for what comes next. Think of it like testing a hypothesis before calling it scientific fact. You may have a strong hunch, but it’s critical to confirm the problem before diving into solutions.

Stage 2: Future State Blueprinting

OK, the data nerds are officially thrilled. You’ve done the research, the issues are clear—so now what? Enter the blueprint stage. This is where all that deep, nerdy knowledge gets turned into something real: a clear, actionable plan for your future state.

At this stage, we pull from our full agency toolkit to translate research into strategy. That might include:

• Technical strategies
• Product architecture maps
• Product requirements
• Future state user flows/journeys
• Wireframes
• Clickable prototypes
• Service blueprints
• Product roadmaps

All of this is wrapped up in a final report or presentation that even your most tech-averse person of interest can understand. It’s not just a pretty document—it’s a practical one. The roadmap lays out exactly how to move from where you are to where you want to be, with phases, timelines, and tasks mapped to each step.

Do you Need a Consultation?

Alright, this all sounds great—but do you actually need one?

As an agency with deep experience in consultation projects across Canada, we’ve seen some common patterns—recurring issues that a consultation could help solve (or prevent entirely). If any of these six most common issues sound familiar, it might be time to consider one:

1. Thinking you know what your users need. “We’ve talked to them—we already know!” Sound familiar? Internal staff often rely on assumptions or past conversations instead of validating current user needs. That’s how you end up solving the wrong problems.
2. Microsite mania. Do you have a collection of small sites or products that don’t communicate with each other? This is common in large organizations where different sectors or departments create their own products independently—leaving users confused and your tech team stretched thin. A consultation helps bring it all into alignment.
3. Building onto a current tech stack. It might seem easier to keep building on your current CMS or platform, but that “quick fix” can turn into a long-term limitation—as your organization grows, it might no longer meet your needs. A technology assessment can evaluate your entire product ecosystem to determine if your stack still fits your goals—or if it’s time to pivot.
4. Internal resource struggles. You know research is important, but no one has the time or capacity to do it right. Efforts may start with good intentions but end up sidelined as other priorities take over. A consultation brings in the right team to focus, execute, and actually get it done.
5. Lack of flexibility and future thinking. Internal groups can get stuck in their own perspective and biases. A consultation introduces objectivity—and lets the data challenge assumptions you didn’t even realize you had.
6. Internal thinking leading the charge. There is also the classic “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario. When decisions are made based on internal politics or opinions, the user experience suffers. A consultation brings the focus back to who actually matters: your users.

How to Pick a Partner – Things You Should Ask or Consider

You might feel like we’ve just read your organizational mind—like we peered into your soul and lit up the proverbial bulb above your head. So, what now?
Here are a few key considerations to help you assess whether a consultation project is the right move for your organization:

Questions to Ask a Potential Partner:

• How will you gain context on our business, its goals and all of the moving pieces? Understanding the landscape is key—make sure they have a solid discovery process.
• How will you engage with our users? Ask how they identify participants, what their vetting process looks like, and how they ensure meaningful, unbiased input.
• Will we be involved throughout the consultation? What’s your role, and what teams from your side should be engaged? A good partner should prioritize collaboration and transparency.
• What work can we do before the consultation to hit the ground running? See if there’s pre-work you can do to save time and add value right from the start.
• Can you show examples of deliverables from past projects? Ask for samples of reports, blueprints, or roadmaps—and how other clients used them.
• If we want to execute on the findings, can you help? Some partners stop at strategy—others can stay on to implement. Find out what’s possible and what that might look like.

What to Look for in Any Proposal or Conversation:

• Substance over flash. Consultations often get a bad name because some outputs prioritize flashy, highly designed deliverables over genuine expert information or actionable solutions.
• A clear process and output plan. A strong proposal should outline how the work will be done, what the outcomes will be, and how they’ll drive results.
• Flexibility. As mentioned earlier, consultations are not one-size-fits-all. The proposal should reflect a tailored approach that adapts to your unique needs.
• Partnership. Look for a partner you can collaborate with openly and honestly, willing to let the data guide decisions.
• Technical expertise. Ensure the agency has the right skill sets for the project—whether that’s UX, development, content strategy, or other relevant expertise.

Timeline and Budget Considerations
This is always a tricky question to answer because it truly depends on your organization and the problem at hand. Informative audits can take place over a few weeks, while more in-depth research and blueprinting projects typically take 3-6 months. This depends on the confirmed research plan, your resources and availability, and the number of products being included. A good agency will be transparent about this from the start. If you have a particular large-scale challenge, a strong agency will work with you to create a staged plan and provide clear budget and timeline estimates.

That’s it! You now have everything you need to understand what a consultation project entails. If you’d like to discuss whether a consultation is right for your unique situation, we’d love to chat—whether it’s just for advice or to dive deeper. Fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch soon!