These statements are designed to help you think about the many different obstacles that face you and your business. Please read each statement and track the total number that you agree with or answer “yes".

Basic Management Issues

1. Rarely do I have enough time to do what is required in my job.
2. The company suffers if I take time off.
3. Communication among management can be improved.
4. Good employees are difficult to find and retain.
5. We have employees that cannot be replaced.
6. We have never defined the best organizational structure for the company.
7. Many employees are unclear who they actually report to.
8. Certain jobs in the company need to be more clearly defined.
9. Some responsibilities in the company overlap among the employees.
10. My job is not fun as it once was.
11. Aspects of our business depend on key employees.
12. I am in the dark with cost and expense performance information.
13. I worry about management being too hard on employees.
14. I worry about management being too soft on employees
15. Lack of effective communication costs the company money.
16. Few employees take initiative without first being asked or told.
17. Some responsibilities in the company are not being done by anyone.
18. The company should not have hired friends or family members.
19. Some employees come to management instead of their immediate supervisor.
20. Supervisors frequently take the side of the employee, not management.

Sales & Marketing Management Issues

21. Sales reps cannot sell as well as management.
22. Exceptional sales people are impossible to find.
23. The company does not encourage innovative sales approaches.
24. The performance of our reps is not closely monitored.
25. If our sales process was documented, it could be used for training.
26. Month-to-month sales are unpredictable.
27. Our markets and their territories need better overall management.
28. Obtaining new accounts is always difficult.
29. We question how effective our advertising really is.
30. We can lose focus on what our customers really want.

Production/Operation Management Issues

31. We struggle to get work done on time.
32. We must constantly watch the quality of our work.
33. Some employees work only as hard as they have to.
34. Better scheduling could increase our production output.
35. Production does not get directly involved in controlling costs.
36. Bottleneck areas restrict production output.
37. Improved reporting and communication could reduce mistakes.
38. The responsibility for department troubleshooting is spread among key people.
39. Employees are trained more by example than by any written procedure.
40. Fridays are typically a poor day for production output.

Financial Management Issues

41. Outside accountants have done little to make our financials easier to understand.
42. Our financial statements are seldom received on time.
43. It is often difficult to see exactly where the profits come from.
44. Someone in the company needs to be the "bad guy" and start controlling costs.
45. Budgeting will not work for our company.
46. More precise information on cash position and flow would help.
47. Our break-even point and overhead rate is not used in pricing.
48. The company needs  more effective and aggressive collections.
49. Our cash flow is often tied to our receivables.
50. The company would benefit from an influx of cash.