3 Ten-Question Diagnostic Ten-Question Diagnostic Name * Name First Name First Name Last Name Last Name Email * Phone * When a major decision needs to be made — significant capex, a new direction, a key hire — how does your family make it? * One person decides, full stop. We talk, but it is informal and whoever pushes hardest usually wins. We have a process, but nothing is written down. We have a documented decision-making framework that everyone has agreed to. If the primary decision-maker was unavailable for a month, who would make critical decisions — and does every person involved know this without asking? * Nobody knows. The family would work it out, somehow. There is an informal understanding, but it has never been tested. There is a documented plan that has been reviewed and agreed. Do your children or successors have clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority within the enterprise? * Not really — they do what needs doing. Informally, yes — everyone roughly knows their lane. It has been discussed and verbally agreed. It is in writing, reviewed regularly, and tied to performance. Are your significant business assets held in your personal name, or in a formal trust or corporate structure? * Mostly personal name. Mixed — some in structure, some not — set up at different times. Mostly structured, though some pieces are still in personal name. Fully structured, professionally reviewed, and aligned with our succession plan. If you died tonight, do you know exactly what would happen to each significant asset, how long it would take, and what it would cost your family? * No. Roughly, yes — our will covers the basics. We have a will and some structures, but it has not been stress-tested. Yes — we have a comprehensive estate and succession plan that is reviewed regularly. If two family members had a serious disagreement about ownership or the direction of the enterprise, what is the process? * We would argue and hope for the best. The senior person or the majority would decide. We would sit down and talk it through. We have a documented conflict resolution process that we have all agreed to. When you make a significant investment or capital expenditure, what process do you follow? * The senior person decides, often quickly. We discuss it informally, then one person pulls the trigger. We have some guidelines, but they are not written down. We have a documented investment policy with agreed thresholds and approval requirements. Does your family have an agreed, written position on how much debt is acceptable, under what conditions, and what "too much" looks like? * No. We have a shared feeling about it, but it has never been said explicitly. We have discussed it but never written it down. Yes — it is documented and forms part of how we evaluate every major decision. Could you write down the five values your family enterprise stands for, right now — and would every family member write the same list? * No — we have never done this. Roughly, yes — but we have never checked whether we all agree. We have discussed it, and some of it is written down somewhere. Yes — agreed, documented, and actively used to inform decisions. Has your family ever had an explicit, structured conversation — with everyone present — about what happens when you are gone, who gets what, who decides what, and what you all agree the enterprise stands for? * Never. Briefly, years ago — but not recently and not formally. Yes, but informally — no documentation came out of it. Yes, and it is documented in a way that will survive us. Consent to Data Processing and Communication * By completing the information in our contact textboxes or our specialized questionnaires, you acknowledge and agree that the information provided will be used by The Family Constitution Company to become acquainted with your family’s unique needs, goals, and objectives. You hereby grant express permission for a representative of The Family Constitution Company to contact you using the information provided to discuss our services and how we may best assist you. We respect your privacy and will only use this information for the purposes of evaluating your inquiry and establishing a professional relationship. Submit If you are human, leave this field blank.
