How to write a consulting case study, even when you cannot name the client

What is a consulting case study?

It is the proof behind an offer: one engagement, told in four short parts, written so a buyer recognises their own situation in it. It is not a project list or a CV entry. A good one answers the buyer's real question: have you solved this, for someone like us, and what changed?

• One engagement per case study.
• Written for a buyer, not for a recruiter.
• Linked to the offer it proves.

What goes in each of the four parts?

Keep each part to two or three sentences. The result carries the most weight, so it gets the figure.

• Context: who the client was and what was happening (size, stage, the trigger).
• Problem: what was at stake, in the client's words if you have them.
• What you did: your decisions and actions, in the first person. Not the team's, not the method's name.
• Result: what changed, with one figure and the period it took.

How do you anonymise a client without losing credibility?

Replace the name with four facts: size, sector, region and stage, as in "a family-owned parts manufacturer in northern Italy, 300 people". A buyer judges relevance from those facts, not from the logo. Check what your contract allows before naming anyone, and ask: many clients agree to a named case study once the result is good.

• Never combine details that identify the client anyway (a unique product, a public event, a named executive).
• Keep the same description everywhere the case study appears.
• A named client is a bonus; a precise description is enough.

Which numbers make a case study credible?

One before-and-after figure over a stated period: "the monthly close went from 18 days to 5 in four months". Say what was yours when you worked with a team. A number you cannot show if asked does more damage than no number, because a buyer checks one figure and judges the rest by it.

• Before, after, and the period.
• Your share of the result, stated plainly.
• Ranges ("between 20 and 30%") when the exact figure is confidential.

How many case studies do you need?

At least one per offer, ideally two. One case study shows you did it once; two show a method. Write the second one after your next engagement, while the figures are still fresh.

• Map each case study to one offer.
• An offer with no case study is a promise; fill that gap first.
• Retire case studies older than five years unless the result is exceptional.

How do you reuse case studies across pitches?

Write each case study once, in full, and pick from them for each pitch: the closest industry, the same kind of engagement, a result with a figure. Rewriting proof for every client is how numbers drift and confidential names slip through.

• One source, many pitches.
• Pick by similarity to the buyer, not by how impressive the logo is.
• Keep the anonymised description identical in every pitch.

A worked example

An anonymised case study for a fractional CFO offer.

Title

A board pack the team now runs alone

Client

A logistics software scale-up, 120 people, Series A to B, 2023 to 2024

Context

Revenue had doubled in a year; finance was one accountant and the founder's spreadsheet.

Problem

The close took 18 days and the board saw numbers six weeks late.

What I did

Two days a week for six months: rebuilt the chart of accounts, set a close calendar, wrote the board pack template and trained the accountant to run it.

Result

The close went from 18 days to 5 in four months, and the team has run the board pack without me since.

This example is illustrative, written for this guide.