KEI&S framework
The KEI&S Enterprise Operating Model
Every business has functions to run, processes to manage, decisions to control and systems to support them.
Every recurring business problem exists somewhere in this model. Many problems cross several cells.
The Grid answers two questions
What does the business do?
How does each part of the business operate?
6 business functions times 5 operating layers equals 30 operating cells.
Dimension 1
What the business does
01
Market
How do customers find you?
02
Customer
How do you win and keep them?
03
Delivery
How does the work get done?
04
Money
How does cash move and get counted?
05
People
Who decides and who does?
06
Intelligence
How do you know what is happening?
Dimension 2
How each function operates
- 1
Ownership
Who is accountable?
A named person accountable for the outcome.
- 2
Process
How does the work flow?
The steps the work follows, from start to finish.
- 3
Rules
What decides how the work happens?
The policies, limits and standards that decide how work happens.
- 4
Technology
What enables the work?
The systems that enable and record the work.
- 5
Management Rhythm
How is the business reviewed?
The measures and meetings that keep it under review.
Every recurring problem lives somewhere in the model.
Many problems cross several cells. That is why fixing one symptom rarely fixes the business, and why the model connects diagnosis, systems and learning.
Lines show dependencies. The blue chain is the value chain; dashed lines are the functions that support all of it.
Choose a function
Customer
How do you win and keep them? Its five cells run from who owns it to how it is reviewed.
Connected to
- Market
- Delivery
- People
- Intelligence
30 operating cells
One function, one layer, one question. Together, the whole business.
Hover a function or layer to trace it. Select a cell, or use the arrow keys.
Explore the grid
Select any cell.
Each one asks a single question about how one part of the business operates.
1 · Choose a function
2 · Tap a layer to select its cell
Money: How does cash move and get counted?
Dimension 3 · What must remain under control
The Grid runs inside a control architecture.
Six disciplines that apply across the functions. Not a seventh function.
Select a discipline to see where it applies across the grid. Select any cell, here or in the grid above, to see its controls.
Selected cell
10Money × Process
Not additional functions. They apply across the functions.
Every cell is scored.
Each of the 30 cells is scored 0–4 in the Diagnostic and again after Install. The total, out of 120, shows how far the business has moved.
- 0AbsentNobody owns it and nothing is defined.
- 1Person-dependentIt works because a specific person holds it in their head.
- 2DefinedIt is written down and people know what to do.
- 3SystemisedIt runs through tools, with records, not memory.
- 4MeasuredIt is reviewed on a rhythm and improved from the numbers.
Four management outcomes
Performance
Are we achieving what we intend?
Control
Are we operating as designed?
Risk
What could materially disrupt us?
Compliance
Are we meeting our obligations?
From founder-dependent to governed & scalable
The further along, the easier it is to raise capital, borrow and grow. It is what investors and lenders look for.
Stage 1
Founder-dependent
Knowledge and decisions sit with individuals.
Stage 2
Process-dependent
Key activities have defined processes.
Stage 3
System-dependent
Processes run through connected systems.
Stage 4
Management-controlled
Management has clear controls, accountability and visibility.
Stage 5
Governed & scalable
Ownership, controls, data, risk, continuity and decisions are institutionalised. Ready for investors, lenders and growth.
Next step
We design how your business should run, then build the systems that make it possible.
KEI&S does not start with software. We first understand how the business needs to operate, then design the processes, controls, responsibilities and systems around it.
Explore KEI&S Business School →