A guarantee is only worth something if it is specific enough to be checked. “We stand behind our work” is not checkable. “Three times the fee, measured this way, over this period, using this rate, decided by these criteria” is — so that is the version we publish.

If a Workflow Diagnostic cannot evidence recoverable value worth at least three times its own fee, we do not invoice it. Not refund it: do not invoice it at all.

01. The mechanics, in full

  • Three times what. The fee actually quoted for your specific Diagnostic — not the starting figure listed as a floor.
  • Over what period. Twelve months, counted once. Nothing is compounded forward to make the number look larger over a longer horizon.
  • Whose time counts. Fee-earning expert time only. Administrative and junior time does not count toward the threshold, which keeps the number honest rather than inflated by cheaper hours.
  • At what rate. Your own stated rate for that time, agreed in writing before the Diagnostic starts — not a rate we choose for you afterwards to make the arithmetic work.
  • Which savings count. Annual recurring value. A one-off saving, however real, does not count toward a threshold meant to reflect an ongoing workflow improvement.
  • What counts as evidence. The baseline measured during the Diagnostic, from your own data, signed off by your sponsor — not our estimate of what the baseline probably is.
  • Who decides. The written criteria agreed before the work starts. Never our judgement after the fact, and, deliberately, never yours either — a threshold either side can move after seeing the result is not a threshold.

02. Why we built it this way

The obvious alternative — a vague promise of value with no defined test — is easy to make and impossible to hold anyone to. It also invites the opposite problem: a client who is simply unhappy with an outcome for reasons unrelated to the actual numbers has no clear basis to invoke it, and neither do we have a clear basis to defend against an unfounded claim. Writing the mechanics down before the work starts removes that entire category of dispute. Either the evidence meets the bar in writing, or it does not.

This is the same logic behind why we insist on a Diagnostic before quoting a build at all: a number that cannot be checked against something specific is not really a commitment, it is a hope.

03. What “not invoiced” actually means

You are not billed at all — this is not a refund process where money changes hands twice. If the Diagnostic’s evidence does not clear the threshold, the invoice simply is not raised. The full method and mechanics also live on Pricing, alongside the rest of how engagements are structured and paid.

04. Frequently asked questions

Does the guarantee apply to the build as well as the Diagnostic?

The 3x guarantee is specific to the Diagnostic. The build carries a separate assurance — fixed price against written acceptance criteria, corrected at our cost if we do not meet them — detailed on Pricing.

What if we disagree with the measured baseline?

The baseline is signed off by your sponsor during the Diagnostic, using data and assumptions agreed in writing beforehand. Disagreement after the fact is not something the guarantee needs to resolve, because the criteria were fixed before the result existed.

Is this guarantee available for every engagement?

It applies to every Workflow Diagnostic on the same written terms. It is a property of how the Diagnostic itself is priced, not a discretionary add-on.

See the full mechanics, alongside the rest of how we price and structure an engagement — what each engagement covers →