Starting point, in one breath

• Briefly describe your top three operational priorities for the next 12 months and the target EBITDA improvement tied to each
• In numeric terms, what is your current consolidated EBITDA margin and your sponsor's target margin at exit? Options: < 5%, 5%–10%, 10%–15%, 15%–25%, > 25%
• Which revenue or cost levers do you believe are most capable of delivering the nearest-term margin uplift? Options: Pricing and discounting, Sales effectiveness, Procurement savings, Process automation, Shared services, Org redesign / headcount
• How many currently prioritized initiatives do you have active today that are expected to materially move EBITDA? Options: None, 1–2, 3–5, 6–10, More than 10
• Which timeline feels realistic for demonstrating a measurable EBITDA gain on a first initiative, given your internal approval cycles? Options: < 6 weeks, 6–12 weeks, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, Unsure

Where the plan tends to break

• Which single repeating problem in the last 12 months cost you the most in margin or cash?
• Walk me through the last instance of that problem, who first noticed it, and what the immediate consequence was for revenue or cost
• How often do forecast misses or margin shortfalls trace back to data gaps versus process execution? Options: Mostly data gaps, Mostly process execution, Even split, Unsure
• When that problem occurs, what downstream activities are forced to pause or degrade (reporting, supplier payments, customer fulfillment, forecasting)? Options: Reporting, Supplier payments, Customer fulfillment, Forecasting and planning, Other
• Which consequence of this recurring issue would cause you to stop a planned external engagement immediately? Options: Inability to provide clean data, No accountable owner, Regulatory constraint, Unresolvable systems gap, Other

Who carries the value agenda and why it stalls

• Who on your leadership team is currently accountable for delivering the value creation plan, and how much of their time is available weekly? Options: CEO, CFO, COO/Operations head, Head of Sales, Head of Procurement, Other
• Describe a recent week when that person tried to advance a transformation initiative, what blocked them, and how long the delay lasted
• How many full-time people or FTE-equivalents can you realistically dedicate to a cross-functional implementation for the next 6 months? Options: 0, 0.5–1, 2–3, 4–6, More than 6
• Which types of external support have been most helpful or distracting in prior engagements (embedded operator, advisory report, project-based vendor, temporary staff)? Options: Embedded operator, Advisory/report, Project vendor, Temporary staff, None
• If the person owning the agenda had zero capacity next quarter, what would be the single most likely outcome for your timeline? Options: Pause initiatives, Delay go-live, Lower scope, Shift to advisory-only, Unknown

The other options you are weighing

• If you stayed with your current approach, what would have to be true for it to deliver the sponsor's target without outside help?
• Which external providers, incumbents, or internal programs are you actively evaluating as alternatives today? Options: Another PE ops team, Specialist advisory firm, Systems integrator, Internal program, Turnaround firm, No alternatives
• Who internally has already proposed solving this without an outside partner, and what solution did they propose?
• What specific proof or milestone would cause you to stick with the incumbent or internal route instead of partnering externally? Options: Delivered pilot savings, Signed internal funding, Stable data availability, Named owner available, Other
• Which risk tied to switching partners would make you postpone a change for at least six months? Options: Disruption to customers, Loss of critical staff, Implementation cost, Regulatory reviews, Data migration risk

Readiness: practical gates that stop or start work

• Which integration, data, or access gap would prevent you from starting execution on your target date? Options: No API access to ERP, No clean P&L by entity, No single owner for data, Critical legacy system offline, Regulatory hold
• List the primary systems that need to be accessed or integrated for this work (financial, order management, CRM, procurement, HR), and note who owns each
• Is API or direct database access available for those systems, and which ones would require vendor-managed integrations? Options: APIs available, APIs partial, No APIs, vendor integration required, Unsure
• How clean and centralized is the financial and operational data that the initiative depends on, on a scale from 1 to 5 where 5 is review-ready? Options: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• Which compliance, legal, or board approvals could delay onboarding an external embedded operator beyond your desired start date? Options: Board approval, Sponsor sign-off, Data sharing agreement, Regulatory clearance, None
• If a required integration or approval is not in place, how long before you could realistically resolve it? Options: < 2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, 2–3 months, Longer

