Our process
The GoTo Business Operating System.
Every engagement, regardless of size or sector, moves through the same five stages. The stages are sequential. Work may be compressed but it may not be skipped, and no stage may begin until the gate at the end of the previous stage has been passed and recorded. This is what makes a fixed-price promise sustainable for both parties.
- Stages
- Five, sequential
- Gates
- One at the end of each stage
- Quality review
- Four levels
- Governing procedures
- Eighteen documented SOPs
01
The five stages
01Five stages, five gates
A stage does not close until the gate is recorded.
01
Discover
1 to 2 weeks
What happens
Executive and stakeholder interviews, brand, communications and website audits, AI readiness, competitor analysis, GoTo360™ where scoped.
Required output
Discovery Report and Current State Assessment
Gate to pass
Client confirms the problem statement in writing
02
Define
1 to 2 weeks
What happens
Strategy workshop, positioning, audience and journey mapping, roadmap and success measures.
Required output
Strategic Roadmap with named success measures at 90 days, one year and three years
Gate to pass
Client signs off the roadmap and the measures
03
Design
2 to 4 weeks
What happens
Identity, site architecture, user experience, content strategy, campaign design, solution specification.
Required output
Approved Solution Design with a version number and a named approver
Gate to pass
Client approves the design and any change to cost or timeline is agreed
04
Deliver
Project dependent
What happens
Build, roll out, integrate, test, train and launch.
Required output
Implemented solution plus training and documentation
Gate to pass
Acceptance testing passed and handover pack issued
05
Develop
Ongoing
What happens
Monthly reviews, reporting, optimisation, quarterly planning, ongoing advisory.
Required output
Performance reports and improvement actions
Gate to pass
Formal closure or renewal decision taken
The rule that protects the model
No implementation begins before discovery is complete and success measures are agreed. If a client requires work to start at delivery, that is a commercial decision taken by the Managing Director, recorded on the project file, with the risk stated in writing to the client.
Scope of a full diagnostic
A full GoTo360™ diagnostic across nine dimensions takes two to four weeks and produces scored indices and three-horizon roadmaps. A single-deliverable project uses a two to three day structured brief and one audit.
02
Roles on every engagement
02Accountability
Four roles. Named, and with things they may not delegate.
| Role | Accountable for | Cannot be delegated |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement Lead | The client relationship, the problem statement, commercial terms, and the final quality of what is issued. | Scope changes and sign-off on client-facing deliverables. |
| Delivery Lead | The plan, the schedule, the team and day-to-day production. | Reporting a slipping deadline within 24 hours of knowing. |
| Specialist | Their component of the work to the agreed standard. | Raising a technical risk they can see and the client cannot. |
| Client Sponsor | Decisions, access to people and data, and sign-off at each gate. | Approval at gates. If the sponsor will not sign, the stage does not close. |
03
Change control
03Change control
A change is anything that alters agreed scope, cost, timeline or acceptance criteria.
Changes are recorded on a one-page change order and signed before the work is done.
- 01A change is anything that alters agreed scope, cost, timeline or acceptance criteria.
- 02The requester states the change and the reason.
- 03The Delivery Lead estimates effort, cost and schedule impact within two working days.
- 04The Engagement Lead issues the change order.
- 05Work begins only once it is signed.
- 06The change order is filed with the contract rather than buried in an email thread.
04
Quality assurance
04Quality assurance
Nothing leaves the firm on the strength of the person who made it.
Every client-facing output is reviewed by someone who did not produce it, at one of four levels.
| Level | Applies to | Reviewer | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 Self check | Everything, without exception | The author, against the standard checklist | Before submission |
| L2 Peer review | Routine client outputs: status notes, social content, minor updates | Any colleague not involved in production | 1 working day |
| L3 Lead review | Reports, strategies, designs, websites, training material, anything a client pays for as a deliverable | Engagement Lead | 2 working days |
| L4 Director review | Proposals, tender submissions, pricing, contracts, research publications, crisis communication, anything naming a client publicly | Managing Director | 2 to 3 working days |
Minimum standard by deliverable
| Deliverable | Minimum standard |
|---|---|
| Documents | Clear structure, consistent formatting, plain language, UK English, no spelling or grammatical errors, referenced where appropriate. |
| Websites | Mobile responsive, accessibility conscious to WCAG 2.1 AA, HTTPS, fast loading, search optimised, analytics configured, privacy notice included. |
| Branding | Logo suite, colour system, typography, brand applications, digital assets and usage guidelines. |
| AI solutions | Stated business objective, governance assessment, prompt documentation, user guide, training session and performance review. |
05
Escalation
05Escalation
Five triggers, each with a named recipient and a time limit.
