Method Series
Diagnose
Every engagement opens with a confident problem statement. Most of those statements are incomplete.
What the Framework Reveals
Ensuring strategy addresses the real challenge, not the stated one
1 of 4
phases in the MKA engagement methodology
0
fraction of the full picture either side has before kickoff
3
failure modes this phase catches: symptoms-as-causes, reactions-as-imperatives, stated needs masking real ones
Every engagement opens with a confident problem statement. Most of those statements are incomplete — symptoms mistaken for root causes, competitive reactions confused with strategic imperatives, stated needs masking the organizational challenge underneath. Before kickoff, neither side has more than a fraction of the picture. This document covers how that picture gets built: what to investigate, what to ask, and how to do it without shutting the organization down.
Source: MKA Method · Aug 2026 · MKA-10-MS, Executive Summary
Built for: Active prospects and operations leaders in the early stage of an engagement.