Can you speak Consultaneese?
I came across a lovely article by a guy called Jim Ylisela today which adds to my ongoing collection of consulting jargon. See if you have come across any of these gems:
- Sandpit: We all know this is a noun and the name for.... well, a sandpit. However, some people think you can be more effective is you use "sandpit" as a verb, as in: "once we sandpit that approach, then we can roll it out for full implementation" or "we need to sandpit options before deciding which to roll out". I am still working on this one. Sandpits to me are either play areas for young children (largely) or an area where cats and dogs do their business - and what's piling up in there isn't good for anyone!
- Bus theory: I am told this one has been around for a while in the US but was quite new to me. In case you might think it is 'business theory' you are wrong. It refers to the proverbial 'what if x falls under a bus' and suggests you should plan ahead, have back-up knowledge and resources.... just in case... well, someone in the organisation who knows a lot of stuff gets hit by a bus.
- Standpoint/perspective: I know what you are thinking. Everyone knows these words. But compare the following: "let's base the training plan on the skills our people need the most" with "from a training perspective, its critical that we facilitate a strategy from a user standpoint".
I know we are all fallible, but please let me have other jargon gems I can add to my list.
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