Advisors

Only advisors that have undergone training, development and quality assurance by emqc Ltd are registered as matrix advisors. They can easily be identified by their official matrix registration card and inclusion on this website.

It is advisable that you use an advisor from this site, as there are no guarantees for the accuracy or quality of the advice that you may receive from an unregistered advisor.

You can engage with an advisor at any point, whether you are working towards your assessment, already undergone assessment or are already accredited. As detailed on the costs page, you will need to discuss fees with your advisor directly. If you are unsure of where to start please don’t hesitate to make an initial enquiry to any of the advisors as they will be more than happy to help; alternatively you can always contact us directly. Please be aware that your advisor cannot also assess you because it would constitute a conflict of interest.

"The advisor was an excellent critical friend that has helped us further improve our services" Voluntary and Community Organisation.

Experience

It is worth remembering that a matrix advisor will be able to work with the matrix Standard in any type of organisation and sometimes it can be valuable to have ideas and input from someone with experience of other sectors/types of organisation. However you may wish to work with an advisor that has significant experience with similar organisations to yours. If you are involved in a network or partnership, it may be worth asking similar like-minded organisations if they can recommend an advisor they have used.

Choosing An Advisor

Choose a matrix advisor you feel you can work with and will fit with your organisation. You may consider a selection process which enables you to speak to two or three advisors before you decide who to use.

The following are some questions that you may wish to consider to ensure that you gain the maximum benefit from the support you receive from an advisor. You may also wish to consider these before making a decision of who to work with.

• What are your objectives for the advice?
• What outcomes do you want to achieve?
• What will be produced either during the support or at the end of it? Perhaps you will want a summary, report or action plan?
• What activities will be undertaken, who will be involved, how will the support be delivered, and where will it be delivered?
• How will you evaluate the advisor's work?
• What measures of effectiveness will you use?
• What type of follow up activities do you want?
• What timescales do you want to work to?
• Will there be any interim milestones?
• Who will be the contact within your organisation for the purposes of the contract? What happens in the event that something goes wrong e.g. cancellation on either side at short notice?