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Reference

Project Lifecycle

How a WS project runs from first conversation to final delivery — and where Claude can accelerate every stage.

Executive SearchTalent MappingPipeliningIntelligence

Jump to stage

1. Client Meeting 2. Proposal 3. Formal Briefing 4. Project Planning 5. Desk Research 6. Identification 7. Outreach 8. Conversations 9. Profile Writing 10. Insight Synthesis 11. Final Report 12. Presentation 13. Dataset Delivery

ℹ️

This lifecycle applies across all WS project types — executive search, talent mapping, pipelining, and intelligence. The sequence is consistent; the depth and outputs at each stage vary by project scope. Green sections show where Claude adds specific value.

Stage 01

Client Partner Meeting

A client partner meets with a client or prospect to discuss a potential brief. The goal is to understand their challenge, the scope of work, and the context behind the hire or intelligence need — before any formal engagement begins.

✦ Where Claude helps

Research the client company ahead of the meeting Generate smart discovery questions tailored to their sector Summarise recent news, leadership moves, or growth signals Identify competitors and market context to demonstrate knowledge Draft a pre-meeting briefing note from public information

Stage 02

Proposal Writing

Following the initial meeting, a proposal is written outlining WS's recommended approach, methodology, team, timeline, and commercial terms. The proposal must be tailored, persuasive, and reflect a genuine understanding of the client's challenge.

✦ Where Claude helps

Draft the proposal structure and narrative from meeting notes Write a compelling opening that reflects the client's specific challenge Sharpen the language — remove jargon, increase clarity and impact Stress-test the proposal by anticipating client objections Tailor tone for different seniority levels (TA Director vs. CHRO vs. CEO)

Stage 03

Formal Briefing

Once the project is confirmed, a formal briefing takes place involving the client partner and the research team. The brief covers the mandate in detail — role requirements, ideal candidate profile, client culture, key criteria, and any sensitivities.

✦ Where Claude helps

Turn rough call notes into a structured mandate document Extract key criteria and flag gaps or ambiguities with [TO CONFIRM] Build an ideal candidate profile from the brief discussion Create a one-page internal briefing summary for the research team Draft clarifying questions to send back to the client before research begins

Stage 04

Project Planning

The research team works through the mandate to create a project plan. This covers the research strategy, target organisations, search geography, timelines, and how the project will be structured and delivered regardless of type.

✦ Where Claude helps

Identify target organisations and feeder companies for the search Suggest search angles and candidate profile variations to consider Map the competitive landscape relevant to the mandate Draft a project timeline and milestone structure Build a research framework — what to find, where to look, what to record

Stage 05

Desk Research

The research team conducts in-depth desk research to build a picture of the market — understanding key organisations, relevant talent pools, compensation benchmarks, org structures, and any sector-specific context that informs the project.

✦ Where Claude helps

Produce sector and company briefings rapidly Analyse org structures and identify function leaders at target companies Benchmark compensation ranges for the role and geography Identify talent movement patterns and recent executive hires/departures Summarise annual reports, earnings calls, or news for client intelligence Build a long list of target organisations with rationale

Stage 06

Identification

Using LinkedIn Recruiter and other sources, the research team identifies potential candidates or sources who match the mandate criteria. This involves building and refining search strings, reviewing profiles, and building a longlist of individuals to approach.

✦ Where Claude helps

Build Boolean search strings for LinkedIn Recruiter Suggest alternative titles, synonyms, and search angles to broaden the pool Create a scoring or assessment framework to evaluate profiles against criteria Draft a clear ideal candidate profile to align the team's assessment Identify adjacent industries or non-obvious feeder sectors worth exploring

Stage 07

Outreach

The team reaches out to identified individuals to generate interest in the project and book conversations. This requires personalised, warm, and compelling communication — written to engage senior, passive individuals who are not actively looking.

✦ Where Claude helps

Draft personalised LinkedIn outreach messages at scale Write follow-up sequences for non-responders Tailor tone and angle for different seniority levels and sectors Craft email outreach where LinkedIn is unavailable Test different opening lines and approaches to improve response rates Write a compelling "why this opportunity" narrative for the mandate

Stage 08

Conversations

The team holds calls with as many relevant individuals as possible — both candidates and market sources. These conversations gather intelligence, assess interest, and gather insight on the market, the client, and relevant talent moves.

✦ Where Claude helps

Create structured conversation guides tailored to each project type Build a consistent question bank for assessing candidates against criteria Draft post-call follow-up emails quickly from notes Create a note-taking template to ensure consistent data capture across the team Suggest probing questions based on specific candidate backgrounds

Stage 09

Profile Writing

For executive search, mapping, and pipelining projects, detailed profiles are written for each assessed individual. Profiles document background, career trajectory, assessment against the mandate criteria, and motivation or engagement status.

✦ Where Claude helps

Turn raw call notes into polished, structured candidate profiles Ensure consistent format and tone across all profiles in a project Summarise a candidate's career trajectory compellingly and concisely Identify and articulate how a candidate meets (or doesn't meet) each criterion Draft multiple profiles in parallel using a consistent template

Stage 10

Insight Synthesis

Across all the conversations, desk research, and candidate assessments, the team synthesises the intelligence gathered into key themes and findings. This is the analytical heart of any WS project — turning data points into meaningful insight.

✦ Where Claude helps

Identify common themes and patterns across multiple conversation notes Organise raw findings into a structured insights framework Contrast what sources said vs. what desk research showed Suggest the most commercially relevant "so what" from the data Draft the key findings section of the report from synthesised notes Spot gaps in the data — what questions remain unanswered

Stage 11

Final Report Writing

The findings, profiles, and insights are compiled into a final client report. The report must be structured, well-written, and presented at the level of a senior executive audience — clear, evidence-based, and actionable.

✦ Where Claude helps

Structure the full report from a content brief or notes Write the executive summary — the most read, most important section Turn bullet-point findings into polished, flowing prose Ensure consistency of tone and language across sections written by different team members Proofread and improve clarity without changing meaning Suggest better ways to frame a finding for maximum client impact

Stage 12

Client Presentation

The findings, profiles, and recommendations are presented to the client. This is a high-stakes moment — the presentation must be well-structured, confident, and demonstrate the depth and quality of WS's work throughout the project.

✦ Where Claude helps

Prepare a structured talking points guide for the presentation Anticipate the most likely client questions and prepare strong answers Draft the follow-up email and action summary post-presentation Suggest the clearest way to frame difficult or surprising findings Create a concise "highlights" version of findings for time-poor stakeholders

Stage 13

Dataset Delivery

A clean, sortable dataset of all identified talent is delivered to the client alongside the final report. The dataset is structured so the client can filter, sort, and manage the talent pool independently going forward.

✦ Where Claude helps

Suggest the most useful fields and taxonomy for the dataset structure Write clear, consistent one-line summaries for each individual in the dataset Standardise job title nomenclature across a large, varied longlist Draft the covering note that explains how to use and navigate the dataset Suggest next-step actions for the client based on the talent identified

💡

Claude works best when you treat it as a thinking partner at every stage — not just a writing tool at the end. The earlier you bring it into a project, the more time you'll save overall. Many of the biggest gains come from the research and synthesis stages, where there's the most raw material to work with.