Repeatable Delivery Framework - Myth or Reality?

Search for the phrase "Repeatable Consulting Delivery Framework" in Google, and you get 45,000 results. After a quick review of the first 10, I determined that most had nothing useful to say about what a repeatable delivery framework (or model or methodology) really is, with the exception of this article by Andrew Cadwell, Principal Consultant at KickStart Alliance:

A Strategic Delivery Framework Sets the Stage for Success

How do you truly build and maintain a repeatable delivery model when each customer's needs and pains are different from the next and when the idea of a "packaged offering" is really just that...an idea. (How many times have you delivered an engagement exactly as specified in the data sheet? I know...that would be nice!)

While I am not a huge fan of the Project Management Institute (PMI) (I know too many PMI certified Project Managers who can't project manage themselves out of a box), I know they did get a few things right, such as their definition of required project phases:

• Initiation
• Planning
• Execution
• Monitoring
• Closing
  

The folks at Bright Hub have done a nice just describing each.

In my organization, we call these five phases:

• Presales and scoping
• Planning
• Execution
• Project Management
• Completion and Wrap-up

In each phase, we have defined (or are defining...it's a work in progress) the mandatory and optional steps (and associated tools) that should be used. Additionally, we are going through an analysis of our primary engagement formats and assessing the required and optional steps and tools of the Execution Phase, looking for similarities and clear differences.

We are using a knowledge base to capture the workflow through the various stages and store templates that must (or could) be used at each phase.

While the specific customer needs and projects dictate flexibility, the team has a clear understanding for how to navigate a project "like this." Additionally, we have build a feedback mechanism designed to capture lessons learned and customer feedback in to the process, allowing it to evolve and mature over time. It's a labor of love.