Root-to-Shoot Ratio Diagnostic
A diagnostic tool to calculate and assess your organization's balance between visible growth metrics (shoots) and invisible infrastructure capacity (roots).
A diagnostic tool to calculate and assess your organization's balance between visible growth metrics (shoots) and invisible infrastructure capacity (roots). Based on the biological principle that plants allocate 30-60% of energy to roots, this framework helps organizations identify whether they're over-investing in growth at the expense of foundation.
When to Use Root-to-Shoot Ratio Diagnostic
Use quarterly to assess organizational health. Especially critical before major growth initiatives, during fundraising, or when experiencing operational strain despite revenue growth.
How to Apply
Quantify Shoot Investment
Calculate last 12 months of visible, external-facing investments
Questions to Ask
- What was total sales & marketing spend?
- What was product development spend (new features, not infrastructure)?
- What were geographic expansion costs?
- What was brand/PR spend?
- What were customer acquisition costs?
Outputs
- Total Shoot Investment figure
Quantify Root Investment
Calculate last 12 months of invisible, internal capacity investments
Questions to Ask
- What was infrastructure/tools/systems spend?
- What was documentation/knowledge systems investment?
- What was training & development budget?
- What was spent on process improvement projects?
- What was invested in relationship building (non-sales)?
- What was quality systems/technical debt reduction spend?
Outputs
- Total Root Investment figure
Calculate Ratio
Determine your actual shoot/root percentage split
Outputs
- Shoot %
- Root %
Compare to Stage Guidelines
Assess ratio against targets for your company stage: Seed (0-2 years): 70/30, Growth (2-7 years): 50/50, Scale (7-15 years): 40/60, Mature (15+ years): 30/70
Outputs
- Gap analysis
- Reallocation recommendations
Track Over Time
Monitor quarterly trends in root investment
Outputs
- Trend analysis
- Stage-appropriate adjustment plan