Sizing scope and the outcomes that matter

• If a 3-month pilot proved the forecasted EBITDA lift, what internal sign-off or contracting step would still block you from scaling that work immediately? Options: Budget reallocation, Legal contract, Sponsor approval, Change in leadership, Nothing would block
• Estimate the minimum monthly EBITDA uplift you would need to see in a pilot to justify embedded support for one function Options: <$10k, $10k–$50k, $50k–$150k, $150k–$500k, >$500k
• Which modules or initiative types should be considered for an initial pilot (pricing, sales process, procurement, shared services, ERP cleanup)? Options: Pricing optimization, Sales process, Procurement, Shared services, ERP/data cleanup, Organizational redesign
• Who would be the decision maker that must sign the commercial terms to expand from pilot to full engagement? Options: CEO, CFO, Sponsor representative, Board chair, Other
• What level of reporting cadence and metrics would satisfy your leadership that the work is on track (weekly P&L bridge, biweekly dashboard, monthly steering)? Options: Weekly P&L bridge, Biweekly dashboard, Monthly steering, Quarterly review, Other

Constraints that would kill the project

• Which single absolute constraint, if unmet, would make you stop the project before it begins (data access, owner assignment, regulatory clearance, budget)? Options: Data access, Owner assignment, Regulatory clearance, Budget, None
• Do you currently have a named owner for day-to-day project coordination and escalation? Options: Yes, named and available, Named but limited capacity, No, need assignment, Unsure
• How many external engagements of similar scope are running concurrently for your team right now? Options: 0, 1, 2, 3+, Unsure
• Which budget model do you expect to use for first-phase work, fixed-fee pilot, time-and-materials, or outcome-based? Options: Fixed-fee pilot, Time-and-materials, Outcome-based, Mixed

Decision triggers and next practical steps

• What single answer in this discovery would make you comfortable signing a mutual commit within 30 days?
• Which stakeholders must be present for a final mutual-commit review and what is their earliest availability? Options: CEO, CFO, COO, Sponsor lead, Head of IT, Other
• If the pilot proves the numbers, who has authority to approve the budget for scaling and in what time window? Options: CEO within 1 week, CFO within 2 weeks, Sponsor within 2–4 weeks, Board within 4+ weeks, Other
• How do you prefer to receive a proposed initial scope and price—short executive brief, detailed statement of work, or interactive workshop? Options: Executive brief, Detailed SOW, Interactive workshop, Other
• Realistically, what is the target decision date for moving from discovery to a signed pilot? Options: Within 2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, 3+ months, Unsure

• Solution Experience: Initiative-to-Outcome Walkthrough

• Confirm the current state and what it is costing you
• You confirm that the demonstrated initiative mapping delivers the expected EBITDA uplift in your operational context.
• Deliver a tailored initiative-to-value map showing each prioritized initiative, the expected EBITDA contribution, named owner, and estimated level of effort for the next review.
• You accept the proposed embedded operating partner role and level of effort as sufficient to meet the initiative's value target.
• Map a prioritized initiative to the EBITDA target
• Provide the current list of top three prioritized initiatives with current owners and most recent status to validate assumptions.
• Show the embedded operating partner plan and level of effort
• You agree on the outstanding dependencies and the evidence needed before a mutual commit decision.
• Share the latest financial snapshot and any initiative tracking dashboards needed to validate projected savings before the follow-up meeting.
• Surface dependencies, data needs, and execution risks
• Validate the future state with a direct confirmation

• Solution Experience: Initiative-to-Outcome Walkthrough
• Solution Experience Deck
• Solution Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Embed Full-Time Operating Partner
• Execute Pricing Optimization Program
• Execute Sales Force Effectiveness Program
• Execute Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Renegotiation
• Execute ERP Modernization and Migration
• Deploy Data Analytics and Reporting Platform
• Automate Order-to-Cash Processes
• Stand Up Shared Services Center
• Deploy Leadership Development and Talent Upgrading Program
• Execute Organizational Redesign and Role Transitions
• Improve Working Capital and Cash Conversion
• Implement Change Management and Communications
• Integrate Core Systems and APIs

Embed Full-Time Operating Partner

• How many months do you expect the embedded operating partner to be dedicated to your site or account (select the closest)? Options: 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18+ months, Undecided
• Identify the specific EBITDA or margin targets the operating partner should drive (express as basis points uplift or gross margin percentage points) and the target quarter for realization.
• List the three operating artifacts the partner must own or update weekly (examples: monthly board P&L, procurement savings tracker, sales pipeline heatmap).
• Who on your executive team will be the partner's primary counterpart for weekly operating reviews and approval of initiative closures?
• What acceptance criteria will confirm the operating partner engagement is delivering expected value (for example: verified run-rate savings posted to the ledger, a maintained weekly operating review deck, and achievement of X bps on the board scorecard)?

