Most companies considering a listing need twelve to twenty-four months of preparation. A readiness assessment says which items sit on the critical path and which can be resolved during the process.
Reporting and audit
Listing requires a standard of reporting most private companies have never had to meet, and a track record of meeting it. This is usually the longest item.
Governance and board composition
Independent directors, committee structures and defined reserved matters. Straightforward to arrange, slow to make real.
Forecast reliability
The number that matters is not the forecast. It is the company's history of hitting its forecasts, because that is what investors underwrite.