Skip to content
Fractional COO packages and pricing

Fractional COO pricing for defined operating outcomes.

Where it is not yet clear that a system is the constraint, start with the Operating Diagnostic from $3,600 plus GST, which tests how work and data actually flow before recommending whether to keep, reconfigure or replace. See the work, the handover and the price before you decide. Start with a diagnosis, install what the business is missing and use a retainer only when several service lines need ongoing leadership. If you already know the decision you need to make, the diagnostic tells you whether you are right and gives you something to show the team.

All prices plus GST. Installs can be paid monthly over the install period.

Three tiers of Ajility engagementsThree ascending blocks labelled Diagnosis, One-offs and Retainers. Fee credits apply on the entry path only, within 30 days, and never into one-offs or retainers.Diagnosis: find out what's actually wrongOne-offs: fix one thing properlyRetainers: run it with me monthlycredits apply on the entry path only, within 30 days
Three tiers, one ladder. Every figure on this page is a from price, plus GST.
A leadership team around a table reviewing operating plans and scorecards

The fractional COO engagement ladder

Start by finding the operating problem, fix the right thing and add ongoing leadership only when the business needs it.

Step 1

Start free

Take the free Operating Scan, or book a free 30-minute fit call.

Step 2

Diagnose

The Operating Diagnostic maps exactly what to fix, in what order.

Step 3

Install

Install only what the roadmap calls for, one service line at a time, or take the diagnosis and the operating system install together as the 90-Day Operating System Install.

Step 4

Retain

Need several service lines run ongoing? A retainer is scoped around that mix.

How we charge

The charge model, in plain language

Pricing is based on the size of the business and on how much of the work is on site versus virtual. Every figure is a from price. Anything running a quarter or longer is charged as a monthly fee. Anything shorter is a fixed price agreed up front. All figures are quoted plus GST.

What you choose from

Diagnosis, one-off installs and fractional COO retainers

Start by finding out what's wrong. Fix one thing, or have it run with you.

The ladder, from a free scan to running it with you every month.

Diagnosis

Operating Scan

Free

  • 21 plain statements, answered from Not us to Always
  • Instant score with the weakest areas named
  • Conversation afterwards only if you want one
Details and inclusions
  • About 6 minutes
  • Done online, no scheduling
Take the scan

Operating Diagnostic

from $3,600 plus GST

  • Staff survey across your team
  • Ajility's read of the numbers you supply
  • A 90-minute working session with you
Details and inclusions
  • Desktop diagnostic, run remotely
  • Two to three weeks
  • Anything beyond the scope is a new quote
Book the diagnostic

Full Diagnostic and 90-Day Roadmap

from $6,900 plus GST

  • On site: Ajility walks the floor and reads the data and reports
  • Interviews with staff and leaders
  • A prioritised 90-day roadmap with owners and dates
Details and inclusions
  • One entity, one site, up to six interviews, with site / office visits
  • Delivered over three to four weeks
  • Multi-site and group businesses are priced on scope
  • Anything beyond the scope is a new quote
Book the full diagnostic

Or do the whole thing in 90 days

Most owners take the ladder one rung at a time. Some already know the business needs an operating system and want it done in one go, with one fee, one scope and a hard stop. The 90-Day Operating System Install is the Full Diagnostic and 90-Day Roadmap followed straight away by the Operating System & Governance install, with the plan executed inside the same 90 days.

90-Day Operating System Install

from $36,000 plus GST

13 weeks, fixed. One entity, one site, up to six interviews, with site / office visits. Larger scope is quoted.

Paid in three instalments: the Full Diagnostic fee at signing, then two equal instalments at the Week 3 gate and at Week 9. If the Week 3 report and plan do not persuade you to continue, you stop there, you keep the plan, and you owe nothing beyond the Full Diagnostic fee.

