Operational capacity diagnostic
Find out where capacity is being lost before deciding what to change.
We look at how work really gets done in a team or process to identify unnecessary tasks, complexity, rework, interruptions, meetings, waiting time, manual load and automation opportunities.
We don't start from a predefined solution. First we understand the work. Then we decide what is worth changing.
It isn't monitoring software or an individual performance review. We analyze the system of work.
Much of the work that eats up time doesn't show up in any metric.
An organization can meet its goals and, at the same time, use more capacity than it needs to get there.
The problem is usually spread across hundreds of small activities
- 01Looking for information
- 02Asking for approvals
- 03Copying data between systems
- 04Answering the same questions
- 05Sitting in avoidable meetings
- 06Filling in spreadsheets
- 07Fixing errors
- 08Duplicating information
- 09Waiting for answers
- 10Constantly switching tasks
- 11Fetching supplies or stock
- 12Waiting for approval to continue
On their own, they seem small. Added up, they can take a significant share of a team's capacity.
We don't measure how much a person works. We analyze how much work the organization really needs.
The DeepWork diagnostic studies a team, department or process to understand how its capacity is distributed and to find activities that could be eliminated, simplified or automated.
It also identifies the work that needs human judgment and better conditions to get done.
The goal isn't to add more work.
It's to recover capacity that is being used up unnecessarily today.
What we analyze
We look at the work from different angles.
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01
Tasks
Which activities the team does, how often and how much effort they take.
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02
Processes
Steps, dependencies, waiting time, walking, approvals and exceptions.
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03
Meetings
Frequency, length, attendees, purpose and the work they create.
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04
Communication
Internal questions, email, messaging and interruptions.
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05
Information
How it is created, stored, shared and found. We spot duplication, versions, scattered information, unnecessary searching and dependence on specific people.
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06
Rework
Errors, corrections, repeated tasks and duplicate data entry.
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07
Tools
How systems, spreadsheets, apps and informal channels interact.
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08
Automation
Repetitive or predictable tasks that could be handled with integrations, automation or AI.
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09
Focus
High-value work that requires analysis, judgment or creativity and is being fragmented by other activities.
How we do it
Understanding the work takes more than asking what is going wrong.
Depending on the scope of the diagnostic, DeepWork can combine different sources of evidence.
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01
Observe
Interviews, process reviews and analysis of tasks, walking routes, time and meetings.
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02
Understand
Why the work happens this way, cross-checking systems, documents, calendars and available records when relevant.
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03
Quantify
Estimating capacity used and potentially recoverable, when there is enough evidence.
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04
Prioritize
What is worth changing first by impact, frequency, complexity, dependencies and investment.
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05
Recommend
An order of action: what to eliminate, simplify or automate and which work to protect.
Sources and techniques depend on the process analyzed and the information available. We don't install monitoring software as a requirement for the diagnostic.
The DeepWork framework
Every activity ends up facing four questions.
Should this work exist?
We identify tasks, checks, meetings, reports or steps that use up capacity without adding enough value.
Does it have to be this complex?
We cut steps, approvals, dependencies, exceptions and unnecessary flows of information.
Does a person need to do it?
We identify repetitive or predictable activities that can be handled with existing tools, integrations, automation, AI or, when justified, custom technology.
Which work needs to stay human?
We protect the capacity devoted to decisions, analysis, relationships, creativity and other activities where human judgment creates value.
Technology is an option, not the starting point.
What the company receives
From invisible work to a decision map.
The diagnostic turns scattered observations into information for deciding where to act first.
Diagnostic report
Illustrative exampleCapacity analyzed
1,280h / month
Potentially recoverable capacity
214h / month
16.7% of the capacity analyzed
- Eliminate
- 38 h
- Simplify
- 61 h
- Automate
- 74 h
- Improve coordination and focus
- 41 h
The deliverable can include
- Capacity distribution map
- Main sources of friction
- Tasks and processes that can be eliminated
- Simplification opportunities
- Automation and AI opportunities
- Dependencies and bottlenecks
- Estimate of potentially recoverable capacity
- Prioritization by impact and difficulty
- Recommendations for action
- Baseline for future measurement
An improvement opportunity doesn't always need technology.
A process may be failing because it has too many steps.
A meeting may simply be unnecessary.
An approval may exist because of a rule nobody questioned again.
Two teams may be entering the same information.
Someone may be answering questions that would disappear if information flowed differently.
And a repetitive task may indeed need automation.
DeepWork doesn't sell a solution before understanding the problem.
Prioritization
Not everything that can be improved should be done first.
Findings are prioritized considering factors such as:
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01
Potential impact
How much capacity could it recover?
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02
Frequency
How often does it happen?
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03
Scale
How many people or processes does it affect?
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04
Complexity
How hard is it to change?
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05
Dependencies
Which other areas, systems or decisions does it involve?
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06
Investment
How much does it cost to fix?
The result isn't a huge list of recommendations. It's an order of action.
After the diagnostic
The diagnostic doesn't commit you to an implementation.
DeepWork delivers evidence and priorities. From there, the company can make the changes with its own team, work with its current providers or continue with us.
When it makes sense to continue, we can help with:
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01
Work redesign and optimization
Simplifying processes, responsibilities, coordination and ways of working.
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02
Automation and AI
Integrations, automations, existing tools or specific development when justified.
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03
Follow-up measurement
Repeating measurements to check whether the changes really recovered capacity.
Which teams is it best suited for?
Companies and departments with:
- Admin-heavy processes
- Sales teams with a heavy admin load
- Multiple systems or spreadsheets
- Multi-location operations
- Stores, dining rooms or warehouses with waiting, walking or a lot of preparation
- Teams that rely heavily on email or WhatsApp
- Many approvals or a lot of internal coordination
- Growth that added complexity
- Automation or AI initiatives that need prioritizing
DeepWork isn't designed to measure individual productivity or track how much each employee works.
Frequently asked questions
About the diagnostic.
What is the DeepWork diagnostic?
It is an analysis of how a team, department or process really works. We identify unnecessary tasks, rework, interruptions, meetings, waiting time and manual load, estimate potentially recoverable capacity when there is enough evidence, and deliver an order of action: what to eliminate, simplify or automate and which human work to protect.
Do you need to install monitoring software?
No. We don't install monitoring software as a requirement. Depending on the process and the information available, we combine interviews, process reviews, observation of the work and, when relevant, information from systems, documents or calendars.
Does the diagnostic evaluate each person's performance?
No. We don't measure how much a person works: we analyze how much work the organization really needs and where capacity is used up unnecessarily. It isn't an individual performance review.
How long does the diagnostic take?
It depends on the team or process to be analyzed and the scope needed to get useful evidence. We define it together before we start.
Do I have to hire you for the implementation afterwards?
No. With the diagnostic, you can make the changes with your own team, with your current providers or keep working with DeepWork.
DeepWork diagnostic
Before adding technology, processes or people,
understand what is using up
the capacity you already have.
First we define the team or process to analyze and the scope needed to get useful evidence.