Capital Decision Sprint

Pressure-test major capital decisions before capital is committed

Most organizations make consequential decisions through analysis, debate, and executive judgment. CREI adds another layer: a more rigorous way to frame the decision, test assumptions, compare scenarios, and prepare leadership for what the decision may require.

CREI is built for organizations facing decisions with meaningful financial, operational, or strategic consequences.

We work on questions such as plant expansion, supplier shifts, acquisition evaluation, restructuring, automation investment, capital structure choices, and other decisions where timing, assumptions, and trade-offs matter.

Our role is not to replace leadership judgment. It is to help leadership evaluate the decision more rigorously before capital is committed.

Why This Matters

The cost of a poorly evaluated decision is rarely visible until after capital is committed

Most decision failures are not caused by bad judgment. They are caused by the conditions under which judgment was applied.

Assumptions treated as settled when they are actually untested
Fragmented stakeholder views never reconciled into a shared decision structure
Scenarios compared informally rather than modeled against common variables
Downside exposure surfaced late, or not at all, before commitment
Leadership teams debating direction without a structured basis for comparison
Capital committed before the decision has been pressure-tested against its own assumptions
The Best Place to Start

One decision. Fixed scope. Clear output.

The best way to evaluate CREI is through a single engagement focused on one live decision.

Capital Decision Sprint
8 weeks Fixed scope Premium fixed fee

The Capital Decision Sprint is a structured engagement designed to help leadership work through one high-stakes decision with greater rigor and clarity.

Over the course of the sprint, CREI works with the client team to define the decision, review the available inputs, build the relevant decision model, examine scenarios, and deliver a board-ready decision package for leadership review.

What is included
  • Decision framing with key stakeholders
  • Review of assumptions, constraints, and available inputs
  • Model design around the specific decision
  • Scenario analysis across relevant cases
  • Sensitivity review of key variables
  • Structured comparison of decision paths and trade-offs
  • Executive memo and presentation materials
  • Final readout with leadership
  • Post-decision calibration session

Confidence Alignment

If CREI does not deliver the agreed core deliverables defined in the statement of work, CREI continues work at no additional fee until the deliverables are completed.

Expansion Credit

If the client proceeds to Decision Infrastructure or Capital Decision Partner within 90 days, 50% of the sprint fee is credited toward year-one engagement costs.

What the decision package contains

  • The decision being evaluated, clearly stated
  • Key assumptions documented with sources and confidence levels
  • Scenario comparisons across base, stress, and alternative cases
  • Sensitivity analysis on the variables most likely to affect the outcome
  • Risks and decision considerations leadership should weigh
  • Implementation implications and sequencing considerations
  • Questions leadership should resolve before commitment

Why companies start here

The sprint is designed to make the first engagement straightforward to evaluate internally. It is focused on one decision, one scope, and one output. It does not require an enterprise-wide rollout, a technology integration, or an ongoing commitment. It gives leadership a direct way to assess whether CREI's approach is useful before considering a broader relationship.

What CREI Actually Does

A more disciplined way to evaluate major decisions

CREI helps clients work through major decisions in four parts.

1

Frame the decision

Before modeling begins, the decision itself must be clearly defined. We work with stakeholders to clarify the question, identify what is actually being decided, surface assumptions, and distinguish between known inputs, judgment calls, and areas of uncertainty.

2

Build the model

CREI structures the decision into a usable analytical framework. Depending on the situation, this may include operational, financial, timing, scenario, or trade-off logic. The objective is not to create theoretical complexity, but to build a model that is practical enough to support a real executive decision.

3

Examine scenarios

We test the decision under different conditions. This may include alternative assumptions, downside cases, timing variations, supply or demand shifts, capital constraints, or other factors relevant to the decision at hand. The purpose is to help leadership see how different conditions may affect the decision, not to create false certainty.

4

Prepare the decision package

The final output is designed for executive use. That includes the decision being evaluated, assumptions documented, scenario comparisons, key sensitivities, identified risks, implementation considerations, and the questions leadership should resolve before commitment.

Who This Is For

Built for leadership teams making consequential decisions

CREI is designed for organizations where major decisions have meaningful implications for capital allocation, operations, risk, or strategic direction.