What you walk away with

  • The Current State Analysis Report and a confidential leadership read
  • A 90-day plan with a named owner, a date and a done measure on every priority
  • The one-year plan, the quarter's theme and its Critical Number, agreed by the leadership team
  • An accountability chart with every seat, every gap and who decides what without you
  • The operating system built in your tool, with existing work migrated into it
  • A weekly scorecard of six to nine measures with at least three weeks of real actuals
  • The leadership meeting running to time, chaired by your people, not by Ajility
  • A written playbook for how the business runs itself, and a review six weeks after handover

Already done the Full Diagnostic with Ajility? Sign up to the install within 30 days of your report and you pay the remainder.

Week by week, gate by gate

Phase 1. Weeks 1 to 3.
Diagnose.

By the end of it: You can see the business on paper and you know what to fix first.

Ajility does:
Kickoff with the leadership team; up to six interviews, founder first and longest; a walk of the floor and at least one meeting observed without intervening; a read of the P&L, margin, concentration and cash; the staff survey across the team; an Operating Maturity baseline taken before anything is built.
Delivered:
The Current State Analysis Report, the confidential leadership read, five to ten quick wins you can act on without Ajility, and the 90-day plan.

Gate: The report is walked through with you one to one. Continue, or stop here with the plan in hand.

Phase 2. Weeks 4 to 6.
Decide.

By the end of it: The leadership team can state the one-year plan, the quarter's theme and its Critical Number without looking.

Ajility does:
Three facilitated sessions with the leadership team, not the founder alone; the accountability chart, seat by seat, with empty seats named rather than filled; decision rights written down, so the decisions that currently reach you stop reaching you.
Delivered:
The strategy layer, the accountability chart and the decision rights matrix.

Gate: Each leader states the Critical Number unaided. If they cannot agree it, Ajility stops and sorts that out before building anything on top of it.

Phase 3. Weeks 7 to 9.
Build.

By the end of it: The operating system exists in your tool and your people can find their work in it.

Ajility does:
Builds the structure, the fields, the statuses and the views; moves existing work across and enriches it rather than dumping it; sets the quarter's three Rocks with owners and done definitions; builds the scorecard against a data-quality gate, six to nine measures, no measure without a source; puts the operating rhythm in calendars for six months.
Delivered:
The system, live, with your work in it, the scorecard, the Rocks and the calendar.

Gate: The person who will own it on your side navigates it without help and finds three specific pieces of work unaided.

Phase 4. Weeks 10 to 13.
Run and hand over.

By the end of it: The business runs the rhythm without Ajility in the room.

Ajility does:
Chairs the first leadership meeting, co-chairs the second, observes the rest and debriefs after each; watches whether actuals are entered before the meeting, whether Rocks move, and whether operational work is crowding out the strategic; re-scores Operating Maturity against the baseline; writes the playbook for how the system runs.
Delivered:
The dashboard, the playbook, the maturity re-score with the honest reading of what did not move, and the handover pack.

Gate: Your chair has run two consecutive leadership meetings unaided and to time, and the scorecard carries at least three weeks of real actuals. Then a review session six weeks after handover, included.

What the deliverables look like

Three of the documents every 90-Day Operating System Install produces, filled in for a fictional scaffolding contractor so you can see the shape. Harbourline Scaffolding is illustrative and not a real client. Yours carries your seats, your measures and your thresholds.

Illustrative sample · Harbourline Scaffolding Pty Ltd · 28 FTE · FY27 Q1Ajility deliverable

Read first in the weekly leadership meeting, number not story, nine minutes. Red becomes an issue with an owner and a date. Amber three weeks running becomes an issue.

