This is the same taxonomy we use in a paid diagnostic, self-reported instead of interviewed. It will not tell you what an outside read would. It will tell you where you already suspect the gaps are, and whether your leadership commitment is strong enough to hold an install in place.

Answer honestly rather than aspirationally. A score that flatters you is worth nothing. The six areas are Strategy & ICP, Process & Playbook, Talent & Ramp, Data Systems & AI, Comp & Accountability, and Leadership & Culture. Running through all of them is the Buy-In Index, which asks whether leadership will keep the system alive after it is built.

Most companies in the lower middle market land in Fragile or Developing. That is the normal starting point, not a verdict.