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Cape Pebble

The method, published

The 5 notches. Nothing secret, everything measured.

Seen from the business leader's side, it is three stages: audit of what you have, solutions plan, implementation, then follow-up. Seen from the assignment, it is five notches with a decision gate each time. The five notches detail the mechanics; the three-stage journey is what we sell.

Five principles

What is not negotiable.

  1. 01

    One figure before, one figure after

    No notch is climbed without an agreed and measured indicator.

  2. 02

    Process first, technology second

    We map the real work (who does what, with which data, in how much time) before choosing a tool.

  3. 03

    Proof in real conditions

    A pilot runs on your data, your users, your constraints, not on a demonstration dataset.

  4. 04

    Sovereign when it matters

    Sensitive data, critical dependency, recurring costs: we systematically assess a European, Swiss or open-source option.

  5. 05

    You keep the keys

    Code, documentation, access, training: everything is transferred. Cape Pebble must be able to disappear without the tool stopping.

The five notches

Every notch has a purpose, deliverables and a decision gate.

  1. 1

    Measure

    Audit of what you have · 3 weeks

    Purpose

    Know where you are (processes, tools, data, infrastructure, security, costs, skills, compliance) and where the value is.

    Activities

    Interviews with leadership and business teams, job shadowing, process mapping with volumes, inventory of tools and subscriptions, check of backups and access rights, shadow usage, position on the Cape Pebble Scale.

    Deliverables

    Assessment, four-axis map, risk register, cost inventory, matrix of 10 to 15 needs.

    Decision gate

    The business leader validates the assessment and the priority needs.

  2. 2

    Target

    Solutions plan · weeks 3 and 4

    Purpose

    Decide what to implement, in what order, for what result.

    Activities

    Prioritisation by impact × urgency × feasibility, one solution per need (keep, improve, replace, build), cost/gain/lead-time estimate, roadmap in three waves. Then, for each solution launched: situation before, KPI, data scope, pilot users, go/no-go criteria.

    Deliverables

    Solutions plan, then a one-page charter per solution signed by the sponsor.

    Decision gate

    Presentation to the executive committee, decisions recorded.

  3. 3

    Prove

    Proof Sprint · 6 weeks, when the result is uncertain

    Purpose

    A pilot that works in real conditions before you invest. For proven solutions (backups, e-signature, CRM), we go straight to notch 4.

    Activities

    Iterative build with a demonstration every week, minimal integration with your tools, user testing, weekly measurement, edge-case log, cost per transaction.

    Deliverables

    Pilot, before/after measurement, decision file.

    Decision gate

    Go, no-go or pivot, backed by figures.

  4. 4

    Build

    Implementation · 2 to 10 weeks per solution

    Purpose

    A solution that is reliable, secure, compliant, documented, adopted.

    Activities

    Selection and contracting of tools without commission, target architecture and reversibility, configuration or development, data migration, integrations, security and access, compliance, monitoring, cost control, documentation, training, handover.

    Deliverables

    Solution in production, runbook, dashboard, training plan, compliance file.

    Decision gate

    60-day review: adoption, costs, incidents.

  5. 5

    Steer

    Follow-up · quarterly

    Purpose

    Stay at the right temperature.

    Activities

    Quarterly committee (portfolio, costs, risks, technology watch), new needs, upskilling an internal champion, review of suppliers and reversibility.

    Deliverables

    Committee minutes, up-to-date dashboard, revised roadmap.

    Decision gate

    Decisions recorded every quarter.

Rituals

  • Weekly 30-minute demonstration, screen shared, KPI measured.
  • 20-minute sponsor check-in every two weeks: decisions and blockers.
  • Decision committee at the end of each notch, on a one-page file.
  • 60-day review after each go-live.

Default tools

Process mapping (Miro or paper), automation (self-hosted n8n or Make), language models (Claude, Mistral, open-source models depending on sensitivity), API integrations, monitoring (Grafana or Metabase), e-signature (Documenso), project management (Notion or Plane). Adjustable to your tools.

See the journey and prices

Take the temperature of your company.

Twelve questions, five minutes, a level on the Cape Pebble Scale and the first solutions to consider. Free, no sign-up.

Try the Thermometer Book 30 minutes