Our methodology
The Architecture Chain
People problems start upstream. The chain links strategy to outcomes in six layers, so every people decision can be traced to the business it serves.
01 —Six layers
From strategy to outcomes, one layer at a time
Each layer depends on the one above it. Our four practices work on the middle four.
Strategy
What the business must achieve, and the choices that follow from it.
Organisation
The structure, operating model and decision rights that carry the strategy.
Workforce
Roles, job architecture, grades and the capabilities each role needs.
Performance
Goals, measures and the routines that turn work into results.
Total rewards
Pay, benefits and recognition that are fair, affordable and explainable.
Outcomes
The results the chain exists for: capability, engagement and business performance.
02 —Six stages
How every engagement moves
The same six stages apply whichever layer we work on, so you always know where the work stands.
- 01
Diagnose
Find where the chain breaks, with evidence, before proposing anything.
- 02
Define
Agree the principles, scope and decisions the design must respect.
- 03
Architect
Design the structure, roles, measures or rewards, layer by layer.
- 04
Quantify
Cost the design and test it against budget and market data.
- 05
Govern
Set the policies, owners and decision rules that keep it working.
- 06
Implement & evolve
Roll it out with an owner, a first step and a date; then review and adjust.
03 —How we work
Three rules we keep
We say what we found, plainly.
Findings come with the evidence behind them, including the uncomfortable ones.
An owner, a first step and a date.
Every recommendation leaves the room with someone to own it and a date to start.
The Monday-morning test.
If a manager cannot use it on Monday morning, it is not finished.