For decades, the consulting firm has looked like a pyramid. A few partners sit at the top, a layer of managers sits in the middle, and a wide base of junior staff does the research, builds the slides, and keeps the project coordinated. The model worked because the base was affordable and the work was plentiful. Now that AI and better tools absorb much of that base-level work, the shape is changing into a diamond.

What the diamond looks like

A diamond team is weighted toward mid-to-senior expertise. It has fewer junior people, more experienced practitioners, and a small group of senior leaders. Consider a team that once needed two partners, three managers, and 10 analysts for a process redesign. The diamond version might use one partner, five experienced consultants, and a few analysts, with AI assistants and better tooling handling first-draft research, formatting, and status reporting.

The work that remains is the work that needs judgment: framing the problem, interviewing stakeholders, challenging assumptions, and persuading a skeptical executive.

What clients should expect and ask for

If you buy consulting, the diamond should work in your favor. Ask for the following:

1. A team of people who have done this before, not people learning on your engagement.
2. A clear explanation of which tasks tools handle, and who checks the results.
3. Fees that reflect the new mix. If the junior base shrinks, the rate card should say so.
4. Named senior people who are in the room, not only on the proposal.

Also ask how the firm protects your data when its people use AI tools. A smaller team with faster tools still needs sound policies.

The risk to learning the craft

Here’s the uncomfortable part. Junior people have always learned by doing the unglamorous work. They built the model, cleaned up the notes, and sat in the meeting where it all went sideways. If a tool does that work, where do the next senior consultants come from? A diamond with no pipeline is a diamond with a short shelf life.

Firms need to replace the old apprenticeship deliberately. That means pairing newer consultants with experienced ones on real client work, having them review and correct AI output (which teaches them what good looks like), rotating them through client conversations early, and setting aside time for coaching that doesn’t depend on billable hours.

At Trayix, we think this is a responsibility, not a cost to trim. We’d rather have a few more junior people than the economics strictly demand, because we want to grow our own senior talent.

If you’re hiring a firm, ask one more question: how do you train the people who will lead your next project?