Solutions

Our consulting toolkit is always expanding. Discover our solution areas and the results we can generate.

Learn More →

Clients

Is your organization equipped to thrive in uncharted territory? Does your workforce know the strategic direction?

Start Your Journey →

An SBA-certified small business, Outpost offers services for large and small companies, nonprofits, and government, including law enforcement and the defense and intelligence communities. Outpost is an equal opportunity employer. DUNS and CAGE code upon request.

Our roots

The name Outpost is inspired by the great outdoors as a place of discovery and teamwork. Our Owner/CEO spent summers canoeing and backpacking in Wisconsin’s northwoods. Voyages across Trout Lake, Isle Royale, and the Porcupine Mountains meant mapping a shared direction, adjusting mid-stream, and reaching the destination together.

Our company reflects these roots. Organizations of all shapes and sizes face uncertain terrain and new challenges. If the team isn't paddling in sync, the expedition will struggle. At Outpost, our consulting experts are here to partner with clients, chart the course ahead, and share their journey.

About the Owner/ceo

Houston founded Outpost in 2017 believing in a better way to deliver for clients.

He first started in management consulting in 2001 at the corporate offices of JP Morgan, aiding its merger with Chase Manhattan. In his career, he has served as a federal government officer and has led teams of up to 54 as a contractor in support of U.S. defense and intelligence organizations with over 51,000 people, $11B budgets, and $297B in assets. He is also an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

He holds a master's of science in management, a graduate certificate in organizational change, and some professional certifications. But consulting isn't about degrees or certificates on a wall – it's about people. When your organization faces its next uphill climb, hire the right trail guide.

strategic planning

Action without strategic guidance creates risk. Planning enables organizations to cut risk and reap growth by translating the strategy into reality. Organizations need a clear, actionable plan that accounts for the internal and external drivers while remaining adaptive to change. A successful strategic plan must cascade the organization’s mission and vision into operational objectives that the team then accomplishes.

Outpost's Capabilities:
→ Strategic Plan Development
→ Current / Future Environment Analysis
→ Strategy Workshop Facilitation
→ Mission-Vision-Goals Synthesis
→ Action Sequencing & Prioritization
→ Workforce Messaging / Adoption
→ Plan Execution Support

organizational change

Good leaders realize that organizations must adapt with purpose to the challenges and opportunities that arise. But necessary change often goes unnoticed, unwanted, or unassisted. Overdue transformation can damage both the team and the bottom line. A leader’s chief job is to recognize and address imperatives for change in a timely, deliberate manner and in line with a defined organizational strategy.

Outpost's Capabilities:
→ Transformation Strategy
→ Organization Analysis & Design
→ Change Planning & Execution
→ Roles, Responsibilities, and Governance
→ Manpower-to-Workload Rebalancing
→ Internal Workforce Communications
→ Stakeholder Engagement / Outreach
→ Leadership Coaching (Download)

enterprise effectiveness

How decisions get made is the sink-or-swim moment for every organization. Today's constraints put greater scrutiny on leaders to be able to determine and articulate their resourcing decisions. Leadership cannot make every decision, however, or the enterprise will grind to a halt. Risk-informed business rules and delegated authorities are crucial to posture your organization to create progress unburdened by micromanagement.

Outpost's Capabilities:
→ Strategy-driven Resourcing
→ Governance Framework Design
→ Program Evaluation & Prioritization
→ Metrics Implementation / Reporting
→ Data Science & Visualization (Download)
→ Integrated Master Scheduling (IMS)
→ Make-Buy-Rely Decision Support
→ Business Rules & Thresholds

PROCESS EFFICIENCY / RE-ENGINEERING

Stagnant progress, inconsistency, and stubborn defect rates are symptoms of organizations that aren't engineered to generate the right outputs. Many leaders rely on well-worn operating processes that no longer produce effective, efficient results. Even if a new plan is in place and the workforce is on board, success will be elusive if underlying business processes fail to evolve with the rest of the organization.

Outpost's Capabilities:
→ Business Process Mapping / Modeling
→ Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)
→ Advanced Supply Chain Solutions
→ Accessible, Dynamic Process Guides
→ Business Rules & Decision Thresholds
→ Cross-unit Performance Optimization
→ Process Training & Implementation

WORKFORCE & HUMAN CAPITAL

The key to enterprise performance is the human element. In other words, culture is everything. Organizational success is a mixture of leadership, strategy, processes, external drivers, and - most importantly - the workforce. Underpinning a winning culture is a healthy balance between the individual member, the team, and the objective.

Outpost's Capabilities:
→ Human Capital Strategy
→ Manpower-to-Workload Rebalancing
→ Position Description Refinement
→ Training Development / Instructional Systems Design (ISD)
→ Awards & Incentive Programs
→ Hiring, Onboarding, and Succession
→ Mentoring Program Implementation
→ Leadership Coaching (Download)

TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION

Organizations need to provide their people with the right tools for the right job at the right time. Increasingly, technology is that tool. Friction and lost productivity from IT changes have become the accepted norm. But these are symptoms of technology changes made without due attention and support to the people, training, and business processes.

Outpost's Capabilities:
→ Cyber Security & Vulnerability
→ IT Portfolio Management
→ Agile / Scrum Development
→ Root Analysis of Technology Needs
→ Make-Buy-Rely Decision Support
→ SharePoint / Knowledge Management
→ IT Change Management
→ User Adoption & Training

INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS

The U.S. national security community is popularized in book and film for its intrigue, guile, and daring. The reality is that defense and intelligence agencies face constraints and challenges similar to main street. Leaders must develop and empower their teams. Customers want a timely, quality product. Crisis can hit any moment. In a complex, digital age, the simple solution can still be lethally effective.

Outpost's Capabilities:
→ All-Source Intelligence Analysis
→ Joint Intelligence Planning
→ Exercise & Wargame Support
→ Mission Management & Integration
→ DoD/IC Policy Coordination
→ Full Lifecycle Intelligence Activities
→ Business Consulting in Cleared Spaces

→ Download our
capability paper.

our ethic

We at Outpost believe in a better way to deliver for clients. The minimum is no longer sufficient for organizations to compete in today's environment. Delivering client-tailored solutions on time, on cost is the bedrock of what we do – but "on time, on cost" merely lets clients survive. We want our clients to also strive for greatness and thrive in their field.

That's our promise to every Outpost client:

Not sure where to start? You’re not alone. No one said leading large organizations is easy.

Today’s complex environment plus the human factor equals difficult terrain. Strategy consulting is about orienting leaders and their teams to reduce uncertainty and surmount challenges.

Outpost’s trademark Orienteering Toolkit™ equips leaders like you with the map and compass showing which tool(s) to use on common management obstacles.

→ Download our Orienteering Toolkit™.

partner with outpost

An SBA-certified small business, Outpost offers services for large and small companies, nonprofits, and government, including law enforcement and the defense and intelligence communities. Outpost is an equal opportunity employer. DUNS and CAGE code upon request.