Finding the forest amongst the trees – How a Rapid Assessment can help mitigate risk of wasted effort

Most business leaders are probably familiar with the phrase “can’t see the forest amongst the trees”. Unfortunately, it’s often used in the context of a project or initiative that isn’t aligned or contributing to the bigger picture or strategy. Misalignment between projects and organisational strategy is a silent value-killer and a major risk. In an era where over half of project failures are attributed to poor alignment and oversight, being able to identify and mitigate risk early is critical. One way of doing this is through a Rapid Assessment.

A Rapid Assessment is a tailored, focused, quick-turnaround consulting service we offer at RSM to help you identify and address improvement opportunities. In just 4–6 weeks, our team can deliver an unbiased, 360-degree assessment of your organisation or a targeted project. The goal is simple: to equip you with actionable insights and a practical roadmap to reduce risk and improve outcomes.

What happens in a Rapid Assessment?

It’s a focused assessment that is tailored to look at key aspects of your business or project such as: Is each initiative aligned with your overarching goals? Do you have the right people and processes in place? Are there hidden inefficiencies or risks that could derail you? 

We interview staff, review plans and data, and benchmark against best practices. Because we’re independent and experienced, we often spot things insiders might miss – from initiatives that are inconsistent with your strategy, to a critical gap in your approach. 

Importantly, a Rapid Assessment isn’t an academic exercise. It zeroes in on actionable insights. You’ll get a clear set of recommendations, which usually include a few “quick wins” – improvements you can make right away for immediate impact – as well as longer-term fixes. For example, a local organisation recently discovered through an assessment that two departments were unknowingly buying similar software. Consolidating licenses saved them thousands almost overnight. The assessment also highlighted process tweaks to improve customer response time, which the team implemented within a month.

Key Benefits to Your Organisation

Choosing RSM’s Rapid Assessment yields immediate and long-term advantages:

• Strategic Alignment and Focus: A Rapid Assessment quickly evaluates whether all ongoing initiatives and investments are traceable to strategic objectives. By doing so, it flags any activities that don’t clearly support the mission or KPIs. Catching these misalignments early means you can realign or sunset low-value activities, ensuring all your resources are directly contributing to your strategic objectives. For example, after a Rapid Assessment, one nonprofit client refocused on digital engagement and saw increased membership growth and retention as a result – because all efforts were realigned with their core mission.
• Risk Reduction: By spotting risks early – whether operational inefficiencies, control gaps, or project issues – you can take corrective action before they escalate. Many clients use our findings to strengthen project governance and risk management practices. For instance, a government client implemented our recommendations for clearer decision-making and risk monitoring, which helped safeguard public value and avoid scope creep as the project advanced. In short, you get to be proactive, not reactive.
• Rapid Value Realisation: Because we identify quick wins, you don’t have to wait long to start seeing the benefits. These might be cost savings from process tweaks, revenue bumps from addressing a sales bottleneck, or efficiency gains from clarifying roles. Quick wins build momentum (and often free up funds) for larger changes. In one case, our assessment of a company’s IT function uncovered immediate cost reduction opportunities that translated into a leaner, more cloud-focused environment – decreasing overall IT costs and complexity.
• Holistic Improvement: Our recommendations consider people, process, and technology together. We ensure that any process change is backed by the right training and tech support, and any technology upgrade is aligned with efficient processes and user adoption. This well-rounded approach means solutions are sustainable. You’re not just applying a quick fix; you’re building a stronger organisation for the long run.
• Speed and Cost-Efficiency: Unlike lengthy consulting engagements, a rapid assessment delivers insights in weeks, not months, minimising disruption. It’s a cost-effective way to leverage RSM’s expertise – a short, sharp engagement that provides a clear ROI through the improvements it identifies. High impact, minimal fuss.

Keeping the Big Picture in View

For business leaders, a Rapid Assessment provides Clarity. When you do a Rapid Assessment, you’re no longer operating on hunches. You know which initiatives are on track and which need adjustment. This can prevent costly missteps like launching a product that doesn’t fit your market or pouring resources into a project that isn’t aligned with your strategy. 

In short, a Rapid Assessment helps maximise your return on investment by redirecting efforts toward what really adds value. There’s also a significant risk management benefit. The process will flag potential issues early – perhaps a supplier dependency or an inefficient process causing delays – and propose solutions before they escalate. Catching these red flags early means you can solve problems on your own terms, instead of scrambling later when they’ve grown. As one local CEO put it, “It’s cheap insurance for our strategy. A few weeks for a check-up, and we avoided pitfalls that could have cost us a year.”

Whether you run a business, a charity, or a project, the message is clear: a Rapid Assessment can help you to mitigate risk and will deliver real value. It’s a little dose of clarity that can help you to see the forest amongst the trees.

Case Study: Nonprofit Finds New Momentum

To see the benefits in action, consider the experience of a nonprofit membership organisation that recently underwent a Rapid Assessment with RSM. This community group was struggling to keep up with day-to-day operations – they had IT issues, clunky processes, and overburdened staff. In just a few weeks, the assessment uncovered several inefficiencies and provided a game plan. The outcome? The organisation embarked on an aggressive improvement plan, and within months saw noticeable gains: increased new member sign-ups and higher member retention rates, a more mobile-enabled workforce (staff can now easily work from home), and a much-improved online presence integrated with social media. Perhaps most impressively, their IT costs stabilised and the complexity of their IT systems was reduced.

“Management saw how our recommendations would enable them to grow and move forward,” the consulting team noted, and the nonprofit’s board unanimously embraced the changes. It’s a great example of how a short diagnostic engagement can rejuvenate an organisation’s trajectory.

For more information

For more information, please reach out to Tim Ryan or Chris Perry