What to expect from an operational diagnostic

Most organisations that book an operational diagnostic have already tried to solve the problem internally. They have had the meetings, assigned the working groups, and produced the documents. The diagnostic is not a repeat of that process. It is a structured look at the same situation from outside the org chart, using a consistent framework rather than institutional assumptions.

What happens in week one ¶

The first week is intake only. No recommendations, no preliminary findings shared with the team. Janet reviews the last 12 months of financials, the current org chart, and any existing planning documents. She also asks for a decision log: a list of the 10 to 15 most significant decisions the leadership team made in the past year, with rough notes on how long each one took and who was involved.

The decision log is the most revealing document in the intake. It shows where authority actually sits, which is often different from what the org chart says. It also shows where decisions are getting stuck, which is usually the first signal of where the diagnostic will focus.

Interviews: who gets asked what ¶

Interviews run across weeks two and three. Janet speaks with four to six people: the most senior leader, one or two people in the middle of the organisation who see the most cross-functional friction, and one or two people closest to the customer or the core work.

The interviews are semi-structured and run about 45 minutes each. The questions are consistent across all participants, which makes it possible to map where perceptions diverge. The gap between what leadership believes is happening and what the people doing the work experience is almost always where the real problem is located.

The findings report ¶

Week four is writing and review. The findings report is a plain document, typically eight to twelve pages. It covers what was observed, what the data suggests, and a prioritised list of actions ranked by use and feasibility.

The report is delivered in a working session, not emailed as an attachment. The session runs about 90 minutes and is structured to allow the leadership team to push back, ask questions, and adjust the prioritisation before anything is finalised. The goal is a document the team owns, not one they received.

The 30-day check-in call, included in every diagnostic engagement, is where most clients report the most useful conversation. By then, the first actions are in motion and the real implementation questions have surfaced.