About Anametrica
Anametrica, based in Mount Washington, Massachusetts, was organized in 2000 to provide consulting services in:
- strategic analysis and planning support
- profitability improvement
- business and business process modeling
- planning process facilitation
- general management issues.
Anametrica operates as a virtual company. For large and complex projects, we organize high-level, multi-disciplinary teams. For smaller, more specialized projects, we generally work independently.
The name "Anametrica", roughly translated, means "from or through measurement". It reflects our analytical emphasis on developing the right metrics—what do we want to achieve?—and working back from these to the appropriate analyses.
How We Work
We typically work individually or as a member of fairly small peer-level teams of specialists. We try to work only with the best people available and to bring to each assignment just what is needed to succeed at the least cost.
We have no junior staff members and no managers or administrative folks. We outsource anything that can be outsourced in terms of infrastructure and administration. We rarely use contractors, preferring instead to work with peers.
Virtually all of our assignments address executive level issues and problems in complex, high-stakes situations. These do not lend themselves to the learning-on-the-job exercises often necessary with junior or inexperienced people.
We also try to bring a high-level of creativeness and insight to our work for clients. This is an important part of the value we offer.
Perhaps the best way to get a sense for how we work is to read some of the examples highlighted on our home page.
Gerry Allan
Anametrica's founder, Gerry Allan, has been an independent management consultant for over 25 years. His education includes a doctorate in decision analysis from Harvard1, an MBA in applied economics from UC Berkeley, and two engineering degrees.
Prior to his consulting life, he held positions including CFO of a fast-growing electronics manufacturer, purchasing manager for one of Canada's largest natural resources firms, marketing and sales vice president for a high-tech division of Armour Foods, and project group manager with engineering giant Bechtel Corp.
1 Doctoral thesis — "Competitive Behavior and Corporate Growth", Harvard University, 1978 — was based on a behavioral simulation model of the major chemicals industry.
Being Virtual
Anametrica was set up from its inception to operate as a virtual company. Rapid advances in communications and computing technology finally made it practical to operate without offices, employees, administrative overhead and staff meetings.
This is in fact the way many small consulting firms have tried to operate for decades. It is a natural way of working for experienced, established professionals who are as effective working individually as they are with peer teams.
Most of our peer-level project teams have a project leader who handles contracts, billing, and other administrative chores for each project.
Consultants tend to sell either hours or expertise. We sell expertise, and we try to minimize the hours this requires. We are often called in by clients to get a job done right — a job that a large staff of mostly inexperienced, big firm consultants were unable to do.
Selling expertise can be done with very little corporate structure and overhead. It is inherently virtual.