Instinctually, you’ll know when things could be working better. But you won’t always have the time, headspace or even know-how on what to tackle and how. That’s where an audit comes in. Consider it a deep dive into the key components of your business operations to identify areas for improvement.

An audit is also an important opportunity to engage your employees and stakeholders to get their input on what could be improved – be it via one-on-one interviews, quick online surveys to collect feedback, or workshops with selected teams.

Key areas to look at:

• A Business Ops Audit will review your current operating model, including existing processes and methodologies. A Business Ops Audit also looks at your current documentation and procedures to understand if your team has an adequate source to learn from and reference. The outputs: a concise report on what’s not working ranked by priority, and recommendations on what should be done.

• An IT and Tech Audit looks at the tools you use to communicate, deliver your work, and manage your team. An IT review also includes a review of your existing training resources to assess whether your team has the information at hand to use the tools to their maximum potential. The outputs: identification of the tools that should be eliminated, and those which could be adopted to streamline workflows.

• A Design and Marketing Audit will review your existing brand and collateral, your website and SEO, and your social media presence to identify areas for improvement. The outputs: a summary of quick wins, and, if more substantial work is required, recommendations on who could help give your brand, collateral and website a facelift.

The outputs?

• A concise report on what’s not working and why.

• A ranking of issues by priority.

• An outline of next steps to resolve roadblocks.