The Pattern Behind the Problem
Every organization experiences operational drift.
Sometimes gradually. Sometimes rapidly. But over time, all companies evolve beyond the structures that once supported them.
The world changes. Industries change. Customer expectations change. Internal processes adapt in small ways every day.
Even organizations known for operational excellence are not immune.
Maintaining strong execution is not about perfection—it is about periodically stepping back to assess, realign, and redesign where necessary to ensure the business continues to operate effectively as it grows and changes.
Operational clarity is not a one-time achievement.
It is an ongoing discipline.
CASE STUDY 1
Strategic Scope Reframing
The Challenge
A mid-sized pharmaceutical company wanted to do a market research study to aid their sale of a legacy product. After an RFP round, most proposals were coming in much higher than expected. They needed to understand why.
The Insight
Their RFP included traditional marketing components designed to win brand affinity. Since they were selling the brand, those elements weren’t needed for the effective sale of their drug.
The Approach
The initiative was reframed around the core business objective, simplifying the scope while preserving strategic value.
The Result
Estimated costs were reduced substantially—from approximately $40M+ to approximately $26M—while still supporting the broader strategic objective. The drug was successfully sold to a generic company.
CASE STUDY 2
Vendor Readiness
The Challenge
A contract sales organization that had enjoyed years of organic growth, had a CRM system (Salesforce.com) that was becoming fragile and difficult to manage due to several years of organic, customized development. They needed a system that was easier to manage and they wanted to be able to stand up programs faster.
The Insight
When reviewing the programs and User Interface, our analysis showed, the while each tenant was developed as a customized UI, 80% of the fields were similar, they just had different names and were in different locations.
The Approach
We proposed a redesign of their CRM creating a standardized UI and structure for common and shared fields, a configurable structure for elements unique to each of their programs. We also made recommendations for configuration tools so admins could easily setup and manage program changes. Finally, we recommended a vendor partner to help them execute that vision.
The Result
The revamped CRM reduced program setup time from 8 weeks on average to approximately 8 days, reduced the need for 2 outsourced developers, and when Salesforce.com met with them three years later, complimented them on the structure and had no further recommendations for them.
CASE STUDY 3
Audit Readiness
The Challenge
During a client financial audit, our customer could not easily produce data flows to show how amounts were calculated through the system and what the validation steps were.
The Insight
After multiple rounds of discovery we found that there was an end to end process, however, each component of it was held within a different silo.
The Approach
We captured and created a workflow diagram from customer estimates through invoicing. We restructured the workflows in a way that would be meaningful to non-operational teams.
The Result
Audit readiness was achieved. Three processes were redundant with only minor variations, those were consolidated. Outdated parts of workflows were updated. The addition of process step owners, systems, and fields added additional clarity.
CASE STUDY 4
Service Operations & Revenue Protection
The Challenge
A small startup that existed primarily one one sales person and referrals wanted to keep existing customers happy. But that mission had turned into a system of delivering random replacement parts internationally. They had no system for managing the costs of the parts and shipping, not to mention the resource utilization of the people managing those transactions.
The Insight
After Discovery (a review of a year’s worth of these transactions), we found that customers called for similar replacement parts, often one at a time, and often needed them urgently.
The Approach
We calculated the average annual needs for customers in spare parts and supplies. We turned that average into a supply kit that could now be easily ordered and shipped by just adding a shipping label. Customers who reached out for parts after that were informed of the new kit, the new price point, and that the first one was free.
The Result
In the first year, the company saved thousands of dollars in shipping fees. In the second year, the company converted a cost center (spare parts, shipping, and administration) into a revenue center increasing their bottom line by over $100K. A top customer reached out to the CEO with compliments about how well she was being taken care of.