Diagnose
Business Diagnostic
"Something isn't working and I need to know why."
A structured investigation of what is actually producing the gap, so you can act on evidence instead of fixing the loudest symptom. We establish what should be happening, trace what is actually happening across the relevant parts of the business, test competing explanations, and determine what the evidence supports.
- Timeframe
- 3 to 4 weeks
- Structured review
- Data and documents
- Interviews
- The people closest to the issue
- Decision session
- 90 minutes, findings in hand
Right when
Something important isn't working and the reason is unclear.
Different people have different explanations for the same problem.
The obvious solution has already been tried, and the issue is still there.
You're about to spend meaningful money fixing what may only be a symptom.
Performance has changed and you need to understand why before acting.
You have data, opinions and symptoms, but no defensible diagnosis.
Not the right fit if the problem and the response are already sufficiently clear. In that case you may be ready to act internally, bring in the right specialist, or move directly into Build.
How it runs
Frame the gap
We establish what should be happening, what is actually happening, and whether the difference is meaningful enough to investigate.
Trace the system
We follow the issue through the parts of the business that could plausibly explain it: upstream, where the symptom appears, and downstream at the consequences. Rigorously, but without turning the engagement into an audit of everything.
Separate evidence from explanation
We distinguish what is known from what people believe, assume, or already want to fix. A reported explanation is treated as something to test, not automatically as fact.
Test competing explanations
We develop the plausible explanations and test them against evidence, contradictions, and the cases where the expected pattern does not occur.
Diagnose
We determine what the evidence actually supports, how confident you should be in it, and what remains uncertain. A symptom can appear in one part of the business while the condition producing it lives somewhere else, so we don't accept the first explanation as the diagnosis.
Prioritize the response
We identify what should happen now, what can wait, and what should not be done yet.
Define verification
We establish what should change if the diagnosis and response are right, so implementation can later be evaluated against evidence rather than activity.
What you leave with
The gap investigated, and the evidence and observations that matter.
The explanations considered and tested, and what the evidence actually supports.
How confident to be in the conclusion, and what remains uncertain.
What deserves priority: what happens now, what waits, and what should not be done yet.
Recommended next actions, whether that's acting internally, bringing in a specialist, or further work with us.
How to know whether the response worked, defined before implementation begins.
Ready when you are
Book the Business Diagnostic
A three to four week engagement: a structured review of your data and documents, interviews with the people closest to the issue, a written diagnosis, and a 90-minute findings and decision session.
Pick a time
Book a conversation about the Business Diagnostic
Choose a time that works, tell us the shape of the problem, and we'll come prepared.
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