The Org Chart Health Check
A 20-minute review of your org chart: four checks for span of control, layers, open roles and gaps, what published research says about each and what to change when a number is off.
- Four checks you can count off any org chart, with the ranges McKinsey, Bain and Gallup publish and how far to trust them.
- One company's chart before and after a review, with every finding marked and the seven changes that fixed them.
- A scorecard, a quarterly checklist and the spreadsheet columns an org chart needs, ready to print.
What's inside the guide
- How to count span of control, layers, open roles and gaps on any org chart, and the warning signs for each.
- Published ranges for spans and layers from McKinsey, Bain and Gallup, and what they mean for a company your size.
- A fictional 32-person company's org chart before and after a review, with the seven changes it made.
- Four printables: an org chart scorecard, a quarterly review checklist, the spreadsheet columns an org chart needs and a template index.
Who this guide is for
HR managers, people-operations leads, chiefs of staff and founders at organisations of roughly 20 to 500 people who own the org chart or have inherited it. No background in organisation design is needed, only your current chart and about twenty minutes.
Questions about org chart reviews
What is a good span of control?
It depends on the work. McKinsey gives typical spans from three to five direct reports for a manager who also does much of the work, up to fifteen or more for highly standardised work such as a contact centre. More than about ten is wide for most teams, and one is narrow.
How many management layers does a company need?
With spans of about seven, three layers reach around 50 people and four reach around 400, so most companies of a few hundred people need no more than four or five. Bain & Company found the leanest large companies had no more than seven.
Is the guide free?
Yes. We email you a personal download link that works for 30 days. No account and no credit card are needed.
Can I run the checks on my own org chart?
Yes, on paper or in any tool. In QueryChart, View ▸ Highlight runs all four checks on your chart, and every template in the guide opens in your browser without signing up.
Get the guide by email: We send you a personal download link. No account needed.