A Diagnostic Checklist to help determine if your business is built to scale
Complete this diagnostic and your score at the end will tell you how ready your business is to scale and where to focus next.
Want help designing your system?
We’ll walk through your checklist together and help make the invisible problems visible—and fixable.
Instructions:
For each statement below, answer the question and assign the corresponding point value:
| Point Value | Answer | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes | This is consistently true in my business |
| 0 | Sometimes | We do this inconsistently or in pockets |
| -1 | No | This is not currently happening |
1. We Have Clear Company-Wide Goals Every Quarter
- Our leadership team sets and shares quarterly objectives that the entire team is aligned to. People know what we’re aiming at and why.
2. Each Department Has Metrics (and Reviews Them Weekly)
- Every team has 3–5 core KPIs that drive their success and they track progress in a weekly cadence (like a Scorecard or dashboard).
3. Our Team Knows the “Why” Behind Our Work
- Employees can articulate the company’s mission, values, and what we’re building toward, not just the tasks on their plate.
4. We Hold Regular Leadership Meetings That Solve Real Issues
- Our leadership meetings (weekly or bi-weekly) follow a structured agenda, have clear accountability, and drive decisions forward.
5. Our Org Chart Reflects Accountability, Not Just Titles
- Each person has clear ownership of outcomes, and we’ve defined roles based on function, not just people’s current strengths.
6. We Onboard New Hires into Systems, Not Chaos
- New hires have a consistent 30/60/90 onboarding plan, know what success looks like, and aren’t forced to invent their own processes.
7. We Use a Formal Operating System (EOS, Scaling Up, etc.)
- We run our business using a structured approach to goal setting, accountability, and meeting rhythm.
8. Cross-Department Collaboration Doesn’t Break Things
- Projects that span multiple teams (e.g., Sales + Marketing or Product + Customer Success) run smoothly because handoffs and expectations are clear.
9. Our CEO Isn’t the Bottleneck for Every Major Decision
- The CEO is focused on vision, hiring, culture, and external relationships, not constantly putting out fires or jumping into every department.
10. We Make Decisions Based on Data, Not Just Intuition
- We have visibility into financial, operational, and customer data, enough to make informed, fast decisions (even if imperfect).
Scoring Guide:
- 8-10 = Scaling Ready
You’ve built a strong foundation. Now it’s about dialing in systems and doubling down on execution. You’re ready for growth. - 5-7 = At Risk of Friction
You’re in the messy middle. Some things are working, but cracks are forming. Time to install or reinforce your business operating system. - <5 = Likely to Break at Scale
You’ve built momentum, but without systems, growth will amplify the chaos. Start with clear priorities, weekly rhythms, and role clarity.
Next Step
If you scored under 8, don’t panic. That’s normal. Most growing companies are operating at about 60% clarity.
But here’s the truth:
The cracks you’re feeling now won’t fix themselves. As headcount and complexity increase, misalignment becomes more expensive, burnout rises, and execution slows to a crawl.
What feels like “just a communication issue” today often becomes:
- A top performer leaving because of unclear expectations
- A strategic plan derailed by lack of cross-team coordination
- The CEO (you) buried in work that shouldn’t be yours anymore
You don’t need more hustle, you need a system that scales with you. If you do not make changes now, you risk scaling chaos. What got you here, likely will not get you to where you want to go!
Want help designing your system?
We’ll walk through your checklist together and help make the invisible problems visible—and fixable.