4 general · 26 major · 278 sub-categories
Every part of a business,
in one checklist.
Most businesses are not failing at everything. They are failing at three or four specific things and cannot see which. The 26-Point Checklist is a complete map of what a business consists of — so you can find those three or four, rather than guess.
What it actually is
The map
Four general categories break into 26 major categories, which break into 278 sub-categories. Nothing about a business falls outside it, which is the point — a checklist that skips a section is a checklist you cannot trust.
The benchmark
Every sub-category carries three researched numbers: typical time released, typical financial upside, and how much of the work can realistically be automated. They tell you where the opportunity usually sits before you have measured anything.
The half only you have
How well your business currently handles each one. The benchmark cannot know that, and deliberately does not guess. Put the two together and you get a ranked list of what to fix first.
The four general categories
01 · 3 major · 26 sub
Direction
Purpose, Vision & Direction, Strategy and 1 more
02 · 10 major · 98 sub
Customers & Growth
Customer Understanding, Value Proposition and 8 more
03 · 8 major · 93 sub
Business Operations
Operations & Process Efficiency, Supply Chain & Delivery and 6 more
04 · 5 major · 61 sub
Technology & Future
Technology & Digital Infrastructure, Automation & AI Leverage and 3 more
Why the numbers are honest about what they are
These three numbers are researched cross-business benchmarks for the area — the typical opportunity available in it. They are not your score, not a forecast, and not a promise. What is actually critical depends on your business, which is what the audit is for.
The benchmark deliberately does not pre-score how critical any area is. Criticality depends on the individual business and cannot be responsibly assigned in advance — so the research does not try, and neither does this site until you have told it about your own business.