Operations

The context

As the volume of diverse new projects surged, both co-founders found themselves struggling to manage their demanding workload. Sales, account management, team leadership, HR, and engineering – the responsibilities became overwhelming, and their usual long hours were no longer sufficient.

Feeling the strain, they reached out seeking a way to alleviate their workload and restore equilibrium to their schedules. What they truly yearned for was a means to regain mastery over their time, carving out a precious few hours each week for a more balanced and sustainable approach.

Our audit

A swift business overview revealed some immediate concerns, triggering my internal radar for improvements. A noticeable absence of a robust methodology, suboptimal utilization of project management software tailored to their needs, and a noticeable deficit in both internal and external communication emerged as noteworthy pet peeves.

While there were other areas that could benefit from a facelift, it became clear that progress on any front hinged on addressing these three critical pain points first.

Sometimes, the only thing you need to manage your workload – is a little structure

We can help you with that!

Challenge & Assumptions

For Mehdi and Justine to enhance their efficiency, achieving visibility was paramount: understanding who was responsible for what, and estimating the time required for each task. Additionally, standardization was essential. Too many projects or tasks were initiated from scratch, neglecting the wealth of previous knowledge they possessed.

Upon reflection, it became apparent that every facet requiring improvement was intricately tied to communication. Addressing these aspects not only promised efficiency but also the streamlining of their entire workflow.

Our solution

Moving forward, merely signing a contract was no longer sufficient. Each project would start with its personalized brief, delving into details such as who the client is, the reasons for their outreach, expectations, scope, budget, and the various stakeholders involved. To streamline this process, we leveraged PRINCE2, tailoring it into a more streamlined brief.

​Furthermore, this brief would be shared with the client, fostering transparency and aligning both parties toward a common purpose.

​Another significant aspect of their workflow revolved around their project management software: Monday.com. Serving as the cornerstone of the company, every project or task would traverse this platform. An interesting twist - clients also had access to internal tasks. However, any alterations made to a board necessitated subsequent training to ensure a seamless transition.

After a full audit...

Upon scrutinizing a few projects/boards, it became evident that crucial information was buried deep within tasks, and scrolling through them, sometimes for minutes, proved to be a cumbersome task.

In response, we devised a standardized flow and automated it to the fullest extent possible. Additionally, we introduced pre-templated tasks to guide clients on the specific information we required from the very outset. The outcome was remarkable: reduced time to completion, improved notifications, and enhanced throughput. Consequently, training became a matter of a brief Zoom call. Monitoring boards/requests went down from 3 hours a day to less than an hour.

We fine-tuned filters and views to align with each client's preferences. Communication now predominantly flowed in and out of Monday, significantly reducing the volume of emails, Slack messages, and interactions within each task. This adjustment not only streamlined communication but also eased the workload for the engineers.

After addressing these three points, we used an action priority matrix to outline future projects and determine the tasks to focus on, as well as their order.

​Mehdi and Justine benefited from a process revamp that significantly eased their workload, allowing them to reclaim a few hours each week from their schedules. They can now allocate this time more effectively, such as for cross-selling and upselling efforts, as well as networking.

​​To this day, we're still working together on various projects.

... we drew up an action plan together.

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