DCT Advisory
The DCT Helix Diagnostic
Two to four weeks, a fixed fee and about six hours of the chief executive's time. At the end, the leadership team knows what its transformation must address first, what it should not attempt yet, and what the next decision is.
In the DCT Helix white paper this phase is called the Helix Readiness Diagnostic. It is not the free DCT Diagnostic on this site, a six-minute self-assessment that shows where a decision process first breaks.
Six hours, in a typical Diagnostic
- Executive kickoff · 90 minutes
- One interview · 60 minutes
- Weekly check-ins · Three of about 30 minutes
- Readout · 90 minutes
What it examines
Value
Why we transform
- The current state of the enterprise
- Transformation ambition
- Strategic direction
- Value at stake
Hard
What we change
- The transformation portfolio
- Technology and core systems
- Data and model sufficiency
- Capital readiness
Soft
Who makes it happen
- Organizational readiness
- Human and change capacity
- Execution capacity
Control
How we know and steer
- Governance
- Risk
- Enterprise constraints
- Critical interdependencies
- Conflicts between existing initiatives
What you receive
DCT Executive Diagnostic Report
The findings and the evidence behind each, written for the board.
Transformation Readiness Profile
Readiness by department on the ten DCT Helix dimensions, with the weakest critical link named.
Current-State Assessment
The enterprise as it is, declared and owned: the baseline every later step is measured from.
Constraint Map
The capital, capacity, technology, risk and time constraints that bind, and which bind first.
Enterprise Coupling Map
Where departments and shared platforms depend on one another, and what breaks if one moves early.
Transformation Risk Map
The risks that could derail the step, with owners and early warnings.
Value-at-Stake Assessment
Value as a range, against what the market already expects.
Priority Decision Agenda
The decisions the leadership team must take next, in order, each with its evidence.
Initial Sequencing Observations
What should move first, what should wait, and why.
Executive Recommendations
Two or three first-step options, each with its gate criteria.
CXO / Board Readout
A 90-minute session at which the leadership team decides.
Every output is written to support a decision, not to describe the enterprise.
Week by week
- Week 0
Agree the scope
Scope and fee agreed; the information request sent; interviews scheduled.
- Week 1
Kickoff and evidence
The executive kickoff. Documents and data received; the first interviews.
- Week 2
Interviews and analysis
The remaining interviews; readiness, constraints and couplings assessed; a short check-in.
- Week 3
Synthesis
Value at stake, risks and sequencing tested; a workshop only if the evidence needs one; a short check-in.
- Week 4
Readout
A short check-in to preview the findings; then the report and the 90-minute readout, and the decision agenda agreed.
A focused Diagnostic of a single division or question can finish in two weeks.
What it asks of you
To prepare for the first working session
- The list of transformations and major initiatives already under way.
- Strategy documents and the most recent board papers on performance.
- Three years of financial statements and the current plan.
- The organization structure and the KPIs each unit reports.
DCT Helix white paper (October 2026), page 44 (verbatim)
What a board can expect from the diagnostic
- A readiness profile for each department, with its weakest critical link.
- Value at stake as a range, against what the market already expects.
- Two or three first-step options, each with its gate criteria.
- A view of the change budget and the friction already being paid.
DCT Helix white paper (October 2026), page 44 (verbatim)
Fee
DCT Helix Diagnostic engagements typically begin at USD 25,000. The fee is fixed and agreed before work begins.
The Diagnostic stands on its own: the report and the decision agenda are yours, whether or not a Blueprint follows.
When the question starts with the ERP, the DCT ERP Effectiveness Review applies the same discipline to the systems; the DCT + ERP Integrated Diagnostic combines the two. ERP and enterprise systems