Fix the real problem, don't treat the symptoms.
Margins don't match the workload
The business depends too much on the owner
Growth created complexity, not profit
Revenue may be growing, but the money left over doesn’t seem proportional to the effort, payroll, jobs, and complexity required to produce it.
Growth created complexity, not profit
The business depends too much on the owner
Growth created complexity, not profit
More customers, employees, jobs, and moving pieces haven’t necessarily created a stronger business. Scheduling, estimating, capacity, and decision-making have become harder to control.
The business depends too much on the owner
The business depends too much on the owner
The business depends too much on the owner
Estimates, approvals, customer problems, purchasing, scheduling, and employee decisions still find their way back to you. The company works, but too much of it works because you do.
The obvious problem often isn't the root cause
Low margins don’t automatically mean pricing.
Overtime doesn’t automatically mean hiring.
Owner overload doesn’t automatically mean you need an assistant.
Slow growth doesn’t automatically mean you need more marketing.
Primary Constraint Diagnosis
We start by looking at how the business actually operates rather than assuming the visible problem is the real problem.
Financial performance, pricing, labor, scheduling, estimating, sales flow, capacity, management, owner involvement, and other operating data are reviewed to identify the root cause of the problem. Find the cause, don't just treat the symptoms.
The goal is to isolate the constraint that is actually governing the result.
Impact Clarification
Once the primary constraint is identified, we determine what the symptoms cost you.
That means separating major economic and operational impact from background noise. We look at how the constraint is influencing margins, throughput, capacity, owner workload, predictability, growth, or business value.
The point is to understand not just what is wrong, but how it is affecting your company financially and operationally.
Action Plan
Then we build a focused plan around the highest-value changes.
Instead of handing over a generic playbook, the plan is built around the actual constraint, the business’s available resources, and what will have the greatest impact.
That may include changes to pricing, workflow, staffing, accountability, scheduling, estimating, KPIs, delegation, or other operating systems.
The plan defines what changes first, who owns it, what result we expect, and how to measure the effect.
How We Help
Primary Constraint Diagnosis (PCD)
Primary Constraint Diagnosis (PCD)
Primary Constraint Diagnosis (PCD)
The Primary Constraint Diagnosis (PCD) is a focused diagnostic engagement designed to identify the main operational constraint limiting a business’s performance, calculate its financial and operational impact where evidence supports it, and determine the highest-value actions to address it.
We deliver a concise diagnostic report that expla
The Primary Constraint Diagnosis (PCD) is a focused diagnostic engagement designed to identify the main operational constraint limiting a business’s performance, calculate its financial and operational impact where evidence supports it, and determine the highest-value actions to address it.
We deliver a concise diagnostic report that explains:
- what the primary constraint is
-the evidence supporting that conclusion
- how it is affecting the business
- what should change first
It includes prioritized recommendations, key metrics to monitor, and a practical action plan ownership can use to begin correcting the issue.
45 Day Action Plan
Primary Constraint Diagnosis (PCD)
Primary Constraint Diagnosis (PCD)
The 45-Day Action Plan is a short-term implementation engagement designed to turn the PCD findings into measurable operational change. Over the 45-day engagement, Fjordwake works with ownership to execute the highest-priority recommendations, establish clear milestones, and track whether the changes are producing the expected result.
The d
The 45-Day Action Plan is a short-term implementation engagement designed to turn the PCD findings into measurable operational change. Over the 45-day engagement, Fjordwake works with ownership to execute the highest-priority recommendations, establish clear milestones, and track whether the changes are producing the expected result.
The deliverable includes:
- 45-day implementation roadmap
- defined priorities and ownership
- weekly KPI reviews
- milestone tracking
- advisory support throughout the 45-day period
- an end-of-engagement review
Retainer Options
Primary Constraint Diagnosis (PCD)
Retainer Options
Retainer Advisory is a 6-month minimum advisory engagement designed for businesses that need continued support beyond a single constraint or 45-day implementation cycle. Fjordwake works alongside ownership over an extended period to monitor performance, identify emerging constraints, support major operational decisions, and help keep impr
Retainer Advisory is a 6-month minimum advisory engagement designed for businesses that need continued support beyond a single constraint or 45-day implementation cycle. Fjordwake works alongside ownership over an extended period to monitor performance, identify emerging constraints, support major operational decisions, and help keep improvement efforts moving as the business changes.
The engagement includes:
- ongoing KPI and performance reviews
- implementation support
- operational problem-solving
- management and process guidance
- regular advisory access throughout the retainer period
When a new material constraint emerges, the engagement can also include additional diagnostic work rather than forcing every issue into the original plan or repeating multiple consecutive 45 Day Action Plans.
The objective is to provide ownership with a consistent strategic and operational resource as the company improves, grows, and becomes less dependent on the owner.