How we work
Diagnose before you build.
Most stalled programs are held up by one thing at a time. Work that doesn’t move it feels productive and changes nothing. Finding it comes first, and it’s usually not what we were called about.
01The engagement
Four phases, designed to end.
How long each phase runs depends on the scope. An engagement can last weeks, months or years.
- 01
Diagnose
We find the real constraint, which often isn't the one you called us about. That means digging into the data, documents and decisions, and talking with the people doing the work.
- Written diagnosis of the main constraint
- Risk register ranked by consequence, not by how loud the risk is
- A sequenced plan with owners and dates
- 02
Define
Before anyone builds, the problem gets defined in terms you can verify: requirements, specifications, acceptance criteria, and the evidence that closes out each one.
- Requirements and specifications traced to user needs
- Evidence and test strategy tied to claims
- Decision gates with explicit criteria
- 03
Execute
We work alongside your team, in your systems, on your documents. No report from the outside, and no parallel program to reconcile later.
- Completed studies, analyses and qualification work
- Documentation your quality system can accept as-is
- Weekly written status against the plan
- 04
Transfer
The engagement is built to end. Your team holds the documents, understands the reasoning, and can run the process without us. That's the outcome that lasts.
- Handover package with rationale, not just results
- Working sessions until your team is running it
- A named owner for everything we touched
02Principles
How we hold ourselves to it.
The constraint first
Most programs are held back by one thing at a time. Work that doesn't move it feels productive and changes nothing, so we find it before anything else.
Evidence over opinion
Experience tells us where to look, but it doesn't replace data. Every recommendation should hold up on something other than seniority.
We work in your systems
Documents land in your quality system, in your format, ready to use. A deliverable that needs translating before anyone can act on it isn't finished.
Leave capability behind
The measure of an engagement is what your team can do afterward that it couldn't before. Dependence is a failure, not a business model.
03Ways to work together
Three shapes, depending on what you need.
Readiness Diagnostic
2–3 weeks, fixed scope
You know something is stuck and want an independent read on what it is before committing budget.
- Full review across all five domains
- Written diagnosis and ranked risk register
- Sequenced plan with owners and dates
Focused Workstream
6–12 weeks, defined outcome
The constraint is known and you need people who've done it before to close it out.
- A named outcome with acceptance criteria
- Execution alongside your team, in your systems
- Handover with rationale documented
Embedded Technical Leadership
Ongoing, part-time
You need senior technical judgment in the room regularly, without adding a permanent executive.
- Standing role in your program governance
- Direct ownership of technical decisions
- Development of your internal team
Start here
Tell us what's stuck.
Tell us where the program is and what you think is in the way. We'll tell you what we'd look at first, and whether we're the right people for it.