The method

The Operational Diagnostic

One structured, partner-delivered diagnostic that finds where an organization is tangled, scores its health across six dimensions, and gives you a prioritized plan to untangle it. Here's how it works — and what it found for one client.

01 · The tension

Most organizations aren't broken. They're tangled.

Decisions take three meetings to make. The same five conversations keep happening. A technology stack that costs a fortune and delivers nothing. A founder who knows something is wrong but can't see exactly where.

Left unchecked, it doesn't kill organizations — it traps them. Teams that work hard but can't seem to get ahead. Leaders who feel overloaded but can't locate the source. The difference between an organization that scales and one that stalls is rarely strategy. It's almost always operational.

02 · The method

An Operational Health Score across six dimensions.

Every engagement begins with a structured diagnostic. We score what's working, what's not, and what to fix first.

Operational Health Score
0–10 SIX DIMENSIONS
0510
0–3Critical
3–5Developing
5–7Structured
7–10Optimized

The diagnostic is the product. Multi-session, partner-delivered, scored against a proprietary rubric we've built across schools, owner-led businesses, and scaling companies.

Each dimension is rated and weighted by track. The output is an Operational Health Score, a prioritized action plan, and a board-ready report you can act on the same week.

Most clients use the diagnostic as the entry point to a longer engagement. Some take the report and run with it themselves. Both are fine — we built it that way on purpose.

Every completed diagnostic adds to the benchmark. The data is the asset.

01
Strategic Clarity
Mission, direction, priorities, stakeholder alignment.
02
Governance & Decision Rights
Decision rights, accountability, policy, controls.
03
People & Org Health
Capability, culture, leadership, retention.
04
Financial Stewardship
Budget visibility, runway, unit economics.
05
Operating Rhythm
Meetings, reporting rhythm, execution speed.
06
Technology & Systems
Stack, integration, AI maturity, software ROI.
03 · A real outcome

A Track 2 client. Twelve months later.

Case · Anonymized · 2025
68% → 54%
Revenue concentration, two largest clients (90 days)
+31%
Revenue growth, same headcount (12 months)
4.6 → 6.1
Operational Health Score (developing → structured)

"We knew something was off. We didn't know it was this."

A professional services business with 14 staff. Three weeks into the Operational Diagnostic, the highest-impact finding wasn't in the operating model — it was a revenue concentration risk: 68% of billings from two clients.

Within 90 days, the founder had diversified the book to 54%, introduced a weekly financial rhythm, and separated themselves from day-to-day service delivery for the first time. Twelve months later, revenue had grown 31% on the same headcount. The Operational Health Score had moved from 4.6 (Developing) to 6.1 (Structured).

The diagnostic took three weeks. The implementation took three months. The compounding has continued ever since.

The Operational Diagnostic starts at $12,500.

A clear floor, bespoke from there. Most engagements begin with a 45-minute call — no prep required.