Execute Pricing Optimization Program

• Specify the product families or SKU groups to include in the pricing program and attach the current pricing matrix or SKU list.
• Indicate which customer segments or channels should be targeted (examples: direct enterprise accounts, distribution partners, ecommerce channels). Options: Enterprise direct, Distribution partners, Ecommerce/marketplace channels, Government/contracts, Other
• How recent is your transaction-level pricing data (the source file used for elasticity analysis) and in what format is it available? Options: Last 30 days, Last 90 days, Last 12 months, No transaction-level data
• Estimate the revenue or margin uplift target from pricing changes (choose the nearest band). Options: <1% revenue, 1-2% revenue, 2-5% revenue, >5% revenue, Undecided
• Do you require downstream integration of price changes into the source ERP or the channel pricebook at cutover? Options: Yes, ERP pricebook update required, Yes, channel pricebook update required, Both ERP and channels, No immediate integration required

Execute Sales Force Effectiveness Program

• How many frontline sellers and sales managers are in scope for the program (provide counts by region if applicable)?
• Provide the name of the source CRM and the key pipeline stages used in your sales process (for example: Lead, Qualified, Proposal, Negotiation, Closed Won).
• Which compensation or quota plan elements should be analyzed for redesign (examples: commission rate by product, SPIFFs, quota territory alignment)? Options: Commission structure, Quota allocation, Territory design, SPIFFs/bonuses, Other
• What target improvement in win rate or average deal size do you expect from the program (choose one)? Options: Win rate +1-3 p.p., Win rate +4-7 p.p., Average deal size +5-15%, Undecided
• Do you need enablement materials and train-the-trainer sessions for new playbooks and objection handling? Options: Yes, full enablement package, Yes, limited train-the-trainer, No, internal enablement sufficient

Execute Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Renegotiation

• List your top 20 suppliers by annual spend and attach the supplier spend file or PO history extract if available.
• Indicate how many supplier contracts within the top spend pool are expiring within the next 12 months. Options: 0-3, 4-7, 8-12, 12+
• Specify which categories you want prioritized for renegotiation (examples: raw materials, freight, packaging, subcontract manufacturing). Options: Raw materials, Freight & logistics, Packaging, Subcontract manufacturing, MRO & indirects, Other
• Estimate the stretch target for annualized run-rate savings from sourcing initiatives (as a percentage of current COGS or as $ amount). Options: <1% of COGS, 1-3% of COGS, 3-7% of COGS, >7% of COGS, Undecided
• What acceptance criteria will validate realized sourcing savings (examples: executed contract with new unit price, amended supplier invoice reflecting new rate, monthly savings posted to the general ledger)?

Execute ERP Modernization and Migration

• Provide the name and version of your current ERP instance and the target ERP instance (if decided).
• How many master records must be migrated (customer master count, vendor master count, SKU/product master count)?
• Specify the critical month-end or batch jobs that must run in the target environment (examples: month-end GL close, AR aging calc, inventory valuation).
• Indicate your desired cutover approach for go-live. Options: Big bang cutover (single weekend), Phased module-by-module cutover, Hybrid roll-forward approach, Undecided - need recommendation
• What defines done for ERP migration acceptance (for example: 99% master data mapped and validated, 0 critical post-cutover production defects, successful parallel run for one full close)?

Deploy Data Analytics and Reporting Platform

• Identify the core reports and dashboards required at go-live (examples: board monthly P&L, cash waterfall, SKU-level margin report).
• Which source systems must feed the analytics platform (select all that apply)? Options: General ledger (GL), Source CRM, Warehouse management system (WMS), Point of sale (POS), Payroll/HR system, Other
• Specify the required data freshness for operational dashboards. Options: Near real-time (minutes), Hourly, Daily, Weekly
• Do you have existing data dictionaries or column-level mappings for the GL, AR, inventory, and sales transactional tables? Options: Complete data dictionary available, Partial mappings available, No data dictionary
• Will report recipients require scheduled exports (PDF/Excel) or interactive access only? Options: Interactive dashboards only, Scheduled PDF/Excel exports, Both interactive and scheduled exports

