The Operational Diagnostic
Understand what is happening. Decide what changes next.
A structured review of an operating question: what is happening across systems, data and work, what may be behind it, and what the evidence supports doing next.
For a COO, operations director, managing director or finance director, the question is rarely whether there is a problem. It is which problem to address, what the change will depend on, and what it will disturb.
Cohentia works with leaders of UK organisations with complex operations, typically around 50 to 2,000 staff. The Diagnostic brings the evidence together so the next move rests on more than the loudest symptom or the strongest business case.
What the Diagnostic examines
The Operational Diagnostic examines the way work actually happens across:
- Systems
- What technology enables, restricts or forces people to work around.
- Data and information
- What people need to complete work and make decisions, where it comes from and where it breaks down.
- Work and workflow
- How activity moves in practice, including manual work and exceptions.
- Roles and ownership
- Who acts, decides, checks, supports and carries dependencies.
- Capacity
- Where demand, workload or competing commitments exceed what the operation can carry.
- Exceptions and workarounds
- What happens when real work does not follow the standard process.
The aim is not to generate a list of problems.
It is to understand enough of the connected operating situation to make the decision in front of you on a better basis.
How it works
Start with the evidence.
Document review and a structured questionnaire build a working hypothesis before the facilitated session.
One facilitated day.
On site or remote, the session tests that hypothesis against the people, decisions and work it needs to explain.
A clear recommendation.
The report sets out findings, root causes and a prioritised roadmap, with a practical basis for the next decision.
A self-check for your team.
Your team keeps a tool it can use again as the operation changes. Re-running it does not depend on Cohentia.
How Cohentia examines possible causes
The Diagnostic compares what the documents show, what people describe in the questionnaire, and what holds up when examined together. Differences between those accounts are investigated rather than accepted as proof of a cause.
The work remains useful after the day.
The report and self-check belong to the client. They support a decision about what to retain, change, sequence or examine further. Acting on the findings does not depend on Cohentia delivering the implementation.
An independent view
Cohentia diagnoses. It does not sell software, take referral fees or run the build. The Operational Diagnostic is the service currently offered. Design and training are planned future services.
Continuity and confidentiality
Cohentia has one operator. The engagement is bounded to one business unit and one connected decision, change or system at a time: document review of up to ten sources, structured written input from up to five nominated respondents, and one facilitated workshop day for up to eight participants, on site or remote.
A draft findings report follows within seven business days of the workshop, with a leadership readout shortly after and one consolidated round of factual corrections. Elapsed time is typically three calendar weeks from complete intake to the leadership readout.
Each party protects the other’s confidential information and uses it only for the engagement. Cohentia does not name a client, use a client’s logo or publish engagement findings without written permission.
The fee is determined based on the engagement, agreed before work begins.
Cohentia holds professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Cover details are on the Legal and privacy page.
Frequently asked questions
What is an Operational Diagnostic?
Cohentia’s Operational Diagnostic is a structured review of an operating question. It brings together evidence from systems, data, work, roles, capacity and decisions to examine possible explanations and identify what the evidence supports doing next. It is a diagnosis, not an implementation programme.
When should we use the Operational Diagnostic?
Use it when the organisation needs a clearer basis for an operations decision: whether current operations can support your objectives, why an implementation is not delivering value, what needs resolving before implementation, or where investment would have the greatest impact.
Is the Operational Diagnostic only for technology projects?
No. Technology may be part of the situation, but the Diagnostic examines the wider operation around it, including work, information, roles, capacity, ownership, decisions, dependencies and workarounds.
Does Cohentia implement the recommendations?
No. Cohentia diagnoses. It does not sell software, take supplier referral fees or run the build. Your organisation can use the recommendation internally or with the delivery partners it chooses.
Will Cohentia tell us the root cause before the review?
No. A visible symptom can have several possible explanations. Examples on this website show lines of enquiry. They are not findings about your organisation. The purpose of the Diagnostic is to establish what the evidence actually supports.
What do we receive?
The report sets out findings, the evidence behind them, the wider effects that matter to the decision and a prioritised roadmap with a clear recommendation. Your team also keeps a self-check it can use again as the operation changes. The scope and delivery arrangements are agreed before work begins.
Start with the decision.
Describe what is happening and what you need to decide. Cohentia can then assess whether the Diagnostic is the right starting point.
Discuss your decision ↗