The most common failure in government advisory isn’t a bad recommendation. It’s a good recommendation that surprises the wrong person.
- Mar 31
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 8
Before SECOIA conducts a single interview, reviews a single document, or visits a single site, we do something that most consultancies skip entirely.
We teach.
At the start of every engagement, we present international best practices to all stakeholders — not as a formality, but as a project foundation. The objective is simple: ensure that every person who will receive our recommendations understands the types of changes that may be proposed, before we propose them.
This is not a courtesy. It is risk management.
When a recommendation arrives without context, it triggers institutional resistance. Decision-makers feel ambushed. Technical teams feel judged. Political stakeholders feel exposed. The recommendation may be technically perfect — and operationally dead on arrival.
When the same recommendation arrives after stakeholders have seen what peer countries have implemented, what international standards require, and what the range of options looks like, the conversation changes entirely. It moves from “why are you suggesting this?” to “how do we implement this?”
The education phase typically adds two to three days to an engagement. It saves months of implementation delay.
SECOIA builds this phase into every government advisory mandate. Not because it’s efficient. Because it works.
When was the last time a consultant prepared your team for what they were about to hear?
SECOIA Executive Consultants Ltd is a Swiss boutique consultancy specialising in identity management, border security, biometrics, secure documents, and ePassports. The firm holds active memberships in ICAO ICBWG, ISO/IEC, and CEN standardisation bodies.
We welcome dialogue with professionals navigating these questions. Reach out through our website , arrange for a meeting or connect with us on LinkedIn.
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