Automate Order-to-Cash Processes

• Indicate which O2C sub-processes to automate first (examples: order capture, credit check, invoicing, collections). Options: Order capture, Credit & approvals, Invoicing, Collections & dunning, Cash application
• Estimate the monthly transaction volumes for orders, invoices, and remittances that will flow through the automated process.
• What percentage of your invoices are currently delivered electronically versus paper? Options: 0-25%, 26-50%, 51-75%, 76-100%
• Provide the name of the billing or invoicing system that must receive automated invoices and any key constraints on invoice numbering or tax reporting.
• Which payment and lockbox endpoints must be integrated for automated cash application (examples: bank lockbox file, payment provider FTP, ACH file format)?

Stand Up Shared Services Center

• Select the functional areas you plan to centralize in the shared services center. Options: Accounts payable (AP), Accounts receivable (AR), Payroll, Procurement operations, IT service desk, HR administration
• Estimate current monthly transaction volumes for the functions selected (for example: invoices processed per month, payroll runs per month).
• Which locations or time zones will the shared services center support and are there local regulatory requirements (tax, payroll) to account for?
• What SLA targets should the shared services center meet for core activities (examples: invoice processing within X days, payroll error rate < Y%)?
• Who will serve as the internal transition owner on your side for knowledge transfer and Handover-to-Run?

Deploy Leadership Development and Talent Upgrading Program

• Identify the leadership tiers and specific roles in scope for development (examples: first-line managers, functional VPs, commercial leaders).
• Do you currently use any assessment instruments (examples: 360 feedback, cognitive assessments, sales competency rubrics)? Options: 360 feedback, Psychometric assessments, Sales competency rubric, None in use
• Specify the desired outcomes for the program (examples: percentage of roles with development plans, bench strength for key positions, improvement in engagement scores).
• What cadence and format do you prefer for development activities (examples: two-day workshops, monthly coaching, on-the-job stretch assignments)? Options: Workshops (multi-day), Monthly coaching, On-the-job stretch assignments, Blended approach
• How will you measure success for leadership development (examples: promotion rate, retention of top talent, improvement in functional KPIs)?

Execute Organizational Redesign and Role Transitions

• Provide the current org chart artifact to be used as the baseline for redesign and indicate the file format you will provide. Options: Org chart in Visio/Diagram, Spreadsheet org list, PDF org chart, No org chart available
• Which layers or functions are targeted for redesign (examples: consolidation of field sales teams, centralization of procurement, flattening management layers)?
• Estimate the number of role transitions or impacted headcount anticipated in the redesign. Options: 0-5, 6-20, 21-50, 50+
• Describe the employee consultation and change process you require (examples: union notifications, leader workshops, severance budget planning).
• By when do you need the redesign to be implemented to align with the next financial planning cycle? Options: Within 1 month, 1-3 months, 3-6 months, 6+ months

Improve Working Capital and Cash Conversion

• Provide current working capital KPIs to baseline (DSO days sales outstanding, DPO days payable outstanding, inventory days) or indicate if you need assistance calculating them. Options: I will provide KPIs, Need assistance calculating KPIs
• Which ledger accounts or processes are priority targets (examples: slow-paying customer cohorts in AR ledger, excess SKUs in inventory aging report, duplicate payments in AP)?
• Identify the top SKU or customer cohorts that, if improved, would materially reduce working capital needs (attach SKU master or AR aging extract if available).
• Do you have bank instruments in place that support cash concentration (examples: zero balance accounts, lockbox) that we should integrate with the plan? Options: Zero balance accounts, Bank lockbox, Cash pooling, No instruments in place
• What stretch improvement in DSO or inventory days do you expect in the next 6 months (choose one)? Options: DSO improvement 1-3 days, DSO improvement 4-7 days, Inventory days reduction 5-15%, Undecided

Implement Change Management and Communications

• Who will be the executive sponsor and who will be the communications owner for the change program (name and role)?
• List the stakeholder groups that must be engaged and indicate the primary concern for each group (examples: operations - uptime risk, sales - commission impact).
• Select the communication channels you plan to use for rollout messaging. Options: All-hands/town hall, Leader cascades, Intranet articles, Email bulletins, Role-based workshops
• What training modalities do you prefer for end-user adoption (examples: e-learning modules, live instructor-led sessions, job aids)? Options: E-learning modules, Live instructor-led, Job aids and quick reference, Blended
• Indicate the adoption metrics that will show change is embedded (examples: active users on the new dashboard, reduction in exception tickets, adoption rate by sales rep).