  • CFOs and finance leaders
  • COOs and operating executives
  • Strategy and transformation leaders
  • Corporate development teams
  • Boards, owners, and investment committees
Types of Decisions

Examples of decisions CREI can support

Plant expansion, delay, or consolidation
Supplier shift or localization strategy
Acquisition or divestiture evaluation
Market entry or exit
Restructuring and operating model changes
Pricing and margin recovery decisions
Financing and capital structure alternatives
Automation or AI investment decisions
Major sourcing or contract strategy decisions
What This Is, and What It Is Not

CREI is not a traditional strategy deck, a generic advisory retainer, or a software sale disconnected from the client's actual decision process.

We do not claim to eliminate uncertainty, predict outcomes with certainty, or replace leadership judgment.

Our role is to help organizations evaluate major decisions in a more structured, transparent, and decision-ready way.

That means clarifying the question, organizing the inputs, testing scenarios, and helping leadership compare the trade-offs before capital is committed.

How the Relationship Can Expand

Start with one decision. Expand if the method proves useful.

For some clients, one sprint is sufficient. For others, the initial engagement becomes the foundation for a more repeatable internal capability.

Expansion Path

Decision Infrastructure

For teams that make repeated capital decisions, CREI can help establish a more reusable decision-support environment built on the methods and models from prior sprint work.

  • Reusable decision models based on completed engagement work
  • Connected workflows for recurring decision types
  • Scenario and sensitivity tools available to the internal team
  • Decision archive and calibration history
  • Quarterly model review and standard support
The aim is not to hand over software in isolation. It is to help the organization build a more repeatable process around decisions it expects to face again.
Retained Partnership

Capital Decision Partner

For organizations managing an ongoing calendar of high-stakes decisions, CREI can serve as an external decision-support partner embedded in the organization's recurring decision process.

  • Everything in Decision Infrastructure
  • Multiple decision workstreams supported across the year
  • Senior CREI advisory involvement in model design and review
  • Board and executive committee preparation support
  • Cross-functional scenario design for complex decisions
  • Post-decision calibration across all workstreams
  • Priority response during time-sensitive decisions
Capacity for this level of engagement is limited. CREI can support a small number of Capital Decision Partner relationships at the senior involvement required.
Sample Engagement Structure

What the client provides. What CREI delivers.

A typical Capital Decision Sprint follows this structure. Exact timing adjusts based on scope and stakeholder availability.

Week Client Provides CREI Delivers
1–2
Access to decision stakeholders, background materials, and context on the question being evaluated
Decision framing document: the question, stakeholders, assumptions, constraints, and success criteria
2–4
Available data, financial inputs, operational context, and clarification on key assumptions
Decision model designed around the specific capital question with defined variables and scenarios
4–6
Feedback on initial scenarios, additional context on downside concerns or constraints
Scenario analysis, sensitivity results, and preliminary findings for executive discussion
6–8
Final input on leadership priorities and presentation requirements
Board-ready decision package: memo, presentation, trade-offs, risks, implementation considerations
+60d
Post-decision outcome data, where available
Calibration review comparing modeled expectations against actual outcomes
Before Moving Forward

What buyers should expect from CREI

Because these decisions matter, clients should expect clarity before engagement. CREI should be prepared to provide, where appropriate:

A clear statement of scope and timeline
A description of the proposed work product
A summary of required client inputs and data
A sample structure for executive output
A simple explanation of how the work will be conducted
A discussion of data handling and implementation burden

This makes it easier for leadership, legal, procurement, and finance teams to evaluate the engagement on practical terms.

Pricing

Commercial structure

Capital Decision Sprint

Premium fixed-fee engagement · Starting from $250K · 8 weeks

Scoped around one decision. Pricing reflects the complexity of the question, the number of stakeholders, the urgency, and the nature of the required analysis.

Decision Infrastructure

Annual engagement

For organizations that want a more repeatable internal decision capability after completing one or more sprint engagements. Includes reusable models, scenario tools, and connected workflows.

Capital Decision Partner

Annual retained relationship

For organizations managing repeated high-stakes decisions that require ongoing senior advisory support, multiple workstreams, and leadership preparation across the year.

CREI prices engagements based on scope, complexity, and the level of senior involvement required. Specific commercial terms are provided during the briefing process. Sprint clients who proceed to an annual engagement within 90 days receive a 50% credit of the sprint fee toward year-one costs.
Begin

The best way to evaluate CREI is on one real decision

Not a broad transformation program. Not an abstract demonstration. One consequential decision your organization is facing now.

If the approach proves useful, it scales. If it doesn't, you've tested it against a real decision at a fixed cost with no ongoing commitment.