A 10 question optimization self audit for ops, sales, and finance
TL,DR: When results are flat, the default is to add more. The better move is to find the constraint, improve it, then scale what works. Use this ten minute audit to decide if you need new investment, or tighter execution.
“More often creates new problems, better reduces them.”
— Miles Kailburn, OTM
When “more” is the wrong move
Teams add channels, tools, headcount, or service lines to fix sluggish growth. If core handoffs, utilization, and margins are already strained, “more” spreads the problem. The fastest path is to evolve the system, not layer on activity. This audit helps you validate the root cause before you spend.
The 10 question self audit
Mark each Yes, No, or Unsure. Be honest, use data from the last 30 to 90 days.
Ops
- Do you know the single biggest bottleneck in delivery right now, with recent data, not opinions?
- Is average team utilization in the healthy 75 to 80 percent band, without sustained overtime or burnout signals?
- Are handoffs standardized with checklists or templates, used in at least 90 percent of cases?
- Do fewer than 10 percent of work items exceed your target cycle time or age limit?
Sales
- Are win rate and sales cycle time for your core offer stable or improving over the last 90 days?
- Are stage to stage conversion rates holding or improving as activity increases, no hidden funnel leak?
Finance
- Is CAC payback for your core offer under 12 to 15 months based on current gross margins, not modeled hopes?
- Are project or engagement margins at or above 30 percent on your top three offers?
Cross functional
- Could you free 10 to 15 percent of team time by stopping low value work or resequencing tasks, without hurting revenue?
- If you launched a new service line today, would pricing, delivery capacity, and reporting be ready without creating a new bottleneck?
How to read your results
Count the Yes answers.
- 0 to 4 Yes: Optimize core before adding more. You have system constraints to fix.
- 5 to 7 Yes: Tighten the constraint, then consider targeted expansion with guardrails.
- 8 to 10 Yes: Expansion may be justified. Validate with a small pilot and clear exit criteria.
Rule of thumb: Mostly No or Unsure means your return on new spend will be low. Fix the system first.
What to do next, a 30 day Optimization Sprint
Keep it small and visible.
- Pick one constraint that moves throughput or margin. Name one owner.
- Instrument a single metric that updates weekly. Examples, cycle time in the slowest handoff, margin on the core package, qualified stage conversion.
- Set a weekly cadence, 30 minutes. Review the metric, unblock one issue, confirm next step.
- Rebalance workload using live utilization. Shift work to underused pods, cap ad hoc specials.
- Standardize one handoff with a checklist and template. Aim for 90 percent adoption.
- Stop two low value tasks for 30 days, protect the focus.
- Publish a before and after. Share the small win, then decide if you scale or try the next constraint.
Grow vs Scale, what to emphasize
- Grow stage: Validate the core offer. Watch CAC payback and delivery margin. Add channels only after the core package earns repeatable wins.
- Scale stage: Hunt for complexity tax. Standardize handoffs, prune low margin variants, shift capacity to what runs cleanly.
Signals that support expansion
Expansion is healthier when these conditions hold.
- Utilization stays below 85 percent with on time delivery.
- Core offer margins are at or above target.
- CAC payback is within threshold on recent cohorts.
- Funnel conversion holds as volume grows.
- New work can land without creating a fresh bottleneck.
If those signals are mixed, return to the sprint.
Common traps to avoid
- Activity theater: More meetings and tools without a measurable constraint change.
- Shadow work: Ad hoc specials that drain capacity and hide the real bottleneck.
- Untested expansion: New service lines before pricing, delivery, and reporting are ready.
- Over model bias: Models that assume margin lift without process proof.
Make it practical
Drop these prompts into your team agenda next week.
- What single change would cut our slowest handoff by 20 percent this month?
- What work can we stop for 30 days without hurting revenue?
- Which checklist would remove the most rework if used 90 percent of the time?
- What leading metric tells us the constraint is moving, and who owns it?
Ready to put this to work
- For leaders and evaluators: Grab the self audit checklist and share it with your ops, sales, and finance leads.
- For current OTM clients: Book a 20 minute optimization review. We will align on one constraint and one metric to move before Q4 compresses. This complements the marketing execution your Client Success Manager already drives.