Engagements · Advisory
Honest advisory for the operational software decisions that cost real money.
DWK Solutions takes select consulting engagements with leaders navigating ERP and operational software decisions. Engagements are advisory and direction-focused. Outside input at the moments that matter.
Three formats are typical. Each one is shaped around a specific operator situation: a decision you’re close to making, an active selection you want pressure-tested, or an implementation that isn’t going to plan.
Format 01. Advisory Calls
Single-call engagements for specific decisions or situations. Vendor evaluation gut-check, RFP review, cost validation, second opinions on selection or implementation issues. A 60–90 minute call with prep and follow-up notes.
Best fit: A specific decision or document you want outside input on, fast.
What you get:
- Pre-call review of the document, decision context, or situation summary you send ahead
- A structured 60–90 minute conversation focused on the decision you actually have to make
- Written follow-up notes within two business days, capturing the call’s recommendations and the questions worth pressure-testing further
Format 02. Selection Engagements
Project-based work supporting an active ERP selection or major operational software decision. Includes evaluation of finalists, true cost analysis, real-world questions for vendor demos and references, side-by-side comparison framework, and decision-support through final selection.
Best fit: You’re in active vendor selection and want outside advisory through the decision. Typical engagement runs 3–6 weeks.
What you get:
- Independent review of the shortlist against your operational reality, not the vendor scorecard
- True cost framework that accounts for what the vendor quote leaves out (see The True Cost of ERP Implementation)
- Real questions to ask during demos and reference calls, the kind that get past the script (see The ERP demo is theater)
- Integration architecture review for the surrounding stack (see The Integration Tax)
- Decision-support through final selection, including pre-signing review of the SOW
Format 03. Implementation & Recovery Engagements
Hands-on direction during ERP implementations, particularly when implementations are struggling, stuck, or need course correction. Pattern recognition on common failure modes, operational direction for getting systems to functional state, and decision-support during difficult moments.
Best fit: An implementation isn’t going to plan and you need outside perspective to identify what to do next. Engagement scope and format defined per situation.
What you get:
- An honest read on whether the project is stuck or failing, and the difference between them (see When to walk away from an ERP project)
- Pattern recognition on the specific failure modes showing up in your implementation
- Operational direction for the team trying to land a working system
- Decision-support during the moments that decide whether the project recovers or rolls back
- Post-go-live support if the work continues past launch (see The Post-Go-Live Cliff)
How DWK Solutions works
DWK Solutions works alongside your software vendor’s implementation team, your internal project team, and your IT and operations staff. The role is advisory: pattern recognition, direction, decision-support, and pushback when needed.
Your software vendor handles implementation. Your internal team handles execution. DWK Solutions provides the operator perspective that keeps everyone aligned on the right outcomes. We don’t replace your partner or your team. We give the room a voice that isn’t selling something, isn’t carrying the day-job pressure, and has lived inside the problem the advice describes.
The perspective. DWK Solutions is built on 15+ years inside mid-market manufacturing and operations finance, hands-on across multiple ERP environments and several full implementations. The perspective is from the operator’s chair, not the vendor’s, the consultant’s, or the analyst’s. The advice reflects what the work actually looks like from inside the business, not from the sales deck or the post-mortem.
The frameworks the engagements run on are public. DWK Solutions publishes operator-perspective analysis at The Operator’s Note. The frameworks used inside engagements are the same ones you can read about there. The true cost of implementation. The post-go-live cliff. The integration tax. Demo theater. When to walk away from a failing project. If the thinking resonates, the engagement will too. If it doesn’t, the call probably isn’t worth either of our time.
What to expect
Every engagement starts with a 30-minute call. It’s working time, not sales time.
You bring the decision or the situation. The call covers what I see, what I’d ask the vendor, where I’d push, and whether the situation warrants an engagement or whether you can handle it from here. Some calls become engagements. Plenty don’t, and that’s the right outcome.
If there’s a fit, scope, deliverables, and fees go in writing before any work starts. Engagements are sized so the work matches the decision, not the other way around.
Availability is limited. The practice runs on a small number of engagements at a time, which is the only way the work stays advisory and the perspective stays honest.
Frequently asked
Do you sign NDAs? Yes. A standard mutual NDA before any specifics get shared. If you have a preferred template, send it. Otherwise a one-page version is available.
What industries do you work with? Mid-market operations that depend on operational software run mostly the same way regardless of label. Manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, and services with significant inventory or workflow complexity all fit. If you’re sitting in front of a vendor demo and feeling outmatched, the framework probably transfers.
Are engagements fixed-fee or hourly? Both, depending on shape. Advisory calls are flat-rate per call. Selection engagements are scoped fixed-fee against named deliverables. Implementation and recovery engagements run on a weekly retainer because the work is exploratory by nature. A specific number is always in writing before any work starts.
How soon can you start? Advisory calls usually within a week. Selection and implementation engagements scoped based on availability, typically starting within two to four weeks of the first call.
US only, or international? US-based and primarily serving US mid-market. International engagements considered case-by-case when the operational pattern is recognizable and the timezone overlap works.
What if my situation doesn’t fit? The 30-minute call is free. If it doesn’t fit, you’ll get an honest read on whether you can handle it from here, who else might be a better fit, or what to do next. There’s no pressure to commit to anything during or after the call.
Working through a decision?