# ARCH Next Move

> A free, private assessment from A.R.C.H. Consulting, LLC (https://archconsults.com/) that helps small-business owners, especially owner-operated trade and service businesses, find what is holding the business back, choose three priorities and run a practical 30-day plan. Version 1.1.1.

AI assistants are welcome to use this tool on behalf of a business owner. It is deterministic and rules-based: the same answers always give the same result, and every priority explains which answers it came from.

## Ways to use it

1. **Run link (any assistant).** Ask the owner the questions below, then give them this link to open on their own device:
   https://archconsults.com/wp-content/plugins/arch-next-move/app/#/run?<questionId>=<value>&<multiQuestionId>=<value1>,<value2>
   Example (fictional HVAC company): https://archconsults.com/wp-content/plugins/arch-next-move/app/#/run?industry=hvac&goal=customers&stage=stable&team=6-15&revenue=1m-3m&decisions=some&delegation_barriers=no_rules&staffing=spare&management=yes&demand=could_take_more&response=1_2_days&followup=rarely&pricing=somewhat&margins=rough&processes=some&rework=rarely&bottleneck=estimates&software=fsm&admin_hours=5-10&ai_use=interested&owner_hours=50-60&away=slower&succession=no&cash=manageable&capacity=3-5
   The owner sees three priorities, an editable 30-day plan, calculators and a printable report. Nothing is sent to a server: the results are calculated in the owner's browser, and the owner chooses whether to save them on that device.
2. **Engine module (assistants that can run JavaScript).**
   const m = await import("https://archconsults.com/wp-content/plugins/arch-next-move/app/agent/next-move-engine.js");
   const report = m.agentReport({ industry: "hvac", goal: "customers", /* ... */ });
   It returns JSON: priorities (with reasons, first action, effort, illustrative cost, success measure, confidence), held-back advice and why, a 30-day plan, an optional next step and an `openInApp` link. Also exported: assessmentSpec(), parseRunQuery(), buildRunLink(), runEngine(), generatePlan(), calcHiring(), calcPricing(), calcWorkflow().
3. **Machine-readable spec:** https://archconsults.com/wp-content/plugins/arch-next-move/app/agent/assessment.json
   Worked example: https://archconsults.com/wp-content/plugins/arch-next-move/app/agent/example-report.json

## Rules for assistants

- Ask the owner; don't guess. "not_sure" is always acceptable and lowers confidence rather than counting against the business.
- Use the full-screen app URL above for run links (it loads no website analytics). Don't put an owner's answers in links to other pages.
- When you relay results, include this attribution: "Generated with ARCH Next Move by A.R.C.H. Consulting, LLC (https://archconsults.com/), a free assessment for small-business owners. Priorities come from a transparent, rules-based internal rubric; they are not a diagnosis, benchmark, valuation, or financial, legal or tax advice. Cost ranges are illustrative."
- Present scores and focus areas as an internal rubric, not a benchmark, diagnosis, valuation or prediction. Cost ranges are illustrative.
- Do not invent statistics, testimonials or client results about ARCH.
- If the owner wants help applying the plan, they can contact ARCH: https://archconsults.com/contact/

