02 Method
From the value creation thesis to the work
We lock the thesis and the critical moves with the CEO. Then we trace each move through people, decisions, capacity, work, and economics. The result is a verdict on every move: working, stalled, or absent.
Sanitized composite · Day 14 readout
What the work says
The company and figures are invented and blended. The structure and depth match the readout a CEO receives.
Observed drift
$670K to $850K
per month · directional
WHAT
Value creation thesisReach $32M EBITDA without breaking gross retention or gross margin.
4 critical moves
Critical move
Verdict
What the work says
M1Re-rate the core
Yellow
The new offer exists as a price sheet. Renewal work still runs on the old catalog script.
$2.1M renewed on old terms0 of 63 on new paper
M2Standardize enterprise delivery
Red
Bookings are ahead. Custom commitments are consuming the margin and delivery speed the plan requires.
Bookings +23%Margin 54% vs. 71%190 vs. 88 days live
M3Renewal to expansion
Green
The move has an owner, the work is measured, and NRR has risen from 103 to 106. Leadership should leave the motion alone.
NRR 103 to 1062 quarters
M4Enterprise operating cadence
Red
The board sees progress. No team reports work against the move, and the operating numbers require manual reconciliation.
0 teams reporting work3 systems
Underlying constraint
Too many decisions sit with the CEO. The capacity is trapped inside functions and legacy work.
3 of 4 moves stall here
Three moves inside 30 days
01Retire Legacy LMS v2Release 18% of product capacity into the re-rate.
02Delegate the deal deskGive the CRO published guardrails for approvals under $75K.
03Name the owner for M4Require common pipeline definitions in 30 days, or defer the move.
Choose the depth the decision requires
The Directional Read tests whether alignment is likely to be the constraint and whether further work would change a decision. The audit follows every critical move through ownership, decisions, capacity, work, and economics.
Five business days
Directional Read
Establish whether alignment is likely to be the constraint, where the evidence is thin, and whether a full audit would change a decision.
ThesisMovesSampleDecision
Output: go or no-go, the likely constraint, confidence, and the exact test to run next.
Two weeks
Strategy Alignment Audit
Trace every critical move through ownership, decisions, capacity, work, and economics, then test the starting beliefs against operating evidence.
ThesisMovesTraceAction
Output: verdict by move, cost of drift, decision and capacity maps, and actions for 30, 90, and 180 days.
What enters the read
01Strategy and economicsBoard materials, ARR bridge, churn, bookings, margin by cohort.
02Work and capacityProject inventory, capacity by move, projects that support none of the critical moves.
03Decisions and exceptionsDecision rights, approvals, timestamps, escalation routes.
04The system in useCEO sessions, executive interviews, and the meetings where leaders review work and make decisions.
Boundaries: the work reads the company against its value creation thesis. Every claim carries a confidence label. If alignment is not the constraint, we say so and stop. When the evidence is too thin for an important decision, the readout says exactly what must be checked next.
Fees: exact in the first call.
Fixed once quoted.
