1. The diagnosis
Everything starts with understanding where the business stands: what's written down, what depends on one person, what always lands on the owner, what's stuck between teams. The usual tools: one-to-one interviews, reading existing documents, observing how things really work.
The expected output isn't a fifty-page report, but three to five priorities agreed with the owner.
2. Strategy on one page
Small businesses don't need a thick strategic plan, but a clear, shared direction. Several canvases help: the Business Model Canvas, a one-page strategic plan, or the CED (Dynamic Business Canvas), which breaks the business into 14 sections and also serves as the base for the rest of the structuring work. See the CED method.
3. Roles and responsibilities
Clarify who does what and who decides what: org chart, job descriptions, and a responsibility matrix such as RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted, informed). In a small business, a simple version is often enough: for each important decision, who makes the call.
4. Processes and methods
Map the key processes, then document first those that happen often, are costly when done badly, or depend on one person. The golden rule: have methods written by the people who practise them. See how to document business processes.
5. Goals and rituals
Three to five measurable goals tied to the strategy, and rituals to track them: weekly check-in, monthly review, quarterly look-back. Approaches like OKRs can help, as long as they stay light at small-business scale.
The tools to make the method live
| Tool | Useful for | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Office software (docs, spreadsheets, slides) | Deliverables, workshops | Versions multiply; the client never reopens them |
| Wiki or workspace | Gathering the client's documentation | An empty space that goes stale without curation |
| AI assistant | Drafting, summarising, preparing sessions | Doesn't keep an approved, shared version |
| Purpose-built structuring tool | Method, drafting, client memory, follow-up | The client has to adopt it |
The deciding criterion. Where does the structure live once the engagement ends? If it's in your files, it leaves with you. If it's with the client, somewhere their team uses, it stays.
What AI changes about the job: AI for consultants. Keeping track of each client: client memory.