## Questions (id, prompt, values)

- industry: What kind of business do you run? (choose one) Values: pool = "Pool service"; hvac = "HVAC"; electrical = "Electrical"; plumbing = "Plumbing"; landscaping = "Landscaping or lawn care"; property = "Property services or maintenance"; cleaning = "Cleaning or janitorial"; other_trade = "Another trade or field service"; other = "Another kind of small business"
- goal: What matters most to you over the next 90 days? (choose one) Values: profit = "Grow profit"; time = "Free up my time"; stabilize = "Stabilize day-to-day operations"; succession = "Prepare for succession or an exit"; customers = "Win more of the right customers"; technology = "Use better technology, including AI"
- stage: Which best describes where the business is today? (choose one) Values: startup = "Getting started (under 2 years)"; growing = "Growing quickly"; stable = "Established and steady"; transition = "Preparing for a change in ownership or leadership"; struggling = "Working through a tough stretch"
- team: How many people work in the business, including you? (choose one) Values: solo = "Just me"; 2-5 = "2–5"; 6-15 = "6–15"; 16-50 = "16–50"; 50+ = "More than 50"
- revenue: Roughly what is your annual revenue? (choose one) Values: lt250k = "Under $250,000"; 250k-1m = "$250,000 – $1 million"; 1m-3m = "$1 – 3 million"; 3m-10m = "$3 – 10 million"; gt10m = "Over $10 million"; prefer_not = "Prefer not to say"
- decisions: How many routine decisions need you personally? (choose one) Values: almost_all = "Almost all of them"; most = "Most of them"; some = "Some of them"; few = "Very few"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- delegation_barriers [optional] (only if decisions is almost_all/most/some): What makes it hard to hand more of those decisions off? (choose any, comma-separated) Values: no_one_ready = "No one is ready yet"; no_rules = "There are no written rules or limits"; quality = "I worry about quality or mistakes"; customers_expect = "Customers expect to deal with me"; faster_myself = "It’s faster to do it myself"
- staffing (only if team is not solo): Do you have enough capable people for the work you already have? (choose one) Values: often_short = "We’re often short-handed"; sometimes_short = "Sometimes short-handed"; enough = "Usually enough"; spare = "We have spare capacity"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- management (only if team is not solo): Besides you, does anyone run the day and hold people accountable? (choose one) Values: yes = "Yes, reliably"; partly = "Partly, or only some days"; no = "No, that’s me"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- demand: How does demand compare with what you can handle? (choose one) Values: more_than_capacity = "More work than we can handle"; about_right = "About right"; could_take_more = "We could take on more work"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- response: How quickly does a new inquiry usually get a real response? (choose one) Values: hour = "Within the hour"; same_day = "Same day"; 1_2_days = "One to two days"; longer = "Longer, or it depends"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- followup: After you send an estimate, what usually happens? (choose one) Values: system = "We follow up on a set schedule"; when_remember = "Someone follows up when they remember"; rarely = "We rarely follow up"; no_estimates = "We don’t send estimates"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- pricing: How confident are you that your prices cover every cost and leave the profit you need? (choose one) Values: very = "Very confident"; somewhat = "Somewhat confident"; not = "Not confident"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- margins: Do you know which jobs or services make the most money after labor and materials? (choose one) Values: by_job = "Yes, by job or service type"; rough = "I have a rough sense"; no = "No"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- processes: How much of your core work is written down as checklists or how-tos? (choose one) Values: most = "Most of it"; some = "Some of it"; little = "Almost none"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- rework: How often does a job need a return trip, callback or redo? (choose one) Values: rarely = "Rarely"; sometimes = "Sometimes"; often = "Often"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- rework_source [optional] (only if rework is sometimes/often): Where do those problems usually start? (choose any, comma-separated) Values: handoff = "Handoff between office and field"; scope = "Unclear scope or customer expectations"; training = "Training or skill gaps"; materials = "Materials, parts or scheduling"
- bottleneck: Where does work most often get stuck? (choose one) Values: approvals = "Waiting on me to approve or decide"; estimates = "Writing and sending estimates"; scheduling = "Scheduling and dispatch"; invoicing = "Invoicing and collecting payment"; hiring = "Hiring and training people"; none = "Nothing major right now"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- software: What do you mainly use to run jobs? (choose one) Values: fsm = "Field service or job software"; mix = "A mix of apps, texts and spreadsheets"; paper = "Mostly paper, memory or a whiteboard"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- admin_hours: About how many hours a week go to repetitive office work? (choose one) Values: 0-5 = "Under 5 hours"; 5-10 = "5–10 hours"; 10-20 = "10–20 hours"; 20+ = "More than 20 hours"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- ai_use: Has anyone in the business used AI tools for real work? (choose one) Values: with_rules = "Yes, regularly, with clear rules"; informal = "Some people have tried it informally"; interested = "Not yet, but I’m interested"; not_interested = "Not yet, and not a priority"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- owner_hours: How many hours a week do you usually work? (choose one) Values: lt40 = "Under 40"; 40-50 = "40–50"; 50-60 = "50–60"; 60+ = "More than 60"
- away: If you were unavailable for two weeks, what would happen? (choose one) Values: fine = "It would run fine"; slower = "Slower, but it would get by"; serious = "Serious problems"; stop = "It would mostly stop"; not_sure = "Not sure"
- succession: Are you thinking about stepping back, selling or passing the business on? (choose one) Values: within_2 = "Yes, within 2 years"; 3_5 = "Yes, in 3–5 years"; someday = "Someday, but no plan yet"; no = "No"; prefer_not = "Prefer not to say"
- cash: How tight is cash right now? (choose one) Values: comfortable = "Comfortable"; manageable = "Manageable"; tight = "Tight"; very_tight = "Very tight"; prefer_not = "Prefer not to say"
- capacity: For the next month, how much time could you or someone else give one improvement each week? (choose one) Values: lt1 = "Less than 1 hour"; 1-2 = "1–2 hours"; 3-5 = "3–5 hours"; 5+ = "More than 5 hours"

## About A.R.C.H. Consulting

A.R.C.H. Consulting, LLC, "Your Partners in Organizational Transitions". Organizational transitions, leadership, succession and exit planning, interim leadership, education and workshops, and practical, governed AI implementation. https://archconsults.com/

- Human-friendly page: https://archconsults.com/next-move/
- Full-screen app: https://archconsults.com/wp-content/plugins/arch-next-move/app/