I’m not a branding expert, nor do I know all that much about marketing. I’ve found that in the world of large capital project consulting, the best way to build business is with a list of successful projects and great word of mouth. Flashy names and slogans are much less important than meaningful experience and clear analytical thinking. But still…naming a company is an emotionally and intellectually significant job. It didn’t take me long to find a name that summed up my philosophy and approach to consulting.
Redteam
What’s a Redteam? The term comes from military and intelligence fields. More accurately, the term is “red team,” but I couldn’t help taking a few stylistic liberties. During the planning and design phases of an intelligence or military operation, a red team is an outside group that analyzes the plans, processes, infrastructure, and systems for weaknesses and vulnerability. Sometimes this can take the form of a peer review or due diligence review, sometimes it can be acting as an intelligent adversary, and sometimes it can simply be taking a critical view of the operation. The objective of the red team is to identify and expose potential vulnerabilities, and the end result is to build more effective plans, make systems and infrastructure more resilient, and work to decrease the impact of potential risks.
So what does this mean in the context of capital project development and my role as a consultant?
It means I spend a lot of time and effort reviewing baseline planning and design documents, ensuring that there are no fatal flaws, inaccurate assumptions, or incomplete work. It means I help craft execution plans to ensure that the approach to the project has been developed clearly and is tactically coherent. It means I use rigorous analysis to ensure the right approach to the project is being pursued, and I use the same analytical approach to make sure the project team has the best information available to inform their decision making.
It also means I don’t just follow best practices and copy what was done on previous projects. I look to validate intuition with detailed analysis and decision support. I work to go beyond lazy thinking, management fads, or simplistic slogans or ideas that don’t give project managers the critical, accurate, and timely information they need to manage their projects.
Redteam is the perfect name for the company. We’re steeped in detailed analysis and focused on supporting project teams. We’re not afraid to give bad news when necessary, we’re focused on solving problems, and we’re always evaluating new options for project managers to pursue. We do this all while being focused on the true goal: preserving and improving project value.
That’s what’s in a name.