Strategic Reconnaissance
First Month Assessment

Recon Mission

Zero-overhead entry. Full situational awareness
Before you commit resources or make big decisions, you need clarity
3-4 weeks to map your terrain and identify what's really happening

The 4-Week Process

Systematic assessment designed to uncover the real state of your operations

Week 1: Initial Mapping

Documentation review, system access, initial conversations with leadership. Understanding the official version of how things work

Days 1-7

Week 2: Deep Conversations

20-30 strategic conversations across all levels. Engineers, managers, stakeholders. Finding the gaps between official narrative and ground truth

Days 8-14

Week 3: Pattern Recognition

Individual complaints transform into patterns. Patterns reveal root causes. Root causes point to intervention points

Days 15-21

Week 4: Action Plan

Comprehensive report with prioritized recommendations. Quick wins for immediate implementation. Strategic roadmap for long-term fixes

Days 22-30

What Recon Uncovers

Beyond surface-level issues to the structural problems that actually matter

Hidden Risks

The ticking time bombs no one talks about. Technical debt that's about to explode. Key person dependencies that could cripple operations

Process Breakdowns

Where communication fails. Where handoffs drop. Where good intentions meet broken systems and everyone suffers

Team Dynamics

The unspoken tensions. The unofficial power structures. The real reasons why initiatives fail before they start

Load Analysis

Who's drowning. What's on fire. Which systems are one bad day from total collapse. The real capacity vs. the assumed capacity

Quick Wins

The 20% effort that yields 80% improvement. Small changes that restore confidence. Momentum builders for bigger transformations

Growth Opportunities

Untapped potential in your existing team. Markets you're equipped for but haven't seen. Strategic advantages hiding in plain sight

What You Get

Actionable intelligence, not consultant fluff

1

Comprehensive Assessment Report

Dense, actionable intelligence about your current state. No padding, no buzzwords. Just clear analysis of what's working, what's broken, and why

2

Risk Heat Map

Visual representation of critical vulnerabilities. Prioritized by impact and likelihood. Know exactly where to focus your attention

3

90-Day Action Plan

Specific, executable steps for the next three months. Who does what, when, and how to measure success

4

Quick Wins Playbook

5-10 immediate improvements discovered during recon. Critical issues fixed in real-time, strategic wins delivered at the end

The Recon Methodology

How we extract truth from complex organizations

Multi-Level Conversations

Talk to everyone. Engineers know different truths than executives. The full picture emerges from all perspectives

Pattern Analysis

Individual complaints are data points. Patterns are insights. We find the systemic issues behind surface symptoms

Time-Boxed Execution

4 weeks. No scope creep. No analysis paralysis. Fast enough to maintain urgency, thorough enough to be accurate

Documentation Deep Dive

What's written vs. what's real. Architecture diagrams vs. actual systems. Process documents vs. daily practice

Load Assessment

Measure actual capacity vs. theoretical capacity. Find the bottlenecks, the heroes, and the breaking points

Truth Extraction

Create safe spaces for honest feedback. Anonymous channels for sensitive issues. Get past the corporate narrative to ground truth

Recon vs Traditional Consulting

Why most assessments fail to deliver actionable intelligence

Aspect Traditional Consulting Recon Mission
Duration 3-6 months 3-4 weeks
Team Size 5-10 consultants 1 strategic operator
Approach Templates and frameworks Adaptive investigation
Output Verbose reports with filler Dense, actionable intelligence
Focus Best practices Your specific reality
Cost $150K-500K $20K
Implementation Separate engagement Built into recommendations
Quick Wins
Technical Depth
Political Navigation

Ready to See What's Really Happening?

Stop guessing. Start knowing. Get the clarity you need to make confident decisions