The 9D Framework
Introducing the 9D proprietary methodology.
Nine lenses on the operational system of a business, built for founders who took a company from nothing to somewhere between half a million and five million, and were never trained to run the operations that came with it.
The nine dimensions
The variables change, the formula stays the same.
What does the company stand for, what culture does it live by, and where is it going?
Whether the company’s direction is written down, shared with the team, and used in decisions. And whether the clients and work it takes match what you say it is.
Whether the company’s direction is written down, shared with the team, and used in decisions. And whether the clients and work it takes match what you say it is.
When it holdsThe company knows who it is, how it behaves and where it is going, and its decisions show it.
- 01You say yes to work that does not fit.
- 02Your team cannot say where the company is going.
- 03Your values do not guide who you hire.
Can you explain your strategy in two sentences, and does it decide which work you take?
Who you sell to, what you sell, why they choose you, and how the business makes money. And whether you say no to work that does not fit.
Who you sell to, what you sell, why they choose you, and how the business makes money. And whether you say no to work that does not fit.
When it holdsThe business has made clear choices about its clients, its offer and its profit, and it sticks to them.
- 01Several new directions are open at once.
- 02You take on work you said you would not.
- 03You cannot name the last client you turned down.
Who owns what in your business, and can they decide without you?
Who owns each part of the business, whether they can decide without asking you, and whether the right person is in each role.
Who owns each part of the business, whether they can decide without asking you, and whether the right person is in each role.
When it holdsEvery person knows what they own and what they can decide, and you keep only the work that is yours.
- 01Some jobs have no owner, or two.
- 02Managers still ask you before they decide.
- 03Nobody can say what a good result looks like in each role.
Is the way you work written down, kept in one place, and used by the whole team?
How work flows from first contact to referral, which tools hold it, and whether the know-how is written down.
How work flows from first contact to referral, which tools hold it, and whether the know-how is written down.
When it holdsQuality stays the same whoever does the job, and a new hire can learn it from documents.
- 01Onboarding changes with whoever handles it.
- 02Client files sit in personal phones and inboxes.
- 03The process documents exist, but nobody opens them.
Do you set clear priorities, review them on a set rhythm, and finish what you promise?
The priorities set each quarter, how often and how they are reviewed, and what got finished against what was promised.
The priorities set each quarter, how often and how they are reviewed, and what got finished against what was promised.
When it holdsThe team finishes what it commits to, and a set rhythm keeps it moving.
- 01The January plan is forgotten by summer.
- 02Your team meetings end without written actions.
- 03You are the only one who remembers what was promised.
Do the right clients find you, understand your offer, and sign at the right price?
What you sell and how it is priced, how people hear about you, and how a conversation turns into a signed contract.
What you sell and how it is priced, how people hear about you, and how a conversation turns into a signed contract.
When it holdsThe right clients sign at the right price, and you are not the only person who can close a deal.
- 01Every proposal starts from a blank page.
- 02New clients come only through you or referrals.
- 03You do not know why you lose deals.
Do you see your profit, your cash and your key numbers early enough to act?
The reports you receive, how fast the books are closed, and which numbers you track and how often you read them.
The reports you receive, how fast the books are closed, and which numbers you track and how often you read them.
When it holdsDecisions rest on numbers that arrive in time, in a form you understand.
- 01You steer by the bank balance.
- 02Profit looks fine until you pay yourself properly.
- 03The accountant’s reports arrive too late to act on.
Does your presence make the team stronger?
Whether decisions stay where you placed them, how problems reach you, and how people are welcomed, grown and kept.
Whether decisions stay where you placed them, how problems reach you, and how people are welcomed, grown and kept.
When it holdsDecisions stay where you placed them, and good people stay and grow.
- 01You hand a decision down, then quietly change it.
- 02Problems reach you with no solution attached.
- 03A good person resigns, and you did not see it coming.
Is AI a priority for you, do you have guardrails around it, and is it saving your team time?
Where AI could take work off your team, whether it knows your business, and whether your processes are clear enough to build on.
Where AI could take work off your team, whether it knows your business, and whether your processes are clear enough to build on.
When it holdsAI does part of the work your team used to do, safely, and the time it saves goes into growing the business.
- 01Your team uses AI, with no rules on what goes in.
- 02You pay for AI tools and cannot say what they save.
- 03AI is a side project with no one in charge.
- 01 Identity
- What does the company stand for, what culture does it live by, and where is it going? Whether the company’s direction is written down, shared with the team, and used in decisions. And whether the clients and work it takes match what you say it is.
- 02 Strategy
- Can you explain your strategy in two sentences, and does it decide which work you take? Who you sell to, what you sell, why they choose you, and how the business makes money. And whether you say no to work that does not fit.
- 03 People
- Who owns what in your business, and can they decide without you? Who owns each part of the business, whether they can decide without asking you, and whether the right person is in each role.
- 04 Systems
- Is the way you work written down, kept in one place, and used by the whole team? How work flows from first contact to referral, which tools hold it, and whether the know-how is written down.
- 05 Execution
- Do you set clear priorities, review them on a set rhythm, and finish what you promise? The priorities set each quarter, how often and how they are reviewed, and what got finished against what was promised.
- 06 Delivery
- Do the right clients find you, understand your offer, and sign at the right price? What you sell and how it is priced, how people hear about you, and how a conversation turns into a signed contract.
- 07 Numbers
- Do you see your profit, your cash and your key numbers early enough to act? The reports you receive, how fast the books are closed, and which numbers you track and how often you read them.
- 08 Leadership
- Does your presence make the team stronger? Whether decisions stay where you placed them, how problems reach you, and how people are welcomed, grown and kept.
- 09 AI
- Is AI a priority for you, do you have guardrails around it, and is it saving your team time? Where AI could take work off your team, whether it knows your business, and whether your processes are clear enough to build on.
Where does the 9D Framework come from?
The 9D was built in cooperation with Teresa Cavalla, another fractional COO. Between us: more than 40 years of operating experience, inside corporates, startups and founder-led businesses.
It stands on proven frameworks, on executive and leadership training, and on what we have watched work and fail inside real businesses.
It is not a frozen model. We run it in live engagements, reassess it, and update it, because the world it measures is moving fast, and a method that stands still falls behind. What you get is one view of your whole business, across nine dimensions.