MeasureOwning seatTargetWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6
Quotes issuedCommercial9 a weekamber: 6amber: 7green: 9green: 11green: 9green: 12
Quote win rateCommercial36% or betteramber: 31%amber: 33%green: 38%green: 36%green: 41%green: 39%
Labour hours billed to hours paidOperations81% or betterred: 72%red: 74%amber: 78%green: 83%green: 82%green: 84%
Jobs on programmeDelivery90% or betterred: 78%amber: 83%amber: 89%green: 93%green: 91%green: 94%
Debtors over 60 daysFinance and AdminUnder $60,000red: $118,000red: $104,000amber: $87,000amber: $66,000green: $51,000green: $42,000
Near-miss reports loggedOperations3 or more a weekred: 0amber: 1green: 3green: 4green: 3green: 5
13-week minimum cashFinance and AdminNever below $90,000red: $61,000red: $68,000amber: $79,000green: $93,000green: $102,000green: $111,000

Six measures plus the standing 13-week cash line. Every measure has one owning seat, one definition, one source and one target, and passed the data-quality gate before it went on the page.

Or decide one thing

The ladder diagnoses the business. The Decision Sprint diagnoses one decision: one high-stakes question turned into a recommendation, scored options and an agreed next move.

Rapid Decision Review

from $3,000 plus GST

  • 3 business days
  • One bounded decision, documents supplied
  • Two to four options scored, four to six page memo

Decision Sprint

from $6,300 plus GST

  • 9 business days
  • Up to four stakeholder interviews
  • Three to five options scored, 90-minute decision session

Deep Decision Case

from $9,000 plus GST

  • 3 weeks
  • Six to eight interviews, scenarios and sensitivity
  • Two-hour decision session and a 30-day launch plan

One-offs

90-Day Execution Sprint

from $9,900 plus GST

  • 90-day execution sprints
  • Top 3 to 5 company priorities with assigned owners
  • Weekly tracking of priority progress

Service installs

from $3,000 plus GST

  • Meeting cadence, operating system and scorecards
  • Org design, team structure and accountability
  • Systems improvement and process rebuilds

Rolling Cash Forecast, 13 weeks

from $3,600 plus GST

  • 13-week rolling cash forecast built on your actuals
  • Operating cadence to keep it current
  • The most-requested finance artefact in a founder-led business

Remuneration and Incentive Design

from $4,500 plus GST

  • Bonus and commission structures that pay for the behaviour you want
  • Modelled against your P&L before anyone is told
  • Clear roles, targets and quarterly objectives

Annual Operating Budget

from $5,400 plus GST

  • Budget built from operating drivers
  • Tied to the plan and the scorecard that tracks it
  • Not last year plus a percentage

Pricing and Margin Review

from $6,900 plus GST

  • Review price architecture, margin waterfall and unit economics
  • Costed set of price moves
  • See where money is being left on the table

Retainers

Retainers are advisory rhythms, not days in the business. The standard weekly rhythm is about three days of Ajility time across the month: a weekly working session plus analysis and support between sessions.

Fortnightly advisory rhythm

from $3,900 per month plus GST

  • Fortnightly leadership cadence and numbers review
  • Quarterly plan reset with the team
  • Suits most founder-led businesses

Weekly advisory rhythm

from $6,900 per month plus GST

  • Weekly check-in for fast-moving businesses
  • Same scorecard, planning and accountability rhythm
  • Suits businesses where a fortnight is too long between checks

Weekly advisory rhythm, above $15M

from $9,900 per month plus GST

  • The weekly rhythm at the scale of a larger operation
  • More leaders in the cadence and more numbers to hold
  • A size signal, not a separate product

Retainers are committed one quarter at a time and reviewed at each 90-day boundary: renew or exit. There is no lock-in and no retainer that quietly becomes eighteen months.

Businesses above $15M should expect the weekly rhythm to scope from $9,900 per month plus GST.

Most composed retainers for businesses under $15M start from $3,900 per month plus GST, depending on the mix and the size of the business.

For the occasional larger or investor-backed business that needs an embedded Fractional COO or CFO, one to three days a week tied to milestones and board objectives, Ajility prices on proposal: days in the business, business size, on-site requirements and term.

The Operating Diagnostic fee is credited in full against the Full Diagnostic if you proceed within 30 days.

