Operational Terrain Analysis: an operational review built from the people who do the work
Map how your organisation really works.
Your org chart shows who reports to whom. It doesn't show who people actually go to, where information gets stuck, or which teams have quietly drifted apart. Operational Terrain Analysis maps the ground your business really runs on.
We map the relationships, lines of communication and flows of data and information across your organisation, built from structured conversations with the people who do the work and observation of how work actually moves between them. The result is a clear picture of the terrain: the routes that work, the routes people avoid, and the places where growth will get stuck.
Every review includes a full look at your core processes and the systems behind them.
What it reveals
Bottlenecks
The people, approvals and handoffs that everything has to pass through.
Key players
The connectors and go-to people the business depends on, often not the ones the org chart suggests.
Silos and isolated teams
Teams working well on their own but cut off from the information they need, or that others need from them.
Information flow
How data and decisions really travel, where they are duplicated, delayed or lost.
Who is involved, and who should be
The gap between who takes part in key decisions today and who needs to.
Single points of failure
Knowledge and relationships held by one person, and what happens if they are away.
What you get
- A visual map of your operational terrain: people, teams, systems and the connections between them
- Bottlenecks, key players and isolated teams identified and explained
- A clear view of who is and who needs to be involved in each core process and decision
- Findings rated for risk and potential impact
- Practical recommendations in three horizons: immediate, medium term and longer term
Format
Structured one-to-one conversations across your teams, system walkthroughs and observation
Timescale
Typically two to three weeks from first interview to final roadmap
You receive
A visual map of your operational terrain, findings rated for risk and impact, and a three-horizon roadmap
Fee
Fixed fee, agreed before we start
Conversations are confidential and findings are reported at team and role level, so people can speak openly.
Who it's for
- You've raised, and investors are asking how operations will scale
- Growth is already in the pipeline and you're not sure the way you work will hold
- A few capable people are holding everything together, and you know it
- Teams work well on their own, but work keeps falling through the gaps between them
What changes
- You can see how your business really runs, including the routes people use and the ones they avoid.
- Your leadership team agrees on what to fix first, because every finding comes with evidence and a rating.
- Each action on the roadmap has an owner, so the work can start straight after the readout.
How it works
- 01
Agree the scope
Before the review starts
A short call to agree the questions that matter, which teams to include and who I should speak to.
- 02
Conversations and walkthroughs
Week 1
Structured one-to-one conversations with the people who do the work, and walkthroughs of the systems they use every day. I follow the work across teams, not just within them.
- 03
Test and rate
Weeks 1 to 2
What one person says is checked with others and against the data. Each finding is rated for risk and impact, and the draft is tested with you.
- 04
Map and roadmap
By the end of week 2 or 3
You receive the terrain map, the rated findings and a three-horizon roadmap, talked through with your leadership team.
How this is different
Read more about how we approach the work
New to this? Start with what is an operational review?
How an independent operational review helps growing businesses spot the constraints that will slow them down next.
A structured assessment of how work flows through your business and whether your tools are fit for the stage you are heading towards.
Related services
Find out what's really holding you back
A 30-minute call is usually enough to tell whether the review is right for you.
Book a call