A Quantitative & Human-Centered Approach

We judge our results solely by your success in your core missions, so our approach combines analysis, deliberation, and planning.

We flexibly apply our primary tools – creative analysis, rigorous research, economic modeling, inquisitive community engagement, and searching debate – to enhance your team and guide you to action.

Our principles of impact:

Strategy is both goals  and resources

We don’t separate goals from the scarce resources necessary to implement them. We help clients understand constraints (financial, organizational, governance, human time/attention) and determine which to break and which to accept. When you work with us on strategy, you don’t then need an “implementation plan” - how to act is baked in.

At a university everything happens through people. We help you set goals that honestly account for the people, motivations, and capabilities on your campus, so the work results in action, not a report.

Strategy must be human-centered

We measure results through action and believe a good solution you can implement is far superior to a great solution you can’t. We embrace the compounding value of marginal improvements

A good solution you can implement wins

See the big picture and sweat the details

The understanding you seek requires both a forest-level perspective and leaves-level diligence. As outsiders, we can help you balance these perspectives.