What is the Executive Discovery Scan?

The Executive Discovery Scan is a structured three-to-four week assessment that gives senior leaders a clear, independent view of the constraints, risks, and opportunities in their business. It is the entry point to the Assured Velocity diagnostic ladder and the foundation for any subsequent programme of work.

What does the Executive Discovery Scan cover?

The scan covers operations, technology, people and leadership, process, financial performance, and governance. The depth in each area is calibrated to the specific questions the client wants answered rather than a fixed template.

Who conducts the Executive Discovery Scan?

A named senior partner leads the scan with direct access to your leadership team, key operational staff, and relevant data and documents. We do not delegate diagnostic work to junior staff.

What is the output of the Executive Discovery Scan?

The output is a prioritised findings report covering the key constraints identified, their likely root causes, and a recommended set of next steps. For most clients this includes a short board-ready summary alongside the working document.

How is the Executive Discovery Scan different from a full Business Review?

The Executive Discovery Scan is faster and more focused - designed to give you a rapid independent view rather than an exhaustive audit. A full Business Review goes deeper into specific areas, typically following the Discovery Scan when a more detailed investigation is warranted.

How much access to our team and data is required?

Structured interviews with six to ten people across the leadership team and key operational roles, plus access to relevant documents and data (management accounts, board packs, operational reports). We are efficient with people's time and agree the interview schedule in advance.

How long does an Executive Discovery Scan take?

Three to four weeks from kick-off to findings presentation. Faster timelines are possible for urgent situations.

What situations is the Executive Discovery Scan best suited to?

It is best suited to situations where there is a strong sense that something is not working but the specific constraints are not yet clearly defined - for example, growth plateauing, margins eroding, a technology change under consideration, or a board or investor asking hard questions.

What does an Executive Discovery Scan cost?

It is a fixed-fee engagement. The fee depends on the scope and the number of sites involved. Book a scoping call and we will give you a clear indication in the first conversation.

What happens after the Executive Discovery Scan?

You receive the findings and a debrief session. From there the decision is yours - some clients proceed to a deeper diagnostic or a programme of improvement work; others take the findings to their internal team. There is no obligation to continue.

Diagnostics · £5,000

Executive Discovery Scan

Name: Executive Discovery Scan
Brand: Assured Velocity
Price: 5000 GBP
Availability: InStock

Validate the biggest constraints fast and give the board a credible next move.

Fixed feeBespoke

Duration5 days

OutputExecutive Decision Brief

Scenarios3 × 90-day options

Senior-ledYes — throughout

Why this exists

Many mid-market businesses can feel the drag but cannot yet quantify it. The Executive Discovery Scan bridges that gap with senior practitioners who plug in quickly, frame the real issue, and propose what to do next without hiding behind a long advisory cycle.

It is the sharp, paid entry point for C-suite teams and board sponsors who need a fast, credible commercial view before committing to a larger diagnostic or programme.

The question to ask is - what are the delays costing, rather than whether it is worth it. For a £20m business, 3 months of delay typically costs between £400k–£1.4m in EBITDA.

How it works

Days 1–2: SLT interviews

Senior practitioner conducts structured interviews across the leadership team to surface constraints and validate the commercial picture.

Days 3–4: Data analysis

Quantitative analysis of financial, operational, and delivery data to size each constraint by estimated EBITDA impact.

Day 5: Constraints validated

Findings validated with a second senior practitioner. Three 90-day action scenarios drafted with trade-offs and risks.

Playback: Executive Decision Brief

One-hour readout with the senior leadership team. Executive Decision Brief delivered. Next steps confirmed.

What it covers

Validation of 5-7 business constraints directly with the SLT over 5 days
Quantified £EBITDA impact per constraint
Three 90-day action scenarios with risks and trade-offs for each
One-hour discovery readout session with the senior leadership team
Board-ready executive decision brief

What you receive

Executive Decision Brief

Board-ready deck covering findings, opportunity sizing, and recommended options

Quantified opportunity sizing

Each constraint sized by estimated £EBITDA impact to support commercial prioritisation

3 × 90-day action scenarios

Three distinct paths forward with trade-offs, risks, and required resources for each

Proposed next steps

Clear proposal for further diagnostic engagement if applicable, or confirmation that no further action is warranted

Ideal for

Executive teams with multiple competing problems and limited time to investigate each one
Boards that need a fast, credible commercial view before approving further investment
Businesses that want a proportionate paid entry point before committing to a full programme
PE-backed businesses in the first 60 days post-acquisition needing a rapid operational read

Not right if

You need detailed process maps or a structured implementation backlog - see the Focussed Functional Diagnostic
The issue spans the entire organisation with systemic, cross-functional impact - see the Company Wide Diagnostic
You are not yet sure what the problem is - the Velocity Readiness Survey or Constraints Briefing is the right starting point

Clarity. Confidence. Control.

Clarity

A single view of what's working, what's not, and why.

Confidence

Quantified opportunities supported by evidence-based recommendations.

Control

A sequenced roadmap that aligns leadership and enables acceleration of delivery.

Natural next steps

Partnership support based on findings and recommendations

The Executive Discovery Scan ends with a clear mandate. The natural next step depends on what the findings reveal.

Product	Fee	Duration
Rapid Diagnostic	Bespoke	10 days	Learn more →
Functional Diagnostic	Bespoke	20 days	Learn more →
Company Wide Diagnostic	Bespoke	60 days	Learn more →
Implementation (Delivery)	Bespoke	60 days	Learn more →

Practitioners - not process factories

You are not buying generic consulting. You are buying independent clarity, a lower-regret first step, and outputs you can use at board level immediately.

What we do

Every engagement led by a Principal Consultant who has operated at the level they are advising
Commercially oriented - paid to find profit, not to sell more consulting
Honest - we will tell you if the evidence does not support the investment
Independent - benchmarked against 150+ businesses

What we are not

A generalist strategy firm charging for frameworks
A technology integrator with a platform to sell
A staffing business with an interim bench
A firm that produces reports that sit in a drawer