The words on the org chart, defined.
Plain definitions, why each one matters to an owner, and how it shows up in practice.
- AI agentAn AI agent is software that reads a situation, decides within limits you set and acts (replies, drafts, updates, flags) to remove repetitive work
- Fractional executiveA fractional executive is a senior leader (CMO, CTO, COO, CFO) who holds the seat part time, ongoing, for a company that cannot justify a full time hire
- Growth partnerA growth partner is an outside team that embeds across a company's functions and is paid on results through revenue share, equity or a hybrid
- Interim executiveAn interim executive fills a vacant leadership seat full time for a defined period, stabilises the function and hands over to a permanent hire
- Key person riskKey person risk is the exposure a business carries when revenue, knowledge or relationships depend on one person, usually the owner, who could leave
- Management teamA management team is the group of leaders who run a company's functions day to day, so the owner or investor governs the business rather than operating it
- Operating cadenceOperating cadence is the fixed rhythm of meetings and reviews, daily to quarterly, that runs a company without the owner chasing every decision
- Org designOrg design is deciding which seats a business needs to hit its plan, what each seat owns and who sits in it, before drawing the chart or making a hire
- Outsourced departmentAn outsourced department is a whole business function (marketing, sales systems, technology, operations) run by an outside team under one plan
- PlaybookA playbook is a written guide for a recurring situation such as a complaint or a resignation, with judgement as well as steps, so a manager can act alone
- RACIRACI assigns four roles to a decision or task (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) so everyone knows who does the work and who owns the outcome
- Revenue shareRevenue share is a fee structure where a partner is paid a percentage of the revenue it helps produce, instead of or alongside a fixed retainer
- ScorecardA scorecard is a one page set of five to ten numbers, each owned by a named person and reviewed weekly, that shows whether the business is on track
- SOP (standard operating procedure)An SOP is a written, step by step procedure for one recurring task, with an owner, the tools used and a standard for done, so anyone can repeat it
- Span of controlSpan of control is the number of people who report directly to one manager, and a signal of where a company's bottlenecks and burnout will appear first
Tell us which seat is empty.
A 30-minute call with Ali about the business and the people running it. You leave knowing which role to fill first and whether fractional, outsourced or a hire is the right answer, whether or not we work together.