A process audit is the most contained engagement we offer. Two weeks, one operational area, one written report. It is designed to give you an accurate picture of one specific part of your organisation before you decide whether to do anything larger.

The four areas we audit

We audit four operational areas: finance processes (how money moves through the organisation, how approvals work, how reporting is produced), hiring processes (how roles are defined, how candidates are assessed, how decisions are made), client delivery processes (how work is scoped, tracked, and handed over), and internal communications (how information moves between teams and where it stops). You choose one area. The audit does not cover multiple areas simultaneously.

What happens in week one

Week one is interviews and observation. We speak with every person who touches the process in a meaningful way, from the most senior to the most operational. We ask them to walk us through what they actually do, not what the process document says they should do. We also review any existing documentation: process maps, handbooks, templates. The gap between the documentation and the reality is usually where the problems are.

What happens in week two

Week two is analysis and writing. We produce the process map, identify the gaps, and write the report. We do not share preliminary findings during week two. The report is the first formal output. This is deliberate: preliminary findings invite premature responses, and premature responses shape the final analysis in ways that are not always useful.

What the report contains

The report has four sections. A map of the current process as it actually operates. A list of gaps between the documented process and the real one. A prioritised list of changes with the reasoning behind each. And a section on what the audit did not cover and why. That last section is not a disclaimer. It is a genuine statement of the audit's boundaries, so that clients know where the report's authority ends and where further work might be needed.

How clients use the findings

Some clients implement the changes themselves. Some use the audit as the basis for a larger engagement. Some use it to have a conversation with their team that they had been avoiding. All three are valid. The audit does not prescribe an implementation path. It produces a clear picture and a prioritised list. What you do with it is your decision.

The process audit at £2,900 is the lowest-commitment way to understand how NexWave CorePath works and to get a clear picture of one part of your organisation. Several of our longer engagements started here. You can find out more or book a discovery call through the contact page.