The complete price list
Ajility published pricing, all figures quoted plus GST
TierWhat you getHow longPrice
DiagnosisOperating ScanTwenty-one plain statements about how the business actually runs, answered from Not us to Always. About six minutes, then a provisional score naming the weakest areas and a conversation if you want one.About six minutes.Free
DiagnosisOperating DiagnosticDesktop diagnostic: staff survey across your team, Ajility's read of the numbers you supply, and a 90-minute working session with you. Price: from $3,600 plus GST.Two to three weeks.from $3,600 plus GST
DiagnosisFull Diagnostic and 90-Day RoadmapOn site: Ajility walks the floor, reads the data and reports, interviews staff and leaders, and hands you a prioritised 90-day roadmap with owners and dates. The from price covers one entity and one site, with up to six interviews and site / office visits, delivered over three to four weeks. Multi-site and group businesses are priced on scope.Three to four weeks.from $6,900 plus GST
90-Day Program90-Day Operating System InstallThe Full Diagnostic and 90-Day Roadmap in weeks 1 to 3, then the Operating System & Governance install in weeks 4 to 13, run as one engagement. The 90-day plan is executed inside the same 90 days. Includes a review session six weeks after handover.13 weeks, fixed.from $36,000 plus GST
One-offsPricing and Margin ReviewYour price architecture, margin waterfall and unit economics reviewed end to end, with a costed set of price moves. Where the money is being left on the table, and what to do about it.Three to six weeks, subject to size, schedule and availability.from $6,900 plus GST
One-offsRolling Cash Forecast, 13 weeksA 13-week rolling cash forecast built on your actuals, with the operating cadence to keep it current. The most-asked-for finance artefact in a founder-led business.Two to three weeks.from $3,600 plus GST
One-offsAnnual Operating BudgetA budget built from operating drivers rather than last year plus a percentage, tied to the plan and to the scorecard that tracks it.Three to four weeks.from $5,400 plus GST
One-offsRemuneration and Incentive DesignBonus and commission structures that pay for the behaviour you actually want, modelled against your P&L before anyone is told about them.Two to three weeks.from $4,500 plus GST
One-offsOne process, one fixWe take one process that keeps going wrong, map how it actually runs today, rebuild it, and train the people who use it. You get the written process and one person who owns it.Two to three weeks.from $3,000 plus GST
One-offsQuarterly Planning DayA full day with your leadership team to agree what the next three months are for. You leave with a short written plan, the few priorities that matter, and a name and a date against each one.One day, plus preparation and a written plan.from $3,900 plus GST
One-offsLeadership Scorecard BuildWe work out the small number of numbers that tell you how the business is really tracking, then build the one-page scorecard your leaders update each week. No new software required.Two weeks.from $4,500 plus GST
One-offsMeeting Cadence InstallWe fix your meetings. Which ones happen, who is in them, what gets decided, and what gets written down. You get the agendas, the schedule and the standard your team follows after we go.Two to three weeks.from $5,400 plus GST
One-offsOrg Design SprintWe look at who does what today, find the gaps and the overlaps, and redraw the structure. You get a clear chart, a written role for each seat, and a plan for filling the gaps. Includes role requirements, measurable targets and quarterly objectives for each seat.Two to three weeks.from $5,400 plus GST
One-offs1-Day Strategy SessionOne day with you and your leaders to settle the direction for the year ahead. Where growth comes from, what you stop doing, and the handful of moves the business will back.One day, plus a written summary.from $5,400 plus GST
One-offs90-Day Execution SprintTurn strategy into a 90-day operating rhythm with a few priorities, named owners, clear dates and weekly follow-through across the team.90 days.from $9,900 plus GST
One-offsAnnual Growth PlanThe full year set out properly. Where the growth comes from, what it costs, what has to be in place to deliver it, and how you will know each quarter whether you are on track.Three to four weeks.from $12,000 plus GST
One-offsSystems & Operational Improvement installWe work through the way the work gets done, end to end, and rebuild the parts that cost you time and money. You get written processes, trained people and a named owner for each one.One quarter.from $7,500 plus GST
One-offsService line installA complete rebuild of one part of the business, from design through to your team running it without us. Which part depends on what is broken.One quarter for most installs.from $7,500 to $18,000 plus GST
One-offsPerformance & Commercial Discipline installWe build the reporting that shows where you make money and where you lose it, then set the weekly and monthly reviews that keep your leaders on top of it.One quarter.from $9,900 plus GST
One-offsPeople, Culture & Accountability installThe roles the business actually needs, what each one is accountable for, the targets that sit against it, and the accountability chart that holds it together. This is not recruitment. It is the structure a hire gets dropped into.One quarter.from $15,000 plus GST
One-offsOperating System & Governance installWe put in the way the business is run week to week: the meetings, the decisions, the reporting and the records. Documented, taught to your team, then handed over.One quarter.from $18,000 plus GST
One-offsCulture and sentiment installWe find out how your people are really going, where the load sits and where the friction is, then work with your leaders to fix it. Priced after a call, because it depends on the size of the team.Scoped to the size of the team.Scoped on a call
RetainersFortnightly rhythm baseEvery second week we run your leadership meeting, go through the numbers with your team, and hold people to what they said they would do. Each quarter we reset the plan with you.Ongoing, committed a quarter at a time.from $3,900 per month plus GST
RetainersWeekly rhythm baseThe same, weekly. Suits businesses moving quickly or coming out of a rough patch, where a fortnight is too long between checks.Ongoing, committed a quarter at a time.from $6,900 per month plus GST
RetainersEach additional active service lineOn top of the base, we take one part of the business and run it with you month to month, rather than handing you a plan and leaving. Add as many as you need, drop them when they run themselves.Ongoing, reviewed every quarter.from $2,100 to $3,000 per month plus GST
RetainersComposed IntegratorThe rhythm base plus the service lines you want actively led, composed into one monthly fee. Where most retainers land, depending on the mix.Ongoing, committed a quarter at a time.from $3,900 per month plus GST
RetainersScoped per initiativeOne project that keeps slipping, led properly. We set the plan, run the weekly delivery meeting, chase what is stuck and report progress to you or your board until it lands.A quarter or longer.from $3,600 per month plus GST
The 90-Day Standard

