Advisory product NextEra Copilot
How digital is this company really?
NextEra Copilot is a digitalisation audit for companies that are sold, handed over or bought. It examines what classic due diligence misses: how digitalised and documented the processes really are. Each core process receives a level from 1 to 5.
01 For whom
For everyone who hands over, takes over or buys a company.
Wherever a company changes hands, or is preparing to.
- Owners who sellmake the value visible and close gaps before approaching buyers
- Owners handing overto the next generation, with knowledge in the system instead of in heads
- Successorstake over with a plan instead of in the fog
- Buyers and investorssee risks and dependencies before signing
02 The gap
What classic due diligence misses.
Finances, law, tax, contracts and personnel are examined. How the company actually works usually is not.
- Operational breaksA key person drops out, and it turns out there are no reliable processes, only “this is how we always do it”.
- Destruction of valueWhat looked stable in the sale proves fragile after the handover: unplanned investments, hasty restructuring.
- Strategic paralysisInstead of shaping the future, the new management spends months searching for information.
03 The scale
Degree of digitalisation from 1 to 5.
Each core process receives a level. Together they result in the overall score.
- 1
In someone’s head
Gut feelingProcesses live in heads, nothing is written down.
- 2
Documented
Procedure and checklistProcesses are written down but run manually.
- 3
Standardised
Measured and managedBinding standards with key figures, comparable and controllable.
- 4
Automated
Including partial AIStable steps run automatically, tools are connected. Partial AI counts here.
- 5
AI-autonomous
Self-directedAn AI runs core processes on its own, people set goals and guardrails.
Level 5 requires what AI implementation describes: foundation, processes, structured data and a curated data location. AI implementation
04 The core model
Three questions per process. One departure plan.
What is highly critical, frequently used and poorly documented comes first.
- CriticalityWhat happens if it fails: a nuisance or a standstill?
- Frequency of useA hundred times a day or a few times a year?
- Documentation and digitalisationIn a head or in a clean system?
Departure plan
- Document the highly critical processes
- Digitalise frequently used processes
- Automate where it makes sense
In parallel: who carries which knowledge, and where bottlenecks threaten.
05 The result
What you have in hand at the end.
The method is based on ISO 9001: workshops, interviews with key people, a visit to the operation and a review of documents.
- Score per processLevel 1 to 5 for each core process and an overall score, with reasons.
- Departure planMeasures with owners and deadlines, ready for Excel or Jira.
- Skills matrixWhich knowledge depends on which people, and where bottlenecks threaten.
- Role-based successionRoles broken down into competence blocks instead of a one-to-one replacement.
06 The film
The audit in a short film.
In German, with voice-over.
07 Why now
Many handovers, few successors.
These figures apply to Germany. The sources do not give comparable figures for Switzerland.
- around 190’000family businesses in Germany face a handover between 2022 and 2026 (IfM Bonn).
- 54 %of owners of German SMEs were 55 or older in 2024 (KfW).
- +22 %more people aged 67 and over in Germany between 2020 and 2035 (Destatis).
Sources
08 Switzerland
For regulated financial companies.
For FINMA-authorised asset managers, trustees and family offices, the core model is extended by checkpoints from FINMA circulars and the Swiss data protection law.
The rules that apply are listed under Regulation.
FAQ Answers
Questions about NextEra Copilot.
What is NextEra Copilot?
NextEra Copilot is a digitalisation audit, a digital due diligence. It assesses how digitalised and documented the processes of a company really are: each core process receives a level from 1 to 5, which results in an overall score. It is aimed at owners who sell or hand over, at successors and at buyers.
Why is the degree of digitalisation not part of a normal due diligence?
Classic due diligence examines finances, law, tax, contracts and personnel. It says little about how a company actually works: whether processes live in heads or in the system, whether they run manually or automatically, and whether the business works without the owner. That is exactly what determines risk and the ability to hand over.
What does the scale from 1 to 5 mean?
Level 1: the process lives only in someone’s head. Level 2: it is documented. Level 3: it is standardised and managed with key figures. Level 4: it is automated; partial use of AI counts here. Level 5: an AI runs it autonomously. Each core process is rated individually, which results in the overall score.
What is the departure plan?
Each process is rated by criticality, frequency of use and quality of documentation and digitalisation. Whatever is highly critical, frequently used and poorly documented comes first: document first, then digitalise, automate where it makes sense. The plan contains tasks with owners and deadlines and can be taken over into Excel or Jira.
How does this help with a sale, a handover or an acquisition?
Sellers can show that the company is run in a structured way and close gaps before approaching buyers. Successors start with a plan instead of in the fog. Buyers see risks and dependencies before signing, not only afterwards.
What does ISO 9001 have to do with it?
The method is based on ISO 9001, the international standard for quality and process management. Its process approach serves as the framework for capturing the existing structures and rating them in a traceable way. Certification is not the goal of the audit.
Does partial use of AI already count as level 5?
No. Level 5 means that an AI takes over a core process on its own and people only set goals and guardrails. If AI is used selectively as a tool, that counts as automation, level 4. The line is autonomy, not the use of AI as such.
Is a sale, handover or acquisition coming up?
Thirty minutes, no presentation.
