Capability Checks
Part of Checking agency experience
Distinguishing agency team experience from company branding
Find out whether the people proposed for your account have the experience, roles and availability your project needs.
Assess the proposed account team alongside the agency’s portfolio. Company history may show relevant work, but your project depends on who decides, produces and reviews the work, and who is available when needed.
Map people to the work
Ask for a role map against the assignment you intend to buy. Identify the lead, whoever owns specialist decisions, those producing the deliverables, and the person who can resolve a delivery problem. Names help when confirmed; clear responsibilities still matter if staffing is not yet finalised.
Responsibility / What to establish
- Direction
- Who makes recommendations and reviews their quality?
- Production
- Who creates or implements the deliverables?
- Coordination
- Who manages dependencies, dates and client decisions?
- Specialist coverage
- Who handles work outside the core team’s skills?
- Continuity
- Who covers a critical task during an absence or change?
Ask how much time the agency expects each person to devote to the project, and when that allocation can be confirmed. A name on a pitch slide is not an availability commitment.
Trace experience to individuals
Choose a portfolio example relevant to your assignment. Ask which proposed team members worked on it, what each person owned, and what was done by former employees, partners or the client.
If none of the proposed people worked on it, the example may still show organisational experience. Ask the current team how it would apply that learning.
Awards, years in business and client logos point you towards work to examine; they do not identify the people who would deliver yours. A newer team member can also have relevant skill without a long list of logos. Ask them to explain a comparable decision they made and how they checked the result.
Examine the proposed arrangement
Where practical, meet the lead and the specialist responsible for the hardest part of the job. Give them a realistic constraint from your brief.
Ask what they would investigate first, what they need from your staff and which choices need client approval. Their reasoning matters more than an improvised solution to a project they have not yet investigated.
Find out whether employees, contractors or partner firms will do the work, and who will review it and remain accountable. An external specialist can be suitable if their role, availability and handover are clear.
Before signing, ask how project knowledge would be transferred if a key person became unavailable. Any contractual rights concerning personnel changes depend on the agreement.
Critical Factors in Team Availability and Accountability
- Lead Role Confirmation
- Must be named and available for duration
- Specialist Coverage Clarity
- Defined responsibilities for out-of-scope work
- Knowledge Transfer Plan
- Required if key personnel become unavailable
Resolve a material gap
Note any difference between the experience the agency showcases and the experience the proposed team demonstrates. If the gap matters, request a specific response: involvement from the experienced lead, a suitable specialist or a staged plan with clear responsibilities.
Record who will do the important work in the proposal or engagement documents, at a level appropriate to the purchase.
Decide whether this team, with its proposed support and availability, can carry out your assignment. The agency’s reputation is part of the evidence, but the working arrangement must stand on its own.
