Sinar Counsel
Company Benefits Solutions Testimonials Get in Touch
Advisory engagements
Our Engagements

Three ways we work
with organisations

Each engagement is designed to address a specific situation in an organisation's relationship with its data. The output is always written. The price is always fixed.

Back to Home
Our Methodology

How we approach each engagement

Each engagement begins with a scoping conversation in which we establish what the organisation is trying to understand and what material we will need to examine. We then proceed through review, analysis and writing to produce the agreed output.

We do not use frameworks borrowed from other domains and applied generically. The questions we ask and the structure of our analysis are shaped by what the organisation has actually brought us and what decisions rest on the outcome.

All work is conducted under confidentiality agreement. Client materials are not retained after the engagement concludes.

01
Scoping conversation
A short exchange to understand the situation and confirm that the engagement is the right fit. No charge for this step.
02
Written scope and price confirmation
Scope is documented and price confirmed before any work begins. Both parties sign off before the engagement proceeds.
03
Review, interviews and analysis
We examine the relevant material, conduct structured interviews with key people, and form our assessment.
04
Written output delivered
The engagement concludes with delivery of the agreed written document, followed by a walkthrough conversation if required.
Engagement 01

Reporting Catalogue Conversation

RM 820 — Fixed price

A short advisory engagement that examines the catalogue of reports an organisation has accumulated — sales dashboards, finance packs, operational scorecards, regulatory submissions, and the quiet half-abandoned reports that no one has the heart to retire.

We catalogue each report against its readers, the decisions it supports, and the cost of producing it. Output is a written catalogue with a quiet recommendation for retirement, renewal or rehoming. Suited for organisations whose reporting practice has accumulated over many years.

What this engagement covers

  • Full catalogue of existing reports reviewed and documented
  • Each report mapped to its readers and the decisions it supports
  • Cost of production estimated for each report
  • Written recommendations: retire, renew, or rehome
  • Typically two to three weeks in duration

Process steps

  1. 01Initial scoping call; request for report inventory if one exists
  2. 02Review of report samples and production process documentation
  3. 03Structured interviews with report producers and key readers
  4. 04Draft catalogue shared for factual verification
  5. 05Final written catalogue with recommendations delivered
Best suited for: Organisations with a reporting environment that has grown organically over five or more years, and whose finance or IT leadership suspects the current catalogue is not well matched to current decision-making needs.
Discuss This Engagement
Reporting catalogue
BI Platform Advisory
Engagement 02

BI Platform Advisory

RM 2,580 — Fixed price

A longer engagement that examines the organisation's options around its business intelligence platform — whether to continue with what it has, consolidate onto one of the larger market platforms, or invest in a more bespoke composition.

We consider the existing skills of the team, the contracted commitments already in place, and the cost of change. The output is a written platform paper with three considered scenarios. Suited for finance and IT working together at a platform-renewal moment.

What this engagement covers

  • Current platform landscape mapped and assessed
  • Team skills and existing contracts reviewed
  • Three platform scenarios written with cost and capability analysis
  • Risks and change costs for each scenario assessed
  • Typically four to six weeks in duration

Process steps

  1. 01Scoping call with finance and IT leads; request for platform inventory
  2. 02Review of platform contracts, licences and skills documentation
  3. 03Structured interviews across finance, IT and key operational users
  4. 04Platform option research against organisation's specific constraints
  5. 05Draft platform paper shared; final document incorporating feedback delivered
Best suited for: Finance and IT functions working together at a platform-renewal moment — where licences are approaching renewal, where dissatisfaction with the current environment is established, or where a merger or restructure has created a platform consolidation question.
Discuss This Engagement
Engagement 03

Dashboard Practice Workshop

RM 1,050 — Fixed price

A two-day workshop on the practice of writing a useful operational dashboard — choosing the right metrics, framing them honestly, designing the layout for the readers who will actually look at it, and writing the small commentary that turns a chart into a decision.

The workshop closes with each participant carrying a draft dashboard for one of their own teams, drawn with a quieter and clearer hand than before. Suited for analysts and the operational owners who commission their work.

What participants take away

  • A framework for choosing and framing metrics honestly
  • Layout principles for dashboards designed for real readers
  • Practice in writing chart commentary that supports decisions
  • A draft dashboard for one of their own teams
  • Workshop reference material to apply after the session

Workshop structure (two days)

  1. Day 1Metric selection, reader analysis, framing principles; critique of existing dashboards brought by participants
  2. Day 2Layout design, commentary writing, individual dashboard drafting; peer review and facilitated refinement
Best suited for: Analysts and the operational managers who commission their dashboards — working in the same session so that both sides understand the design constraints and reader requirements that shape useful reporting.
Discuss This Engagement
Dashboard Practice Workshop
Choosing an engagement

Which engagement fits your situation

Reporting Catalogue BI Platform Advisory Dashboard Workshop
Price RM 820 RM 2,580 RM 1,050
Duration 2–3 weeks 4–6 weeks 2 days
Primary question Which of our reports are worth keeping? Which BI platform should we use? How do we design dashboards that get used?
Who attends Finance or IT lead, report owners Finance and IT leadership Analysts and operational managers
Output Written catalogue with recommendations Written platform paper, 3 scenarios Draft dashboards, reference materials
Delivery mode Remote + on-site Remote + on-site In-person, KL

Not sure which fits best? A short conversation usually clarifies it. Get in touch.

Across all engagements

Standards that apply to every engagement

Confidentiality agreement

All engagements are covered by a signed confidentiality agreement. Client documents and data are not retained after the engagement concludes.

Fixed price, agreed in writing

Price and scope are confirmed in writing before work begins. There are no variable components or retrospective additions.

Vendor independence

No referral arrangements exist with any platform vendor or technology partner. Recommendations are formed independently.

Senior practitioner throughout

The consultant who scopes and prices the engagement is the one who conducts it and delivers the output. No delegation to junior staff.

Written, readable outputs

Documents are written to be read from beginning to end. Not presentation decks. Not one-page summaries with no reasoning visible.

Progress checkpoints

Clients receive brief updates at agreed points during the engagement. The direction of the output is never a surprise at delivery.

Pricing

Fixed fees for each engagement

Engagement 01
Reporting Catalogue Conversation
RM 820
Fixed price, all-inclusive
  • Scoping conversation
  • Full catalogue review
  • Written output with recommendations
  • Walkthrough session
Enquire
Engagement 02
BI Platform Advisory
RM 2,580
Fixed price, all-inclusive
  • Platform landscape assessment
  • Team and contract review
  • Three written scenarios
  • Cost and risk analysis per scenario
Enquire
Engagement 03
Dashboard Practice Workshop
RM 1,050
Per participant, fixed price
  • Two-day in-person workshop
  • Preparation material included
  • Draft dashboard per participant
  • Reference materials included
Enquire
Take the next step

Not sure which engagement applies?

A short conversation with us usually clarifies which of the three engagements fits the situation — or whether the situation calls for something we do not currently offer (which we will say plainly).

Book a Conversation