A structured assessment that connects your technology spending to business performance — identifying what to fund, what to fix, and what to stop.
4 days to 2 weeks · Fixed scope · Board-ready deliverable
Who this is for
Budgets keep growing but results are unclear. Nobody can explain where the money is going or what it's producing.
Decisions happen project by project. There's no financial framework connecting technology to business outcomes.
Technology priorities shift constantly. There's no clear view of what to accelerate, what to fix, and what to stop.
The business has scaled. The technology operating model hasn't kept up. Operational drag is starting to show.
The assessment
Financials First is Narrative Group’s proprietary IT Value Alignment Assessment. It starts with your financials, maps technology investment against business performance, and ends with a clear, board-ready set of priorities your leadership team can execute.
We analyze your business model, financial history, IT budget, and growth objectives. We map where technology is driving value — and where it's creating drag.
Current state baselineExecutive stakeholder interviews explore where IT is a cost center versus a competitive lever. We identify conflicts, trade-offs, and the decisions that need to be made.
Priority decision stackWe deliver 3–5 primary recommendations, a 2–3 year IT investment forecast, and a set of implementation options your team can act on immediately.
Board-ready reportHow it works
We learn about your business, your technology environment, and what you're trying to solve. You learn what a Financials First engagement would cover and what it would cost. No obligation on either side.
The full three-phase engagement. Scoped based on your organization's size and complexity. Ends with a board-ready report, 3–5 prioritized recommendations, and a 2–3 year IT investment forecast.
Where needed, Narrative continues as your strategic technology leadership partner — ensuring priorities stay aligned with business performance as your company grows.
Proof
IT spend as % of revenue for a national retail chain
Reduction in software spend for a professional services firm
Labour as % of IT budget for a mid-market retailer
"We never realized our architecture was killing our gross margin. We lacked clarity and control over how our technology dollars were being spent. We've now re-architected our solution, which allowed us to gain visibility, predictability, and optimization across the business — each of which supported the relaunch of our flagship product."
Why Narrative Group
We start with your P&L, your IT budget, and your growth targets — not your tech stack. Every recommendation connects to a financial outcome.
Our advice comes from leaders who have run technology for complex, high-growth organizations. Real experience, not generic frameworks.
We bring Fortune 100 operating discipline to mid-sized companies — without the enterprise overhead, timeline, or cost.
We recommend what fits your business and your budget. We don't represent vendors, sell software, or push preferred partners.
A 60–90 minute conversation to understand your business and determine whether Financials First is the right next step. You leave with clarity on your technology priorities — regardless of what happens next.
No sales pitch. Just clarity.
FAQ
Financials First is Narrative Group’s proprietary IT Value Alignment Assessment — a structured, three-phase engagement that connects your technology spending to your business strategy, financial performance, and growth objectives. It ends with a board-ready report, 3–5 prioritized recommendations, and a 2–3 year IT investment forecast.
It depends on the size and complexity of your organization. Most engagements run between 4 days and 2 weeks. We scope it precisely during the free discovery session.
The discovery session is completely free. The Financials First assessment itself is a fixed-fee engagement — scoped and priced based on your organization after the discovery conversation. There are no open-ended retainers or surprise costs.
A board-ready report that includes a current-state technology baseline, 3–5 prioritized recommendations, a 2–3 year IT investment forecast, and a set of implementation options with trade-offs your leadership team can act on immediately.
Typically a senior executive (CEO, COO, or CIO) and a financial contact who can confirm IT budget and spend data. We keep the process efficient and respect your team’s time.
No. The assessment stands on its own. Some clients continue with fractional CTO support or managed execution — but that’s entirely optional and based on what makes sense for your business.
Most IT consultants start with your technology and work outward. We start with your financials and work inward. Every recommendation is framed as a business investment decision — connected to revenue, margin, risk, or enterprise value — not a technology purchase.
We work with mid-sized companies across North America — typically $20M to $100M in revenue, with 50 to 500 employees. The common thread is operational complexity and a leadership team that wants technology to support growth, not hold it back.