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Commercial Term Sheet
• Order Form & Fee Schedule
• Governance & Decision Rights Agreement
• Acceptance Criteria & KPI Annex
• Change Order Agreement
• Pre-Deployment Readiness Confirmation
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
• Termination & Transition Agreement

• Go-live Health Check (weeks 1-4)
• First Measurement Review (weeks 4-10)
• Acceptance Gate Review (around day 90)
• Monthly Operational Check-in (ongoing monthly)
• Quarterly Business Review (quarterly)

• Update the outcome dashboard with reconciled month-to-date figures and circulate before the next check-in.
• Publish the formal acceptance record showing pass/fail per criterion and archive the supporting evidence.
• Add remediation tasks to the tracker with target completion dates and required validation steps.
• Communicate the acceptance outcome and next steps to the broader stakeholder list as documented in the meeting record.
• Rapid performance snapshot
• Ensure the month-to-date incremental EBITDA margin (bps) and run-rate cost savings ($ per month) are accurately tracked and variances are explained.
• Remove or mitigate the top operational blockers that are impeding outcome delivery.
• Keep the enhancement backlog prioritized so only items that affect measured outcomes are scheduled.
• Re-confirm agreed success criteria and owners
• Close or reassign the top three blockers with clear verification criteria and target resolution dates.
• Add any approved enhancement requests to the prioritized backlog with an expected impact estimate on the measured metrics.
• Quarterly performance vs Engagement Scope targets
• Confirm whether cumulative EBITDA uplift ($ YTD) and margin improvement (bps) are sufficient to meet the targets recorded in Engagement Scope or require course correction.
• Agree a prioritized set of adjustments for the coming quarter with measurable targets and timelines.
• Ensure risk items that could derail value realization are assigned and escalated appropriately.
• Publish the quarterly performance pack with reconciled financials, initiative scorecards, and approved priority adjustments.
• Create a trimmed roadmap for the next quarter showing revised initiative sequencing and expected metric impact.
• Document any strategic risks and the agreed escalation plan with trigger conditions and response timelines.
• Confirm the deployment is functionally complete and no critical validation tasks remain open.
• Establish owners and target resolution dates for all open issues that could impair early outcome measurement.
• Agree an interim communication plan and next-check timeline ahead of the first measurement meeting.
• Produce and circulate a reconciled deployment checklist showing completed items and outstanding validations.
• Deliver an export of hypercare tickets and early usage logs for the period since go-live.
• Document resolution dates for all critical blockers and publish to the shared tracker.
• Present first measurement data against Engagement Scope targets
• Verify whether incremental EBITDA margin (bps) and realized procurement savings ($ per month) are moving toward the targets recorded in Engagement Scope.
• Document root-cause explanations for any metric shortfalls and agree corrective actions with delivery dates.
• Confirm data sources and reconciliation steps that will be used for the acceptance gate.
• Publish the reconciled measurement packet including P&L variance detail and procurement savings calculations.
• Create a corrective action register with measurable milestones and target completion dates for each underperforming initiative.
• Schedule any required follow-up detailed review workshops for initiatives needing technical or commercial changes.
• Restate numeric acceptance criteria from Engagement Scope
• Deliver a documented pass or fail decision against each numeric acceptance criterion recorded in Engagement Scope.
• Capture the named signatory or documented approver for the acceptance decision where required by the engagement tier.
• Establish a remediation plan and closure timeline for any unmet criteria so the value realization cadence can continue from a known baseline.
• Blocker triage and ticket burn-down
• Lessons learned and initiative effectiveness
• Present final measurement data and evidence
• Diagnose gaps and root causes
• Deployment and migration validation
• Enhancement and change requests backlog
• Record pass or fail per criterion and rationale
• Prioritized adjustments to initiatives and sequencing
• Agree corrective actions and target dates
• Early adoption signals and usage patterns
• Operational risk and escalation review
• Open issues and blockers triage
• Confirm timeline to the acceptance gate
• Short action alignment
• Capture formal acceptance decision and signatory
• Immediate remediation actions
• Agree remediation items and closure timeline