Friction Audit Report
A visual diagnostic that shows exactly where your business gets stuck - and why.
What It Is
The Friction Audit is a comprehensive analysis of where work slows down in your business. We map every major workflow, identify bottlenecks, and document the root causes behind each friction point.
Think of it as an MRI for your operations - it reveals problems you can feel but couldn't see.
What's Included
Process Observation (3-4 hours)
We shadow your team during real work. Client calls, project handoffs, internal meetings. We observe where work flows and where it stalls.
Example: We watch a project kickoff and notice the same questions get asked every time because there's no standard brief template.
Team Interviews (5-7 people, 30 min each)
Confidential conversations with team members at different levels. We ask: What takes longer than it should? What's frustrating? What would you change?
Example: Three people independently mention that getting approval for small decisions is a bottleneck.
Bottleneck Analysis
We map the 3-5 highest-impact friction points. For each one, we document: what's happening, why it's happening, how much time it costs, and who's affected.
Example: "Client onboarding takes 2 weeks because intake forms are incomplete, requiring 3-4 back-and-forth emails per client."
Root Cause Documentation
Surface symptoms vs. actual problems. We don't just say "communication is bad" - we identify *why* (no decision rights? Unclear escalation paths? Too many meetings?).
Example: "Team waits for founder approval not because they lack skills, but because decision thresholds were never documented."
Visual Friction Map
A diagram showing where work flows smoothly (green), where it slows (yellow), and where it stops completely (red). Makes the invisible visible.
Example: Your project workflow shows green until "client review" - then it turns red because reviews take 5-7 days due to unclear feedback expectations.
How We Find Friction
We Look For:
- • Work that requires multiple handoffs
- • Decisions that take too long to make
- • Information that lives in people's heads
- • Tasks that get repeated unnecessarily
- • Meetings that should be messages
- • Processes that have outgrown their systems
We Measure:
- • Time cost (hours per week)
- • People affected (who feels the pain)
- • Frequency (how often it happens)
- • Impact (what gets delayed because of it)
- • Morale cost (team frustration level)
What You Learn
After the Friction Audit, you'll know:
- ✓ The top 3-5 friction points costing you the most time
- ✓ Why they exist (root causes, not just symptoms)
- ✓ Who's affected and how much time they're losing
- ✓ Which problems to fix first (we prioritize by impact)
- ✓ What patterns keep showing up across different areas
What Happens Next
The Friction Audit is one of four deliverables in the Flow Check package. It gets paired with:
Ready to See Where You're Stuck?
The Friction Audit is included in every Flow Check. Book an intro call to get started.
Schedule Intro Call