A 30-minute promise self-check: find where client commitments break

Most owners know promises are slipping somewhere. Few know exactly where. This audit takes half an hour and tells you which part of the chain to fix first.

What you need

• 30 minutes without interruptions.
• Your inbox, messages or CRM, whichever holds client requests.
• A sheet with ten rows and six columns: E, R, M, O, D, A.

Step 1: pick one stream (2 minutes)

Choose one kind of promise, not all of them. For example:

• requests from existing clients;
• what sales agreed when an account was won;
• fixes promised after a complaint.

Step 2: list the last ten (8 minutes)

Write one line for each: who was promised what, and by when. Include the ones that went well.

Step 3: find where each one broke (15 minutes)

For each promise, go across the six questions and stop at the first “no”.

Letter	Ask
E · Expectation	Was it clear what was promised, to whom, and where it was said?
R · Right people	Did the people who needed to agree actually agree?
M · Map	Did the people doing the work know about it?
O · Owner	Was one named person responsible until it was done?
D · Done	Was there an agreed finish line and proof it was met?
A · Assured	Was the client told, and did they confirm?

Put a mark in the column where it first broke. If it went all the way through, mark it kept.

Step 4: count and choose (5 minutes)

Count the marks in each column. The column with the most is where your business loses promises today.

Most businesses find their marks cluster in one or two columns. That’s good news: it means one change can fix a lot.

What to change first

• Mostly E: write promises down where they’re made. One shared note or CRM field is enough.
• Mostly R: decide who may promise discounts, dates and free work, and write it on one page.
• Mostly M: add one handoff step, so whoever makes the promise tells whoever does the work.
• Mostly O: give every promise one name, not a team.
• Mostly D: agree what “done” looks like before the work starts.
• Mostly A: close every promise by telling the client and asking them to confirm.

Run the same audit again in a month, using the same stream. If the marks have moved to a different letter, the fix worked. Then pick the next one.

Want a second pair of eyes? This is how an ERMODA engagement starts. Or try Ask ERMODA on a single promise first.