The productivity assessment is our most common starting point. It is a focused piece of work, usually four to six weeks, that answers a deceptively simple question: where does productive time go? Organizations rarely lack effort. They lack a map of where effort is being spent on work that does not move the business.
What the assessment examines
We look at five layers of the organization, because productivity is rarely lost in one place.
- Role clarity. Do people know what they own and where their authority ends? Ambiguity quietly consumes enormous amounts of time.
- Handoffs. Every handoff between teams, systems, or shifts is a place where work waits. We count the waits, not just the tasks.
- Tooling. How many systems does a single process touch? Each extra system adds re-entry, reconciliation, and error.
- Management routines. Do managers have repeatable ways to set priorities, give feedback, and remove blockers?
- Measurement. Are the metrics the organization watches actually connected to the work people do?
How we gather evidence
We combine qualitative and quantitative methods. Structured interviews give us the texture of the problem. Workflow observation shows us what the interviews miss. A review of existing data, including ticketing systems, project trackers, payroll records, and scheduling data, gives us volume and frequency. We are careful to distinguish between what the data shows and what it merely suggests.
What you receive
The assessment produces a findings document written in plain language. It opens with a one-page summary for executives, then describes each source of friction with supporting evidence. It ends with a prioritized set of opportunities, each with an estimate of effort and a description of the benefit in operational terms rather than financial promises. We are explicit that these are directional signals, not commitments.
How the assessment connects to the rest of our practice
The findings from an assessment usually point toward two kinds of follow-on work. Some point toward redesign: the operating model itself needs to change. Others point toward capability: the model is fine, but managers or teams need support to run it well. Our operating model design stage addresses the first, and our People stage addresses the second.
Common situations that call for an assessment
Companies ask for an assessment in several recurring moments. After a merger, when two ways of working collide. Before a major systems change, when the organization wants to fix the process rather than automate the mess. After rapid growth, when the informal ways of coordinating have stopped scaling. And sometimes simply when leadership senses drag but cannot locate it.
What we need from you
The assessment runs most smoothly with a small internal team that can arrange access, answer questions, and sense-check our findings as they emerge. We ask for a senior sponsor, a working group of three to five people, and access to the systems and teams we need to observe. We keep disruption small by scheduling interviews and observations around your operational calendar.
After the assessment
You own the findings whether or not you continue with us. If you choose to proceed, we can move directly into design. If you choose to act internally, we are glad to have made the problem legible. Both are good outcomes, and we say so plainly.
Request an assessment to start the conversation.