Escalation is a procedure rather than a judgement call, which is what makes it happen.
| Trigger | Escalated to | Within |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline at risk by more than three working days | Engagement Lead | 24 hours of knowing |
| Client dissatisfaction expressed, however mildly | Engagement Lead | Same day |
| Scope dispute or unsigned change being worked | Managing Director | 24 hours |
| Payment overdue beyond terms plus 15 days | Managing Director | Immediately |
| Data breach, loss of client information or POPIA incident | Managing Director and Information Officer | Immediately |
06
Closure
06Closure
An engagement is finished when it is closed, not when the work is delivered.
- 01A closure report stating what was asked, what was done, what the measures show and what is recommended next.
- 02Confirmation that all invoices are raised and the final margin recorded against the quoted price.
- 03Lessons captured within five working days.
- 04A testimonial and case study request while goodwill is highest.
- 05Follow-up contact diarised at 30 and 90 days.
- 06The project file archived with personal data removed where it is no longer required.
07
Commercial model
07Engagement models
Five ways to buy. Fixed price is the default.
Price is built on value and risk, not hours.
| Model | Used for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed price project | Websites, brand identity, strategies, AI readiness assessments. The default for most work. | Predictable pricing, easier budgeting, clear expectations. Requires disciplined change control. |
| Phased fixed price | Large or uncertain engagements. Discovery is priced separately and later stages quoted once discovery is complete. | The client may stop after discovery. That is acceptable, and often the honest outcome. |
| Monthly retainer | Managed services, fractional CMO, care plans, ongoing advisory. | Included scope and hours are defined explicitly, with service levels, response times and a reporting schedule. |
| Day rate | Executive advisory, workshops, facilitation, expert input on a client programme. | Hourly, half-day, full-day or multi-day workshop rates. |
| Outcome linked | Rare. Only where the measure is unambiguous and within our control. | Requires Managing Director approval and a floor fee. |
Commercial terms
- 01Projects: 50 percent deposit before work begins, 30 percent on agreed milestones, 20 percent before final delivery or launch.
- 02Retainers: monthly payment in advance, with annual escalation stated in the agreement at signature rather than negotiated later.
- 03Two rounds of revision are included per deliverable, and this is stated in every quote.
- 04Third-party costs are recovered at cost plus a stated handling percentage and are never absorbed silently.
- 05Travel beyond the Mangaung metropolitan area is charged at an agreed rate per kilometre plus time.
- 06Rush work requested inside normal lead time carries a surcharge, typically 25 to 50 percent.
- 07Late payment attracts interest per legislation and contract terms, and work may be suspended until overdue amounts are settled.
Client service standards
| Area | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Communication | Enquiries acknowledged within one business day; routine emails answered within one business day; urgent matters escalated immediately. |
| Meetings | Agenda circulated in advance; minutes shared within two business days; actions assigned to named owners. |
| Reporting | Monthly reports covering work completed, key performance indicators, analytics, risks, recommendations and next month’s priorities. |
| Live engagements | A weekly written note per active engagement, to the client and on file, including weeks where there is nothing to report. |
On the weekly note
A weekly written note is issued per active engagement, to the client and on file, including weeks where there is nothing to report. Silence is the most common early symptom of a project going wrong.
Book a Discovery Session
The most useful first step is a discovery conversation.
A structured session that produces a written problem statement, whether or not it leads to an engagement. If the problem is not one we should be paid to solve, we will say so.
Enquiries acknowledged within one business day, always.