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Consulting and design organizations need to focus on seven areas to enhance the overall strategic management of the firm.  Based on surveys of national, regional, and local firms as well as with Fortune 500 firms as comparisons, the following list highlights the key areas that firms should place as priority items.

1 - Vision and Mission - Firms need a strong vision and mission to determine where they are headed as an organization and for where they are going to make strategic investments.

2 - Core Competencies - Firms need to determine what are their core competencies and use that as an anchor to determine what areas are appropriate for expansion.

3 - Technology - Expenditures on technology can quickly overwhelm an organization.  The firm should determine how technology is assisting them in completing projects and focus on restraining technology overruns.

4 - Education - Personnel are the only real asset that a consulting form has to sell to a client.  A continued focus on educating staff is critical to long-term success.

5 - Finance - An understanding of financial trends is necessary to avoid the ups and downs of the overall economy.  Individuals within the firm should be monitoring long-term financial trends to reduce economic impacts.

6 - Markets - Markets continuously change over time.  Firms must understand market trends and position themselves in leadership positions within those markets.

7 - Competition - Every firm has competitors. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of those competitors will enhance the ability of the firm to position itself in a strategic position that is sustainable.