How We Book, Prep and Kick-Off in Under 7 Days Without Burning Tyres or Budgets
The “I Need This Yesterday” Phone Call
Every month, we get the same ping:
“We just lost 6 engineers, board meets Friday. Can you start next week?”
Answer: YES – but only if we follow a 7-day sprint checklist born from 42 crash-starts.
Below is the exact playbook you can plagiarise.
Day 0 – Phone Call (15 min)
Checklist we tick while on the line:
- Staff head-count? (need rough number)
- Biggest pain today? (exit, product flop, cash leak)
- County location? (distance calculator open)
- Decision maker in room? (if not, we pause)
- Board / budget meeting date? (locks urgency)
Outcome: 30-min calendar slot booked within 48 hrs, PO number or email approval promised.
Day 1 – Diagnostic Slot (30 min, Virtual)
Who: MD/CEO + HR/Finance lead
Tool: Google Meet (camera optional on 3G)
Deliverable: One-page Problem Tree (live typing on screen)
Example tree:
- Root: 68 % exit
- Branches: Rosters, Tips, Career path, Policy, Bonus
- Trunk: “We think it’s money, staff say it’s growth.”
End: We propose ONE KPI to move (e.g., exit-rate ↓ 20 % in 90 days) and fixed fee.
Day 2 – Quote & Travel Plan
Morning:
- Distance calculated (km × 70)
- Accommodation ceiling agreed (≤ KES 5 k/night)
- Disbursement cap inserted (5 % of fee)
Afternoon:
- PDF quote sent (2 pages)
- Includes 7-day payment terms and off-ramp clause
Day 3 – Purchase Order / Email Approval
We accept three fast-track approvals:
- Signed PO (scanned)
- CEO email: “Approved, invoice coming.”
- Procurement WhatsApp “Quote okay, send invoice”
No contract? We send a 1-page Mutual NDA + Off-Ramp by DocuSign – 5 clicks to sign.
Day 4 – Invoice & Payment
- Invoice generated (Xero) – same afternoon
- M-Pesa Paybill and bank details in PDF
- QR code for mobile scan-pay
Average payment time: 4.2 days (faster than 30-day industry norm).
Day 5 – Staff List + Time-table Lock
Minimum data we need:
- Name, Dept, Hire-Date, Job Grade (Excel or CSV export)
- Preferred interview slots (day / night shift)
- One mobile number per person (for WhatsApp pulse)
Template emailed – HR fills, sends back same day.
Day 6 – Consultant Prep Night
Check-list packed in car:
- 50 blank consent forms
- 2 voice-recorders (offline)
- 4-digit sticker sheet
- M-Pesa float KES 20 k (coffee vouchers)
- Laminated career-ladder blank template
- Spare tyre 2× (county roads)
Route planned on Google Maps + GPS tracker shared with client.
Day 7 – Kick-Off on Site
- 07:00 – Arrive & plant flag (literally a WiseUP-branded tablecloth)
- 08:00 – 09:45 – Diagnosis Workshop (same 5 questions from Article 1)
- 10:00 – Staff interviews begin (off-site cafeteria)
- 14:00 – Manager huddle (15 min)
- 16:00 – Depart (beat truck traffic on Mai-Mahiu)
Deliverable before sleep: PDF slide deck emailed to MD – Problem Tree + 90-day roadmap.
Real Crash-Start Diary
- Tuesday – Initial call
- Wednesday – Virtual diagnosis
- Thursday – PO + invoice
- Friday – Payment received
- Monday – Car leaves Nairobi 05:00
- Monday 16:00 – First deliverable sent
Total elapsed: 6 calendar days
Speed Limits – What We WILL NOT Compress
- 30-day off-ramp clause (legal safety)
- Consent forms (data protection)
- Km calculation (travel safety)
- Guarantee threshold (quality promise)
These are non-negotiable – everything else can bend.
Cost of “Crash-Start”
Zero premium. Same fixed fee; only extra is actual disbursements (fuel, coffee, guest-house) booked on actual receipts.
Tech Stack That Enables Speed
- Xero – invoice in 60 sec
- Docusign – contract signed on phone
- Google Sheets – live staff list (no version hell)
- M-Pesa API – instant coffee voucher
- GPS tracker – client sees car move (trust)
Checklist You Can Use Tomorrow
- ✅ 15-min call – lock problem & KPI
- ✅ 30-min virtual – approve quote
- ✅ Email PO – same day
- ✅ Pay – within 7 days
- ✅ Send staff list – Day 5
- ✅ We arrive – Day 7 morning
Print it, pin it, use it.
Bottom Line
- Next week?Possible.
- Next month?Guaranteed.
- Next year?That’s too late.
Call today, we’ll be on your site before the next board meeting — with coffee, contracts and a car full of templates.
Next article: “What Happens After 90 Days?” — warranties, re-contracts, and how we become your ‘phone-a-friend’ for HR, Product & Profit questions.**
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