The Method — Build
A real example of the build phase in action
Here is Build run end to end on a real engagement: building the smallest thing that relieves the constraint and proving it works, finishing with one working change, measured against the baseline.
8 min read · Reviewed by both partners
Details are changed; the sequence is not. This is what the Build phase actually looks like when it is done properly.
Build maps to Improve in DMAIC, which is why it refuses to move on until its own output exists.
Step by step
The owner arrives with a symptom
Revenue flat, effort rising, and three competing theories about why. All three were plausible and none had been tested.
We start from the numbers that exist
Not the numbers we wish existed. Build works from real reporting, however incomplete, because that is what the business will still have next quarter.
The work of Build
This phase’s job is building the smallest thing that relieves the constraint and proving it works. Anything that does not serve that gets deferred to a later phase on purpose.
The output gets written down
One working change, measured against the baseline — in a document, not a conversation. Undocumented conclusions do not survive a busy month.
Then, and only then, the next phase
Typical duration is four to eight weeks. Moving on early is the most common way this phase gets wasted.
Common mistakes
Treating it as paperwork
Build produces a decision, not a deliverable to file. If nothing changes as a result, it was not done.
Running it in parallel with the next phase
The order is the method. Parallelising it reintroduces exactly the guesswork the sequence exists to remove.
Frequently Asked Questions
A real example of the build phase in action?
Details are changed; the sequence is not. This is what the Build phase actually looks like when it is done properly.
Does this apply the same way to every business, or does it vary by industry?
It sits under The Build Phase in the Growth Scaling Method. The next step for an owner is the $1,500 Assessment, which reads your own numbers against everything described above.
How much should we budget?
Budget $4,500 to find out what to build. Budget from $5,000 a month only if the Plan says a recurring engine is warranted — sometimes it says the opposite.
Who is doing this work day to day?
David Mitroff and Steven Lockhart, jointly. The firm is deliberately structured so the people in the pitch are the people on the account.
References
- www.sba.gov — primary source
- www.bbb.org — primary source
- www.score.org — primary source
Run Build on your own numbers
The Assessment is where this starts, with both partners and two hours.
Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm. It is not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical and does not provide medical, legal, financial, or contracting services; all industry content on this site is marketing and growth guidance for owners in those fields. Figures describing past engagements refer to specific businesses under specific conditions and are not a prediction of any future result. No outcome is promised.
Written by Steven Lockhart, reviewed by David Mitroff, Ph.D. Figures and regulatory details reflect the cited public sources; requirements vary by state and situation. Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm, not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical.