Execution Diagnostic
If your organisation keeps underdelivering, the problem is usually not effort. It's how work actually gets decided, prioritised, and followed through.
Priorities drift. Decisions get made and then unmade. Good work stalls between teams. If any of this sounds familiar, the Execution Diagnostic will tell you exactly where the breakdown is - and what to do about it.
What execution breakdown actually looks like
Most execution problems don't announce themselves as execution problems. They show up as something else.
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A strategic initiative that's been 'nearly ready' for six months
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A decision that keeps getting reopened after it was supposed to be settled
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A cross-functional project where everyone agrees it's a priority but nothing moves without someone chasing it
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A leadership team that's working harder than ever but can't point to what's actually different because of it
These aren't talent problems. They're not motivation problems. They're structural problems in how the organisation makes decisions, holds priorities, and operates week to week.
The Execution Diagnostic finds them.
Recognise any of these?
Ask five leaders to name the top 3 priorities. Get 5 different answers.
Too many initiatives in flight. They get added faster than they get finished - or stopped.
Decisions get made in a meeting and discussed and re-decided in another one.
Work stalls whenever it crosses team or cross-functional boundaries
Leadership finds out things have gone off track weeks after the frontline already knew.
The weekly rhythm produces a lot of updates, status reports, and not many actual decisions.
Who the diagnosis is for
This diagnostic is right for you if you're a CEO, COO, or senior Operations or Transformation Leader and at least one of the following is true:
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You know execution isn't working as well as it should, but you're not sure exactly where the breakdown is
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You've been through a strategy refresh or reorganisation and the performance improvement hasn't materialised
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You're preparing for a significant change - a new phase of growth, a technology transformation, a merger - and you want to understand where execution is fragile before you add pressure
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You've tried fixing the symptoms (new processes, new tools, new meetings) and the same problems keep coming back
This diagnostic doesn't require an AI angle. If your organisation's execution challenges are straightforward operational problems, this will find them. If AI is part of what you're trying to implement and execution is the risk, this gives you the foundation. Either way, the starting point is the same: an honest picture of where things actually are.
How it works
Step 1: Survey - up to 15 people, 5 functions, 3 layers
I send a structured survey to a cross-section of your organisation: five business functions, three organisational layers. The multi-layer design matters. The gaps between how senior leaders see execution and how it looks to the people doing the work are almost always significant - and almost always revealing.
Step 2: AI analysis, interpreted by an experienced eye
Survey responses are analysed using AI to identify patterns, spot gaps between layers, and surface themes that individual responses obscure. That means identifying where senior leaders and the frontline are telling different stories, spotting recurring patterns across functions, and surfacing the structural issues that individual answers on their own don't reveal. I then review and interpret all findings myself. The AI does the pattern recognition quickly and without bias. The judgment about what matters and what to do about it is mine.
Step 3: 90-minute debrief and written report
I run a 90-minute video debrief with you and up to four or five members of your team. You get a written report with prioritised findings and a clear action plan within 48 hours of the debrief. The report is designed to be acted on immediately, not to sit in a folder.
Optional: Further support (if you want it)
Some clients implement the recommendations internally. If you want help embedding the changes, I can support that as a separate engagement - but the diagnosis is designed to stand on its own.
What the diagnostic delivers
In two to three weeks, you'll have a clear picture of where execution is breaking down in across five areas, and why:
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Priorities and focus
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Decision making and follow through
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Cadence and rhythym
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Cross-functional delivery
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Accountability and learning
By the end, you'll have:
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The 3-5 structural constraints that are actually slowing your organisation down
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A clear picture of where the gaps are between what leadership believes and what's happening on the ground
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Specific, prioritised actions you can start on in the next 90 days
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A written report you can share with your leadership team, not just meeting notes
Priorities and focus
Are your strategic priorities clear, shared, and stable - or are they shifting, multiplying, and differently understood depending on who you ask?
Decision making & follow through
Are decisions being made at the right level, in reasonable time, and sticking once made - or are they slow, contested, and constantly revisited?
Cadence and rhythm
Does your operating rhythm drive action and accountability - or does it produce updates that no one acts on?
Cross-functional delivery
Where do handoffs between teams create delays, confusion, or dropped accountability?
Accountability and learning
When things go off track, does the organisation learn, problem solve and adjust - or does it move on and repeat the same patterns?
Why ExcellGrowth
Execution diagnostics are only useful if they tell you something you don't already know - and if the recommendations reflect how organisations actually work, not how they're supposed to work on paper.
I've spent 25 years working on execution in complex organisations, from strategy to implementation, across multiple sectors. I've seen what the problems look like from the boardroom and from the factory floor. I know the difference between a structural execution problem and a leadership team that's just having a bad quarter.
The multi-layer survey design is deliberate. Most execution assessments talk to senior leaders and report back senior leaders' views. This one captures what's actually happening at the frontline and in the middle - which is usually where the real picture lives.
Investment
£2,995 + VAT
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Structured survey deployed to up to 15 people across 5 functions and 3 organisational layers
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AI-powered analysis of responses: pattern recognition, layer gap analysis, cross-referencing with public data
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Expert review and interpretation of all findings
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90-minute video debrief with you and up to 4-5 members of your team
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Written report with prioritised findings and action plan, delivered within 48 hours of the debrief
If the diagnostic identifies specific areas you want to work on - e.g. fixing a decision-making process, redesigning the operating rhythm, preparing the organisation for a transformation - I can scope an implementation engagement separately.
Common questions
Q: How long does the whole process take?
A: From survey launch to written report, typically two to three weeks. The main variable is how quickly your team completes the survey.
Q: Who needs to be involved from our side?
A: You'll need to nominate up to 15 survey participants from across the business - ideally a cross-section of functions and levels who will openly and honestly reflect the reality of your organisation with the intent of improving it. For the debrief, I'd recommend you plus anyone who owns operational performance or transformation. Beyond that, the time commitment from your team is minimal.
Q: Will the survey responses be confidential?
A: Individual responses are never directly attributed - the analysis looks at patterns across the group, not individuals. That said, in a 15-person survey with one representative from some functions, it may sometimes be possible to infer who said what. I flag this clearly in the survey introduction so participants can answer with that in mind. The goal is honest responses, not anonymity theatre.
Q: We've done engagement surveys before. How is this different?
A: Engagement surveys measure how people feel. This diagnostic measures how the organisation works. The focus is on decision quality, priority clarity, operating rhythm, and cross-functional handoffs - not satisfaction or culture.
Q: What happens after the diagnostic?
A: The report stands on its own and you can act on it however you choose. If the findings point to a specific change programme or area for deeper work, we can talk about what that looks like. There's no obligation.
Q: Can you help with implementation as well as diagnosis?
A: Yes. If the diagnostic identifies a clear priority, I can scope an implementation engagement. Priced separately on a project basis.