15 Signs You're Not Ready for the Board Game Test (Yet)
The Board Game Test helps teams understand their own processes before they invest in software, automation, or AI. But it's not for everyone.
If any of these sound like you, we're probably not a fit—yet.
You've already signed the contract.
Vendor, dev shop, platform—doesn't matter. The time for clarity was before you committed. I can still help. You just won't like what I find.
Your timeline is more important than your outcome.
"We need something by Q2 no matter what" is how you get something that doesn't work by Q2.
You're proud of your complexity.
"Our business is too unique to simplify." No, it isn't. You just haven't tried.
"It depends" is your company's motto.
Said with a knowing smile like it's wisdom. It's not wisdom. It's a confession that nobody's written down the rules.
The people who do the work won't be in the room.
I need players, not executives who watched a demo once.
You think process documentation is beneath you.
"We're past that stage." No. You skipped that stage. There's a difference.
You want a 50-page report.
I deliver a decision. If you need something impressive to shelve and never read, hire a Big Four firm.
Saying "I don't know" is career-ending at your company.
The Board Game Test surfaces gaps. If your culture punishes honesty, we'll just get theater.
You want validation, not truth.
If you've already decided and need someone to nod along, I'm expensive and disappointing.
Your board game is Calvinball.
Rules change every play. Nobody knows the score. Winning is whatever the loudest person says it is.
You think the problem is technology.
It's almost never technology. It's that you don't agree on what you're building or why.
You've "tried everything."
No you haven't. You've tried buying things. You haven't tried understanding your own process first.
You need someone to blame when it fails.
I'm not your scapegoat. If you want cover, hire a brand name.
You describe your process using only tool names.
"First it goes into Salesforce, then Monday, then we Slack about it." Those aren't steps. Those are tools. What actually happens?
Your org chart is your process map.
"Marketing does their thing, then Sales does their thing." That's not a process. That's a turf war with arrows.
If a few of these hit close to home, that's okay. It just means you're not ready yet. Here's what to do instead:
Take the Board Game Test Self-Assessment