Who this works for

Within the first 90 days Ajility delivers clear priorities, execution discipline and operational visibility, then reviews progress with the leadership team at the 90-day boundary. The standard is met when the business is genuinely ready to execute. Here is what ready looks like:

Minimum engagement term: one quarter

Engagements are committed one quarter at a time, with a review point at each 90-day boundary.

A dedicated point person

One team member owns the engagement internally and keeps the business side moving.

Weekly check-ins

Leadership shows up to the weekly rhythm. Consistency is what makes the system take hold.

Quarterly business reviews

Progress is reviewed openly against the plan every quarter.

Metrics on the table

Performance data is shared and tracked. Decisions get made on facts.

Appetite to improve

You want the business to run differently, not just hear about how it could.

If that sounds like your business, you are likely a strong fit. If you are not sure, the free call will tell us both quickly.

How much does a fractional COO cost in Australia?

Published Australian market guides put fractional COO retainers between $6,000 and $25,000 a month plus GST, with most engagements landing in the $8,000 to $16,000 range (Expert360's 2026 hiring guide; SEEK salary data 2025 as cited by Fractionus). A full-time COO in Australia costs $280,000 to $340,000 a year once superannuation, leave and on-costs are included.

Ajility publishes its actual prices rather than a range. The Operating Diagnostic is from $3,600 plus GST, the Full Diagnostic and 90-Day Roadmap from $6,900 plus GST, and composed retainers run from $3,900 per month plus GST for a fortnightly rhythm. Every price on this page is a from price based on the size of the business and how much of the work is on site.

