Impact vs Complexity in Data & AI Consulting

We consultants fail because we overthink our frameworks, A LOT.

For example, this simple grid is my favorite tool.

Impact vs Complexity (really, that’s it!)

I love it because it measures two axes that are hard to break down in the world of Data & AI, but easy to explain:

Impact (i.e. how much positive change is created by our work)
vs
Complexity (i.e. how difficult time/money/effort-wise it is to make it happen)

When I work with my clients at Superposition, I ask participants in my workshops (whether client-facing or for internal growth strategies) to map all their ideas and challenges across four areas:
1) Easy Wins (defining the biggest Data/AI problem to solve with the least amount of effort)
2) Big Ideas (the not delusional projects that are worth taking on)
3) Unimportant Items (the challenging and heavy projects that don’t have good ROI)
4) Items that Don’t Move the Needle (Easy to-dos that don’t accomplish anything of value)

The fun part is that when we use this framework, you’d be shocked at how many ideas (whether they’re your own or your clients’) end up in the bottom half of the grid regardless of their initial placement, and how many eye-opening insights we uncover through it.

Effectively, this structure makes you face reality and the fact that when all your ideas and thoughts are important, none of them are.

So next time you’re considering how to organize either your client’s or your own thoughts to prioritize them, try this framework out.