FAQ

Common questions

How is fractional COO pricing structured?

Pricing is based on the size of the business and on how much of the work is on site versus virtual. Every figure is a from price. Anything running a quarter or longer is charged as a monthly fee. Anything shorter is a fixed price agreed up front. All figures are quoted plus GST.

What is the cheapest way to start?

The Operating Scan and the 30-minute fit call are free. The first paid step is the Operating Diagnostic.

What does a fractional COO retainer cost?

Retainers start with a rhythm base (fortnightly or weekly) and add the service lines you want actively led. Most composed retainers for businesses under $15M start from $3,900 per month plus GST, depending on the mix and the size of the business. Businesses above $15M should expect the weekly rhythm to scope from $9,900 per month plus GST.

Can I spread payment on an install?

Yes. An install that runs a quarter or longer is charged as a monthly fee across the install period rather than as a single fixed price.

What is the 90-Day Operating System Install?

The Full Diagnostic and 90-Day Roadmap followed straight away by the Operating System & Governance install, as one engagement, from $36,000 plus GST. Thirteen weeks. Paid in three instalments: the Full Diagnostic fee at signing, then two equal instalments at the Week 3 gate and at Week 9. If the Week 3 report and plan do not persuade you to continue, you stop there, you keep the plan, and you owe nothing beyond the Full Diagnostic fee. It suits owners who already know the business needs an operating system and want one fee, one scope and a hard stop.

Is the 90-Day Operating System Install a retainer?

No. It ends at Week 13, with a review session six weeks after handover. A retainer is a different purchase: Ajility stays in the leadership rhythm month to month, committed one quarter at a time. Some businesses move from the install into a retainer. Many do not, and the install is built so that they do not need to.

Do I have to commit long term?

Engagements are committed one quarter at a time, with a review point at each 90-day boundary. There are no long-term lock-ins.

Which fractional COO engagement should I start with?

Almost everyone starts with the Operating Diagnostic. It tells both of us exactly what to install, in what order, and whether a single install or a retainer is the right fit.

Who will I actually be working with?

Ajility is a single-principal practice, so you work with founder Adam Ayoub directly. Ajility is not a firm that sells you a partner and sends juniors. The person you meet on the first call is the person in your leadership meetings.

Do you work outside Sydney, Melbourne and Perth?

Yes. Ajility works on site across Sydney, Melbourne, the Central Coast, Newcastle and Perth, and remotely with founder-led businesses across Australia.

What questions should I ask a fractional COO before signing?

Ask what they will deliver in the first 90 days, who does the work, how they price, how you exit, what they hand over, and which operating roles they have held themselves. A credible operator answers all of it in writing before you sign.

Do fractional COOs offer a money-back guarantee?

Few do, and be wary of guarantees on business outcomes. Ajility limits your risk differently: published prices, quarterly commitment and, on the 90-Day Operating System Install, a Week 3 exit where you keep the plan and owe only the Full Diagnostic fee.

What does a Full Diagnostic and 90-Day Roadmap deliver at the end?

A prioritised 90-day roadmap with owners and dates, built from time on site, your numbers and conversations with leaders and staff. It is from $6,900 plus GST for one entity and one site, over three to four weeks.

What would $5,000 a month get me from a fractional COO?

With Ajility, the fortnightly rhythm base is from $3,900 per month plus GST: every second week the leadership meeting is run, the numbers reviewed with your team and commitments held, with a quarterly plan reset. Actively led service lines are added on top.

What does around $10,000 a month buy in operational leadership?

At that level an Ajility retainer can typically combine the weekly rhythm base, from $6,900 per month plus GST, with one or more actively led service lines, from $2,100 to $3,000 per month plus GST each. The exact mix is scoped to your business.

Get started

Not sure where to start? Start free.

Take the free Operating Scan, or book a free 30-minute fit call. We will point you at the right starting point, even if it is not us.