Complex Problem Solving
Overview & Challenge(s):
Crux, as an organization, had grown quite rapidly for two consecutive years, and as many startups experience, were lacking processes, policies, and consistency in communication. Despite the significant growth, the ways of working were causing a decline in profitability that couldn't be explained. As the VP of Operations, my first deliverable was to determine the root cause, deliver the break-even and 20% profit hourly rates, and streamline processes.
Goal(s):
Improve processes, profitability, accountability, and collaboration.
Strategy & Approach:
Hosted an off-site meeting with the Operations Team to document how work was done up, down, and across the organization.
They shared that there was no centralized database for managing and communicating requests from the Account Teams.
Instead, a single Teams Channel was used for requesting all MSA/SOW/PO documents for clients, causing documents and revisions to be missed and making SLAs impossible to measure or report.
Relied on the team to identify key stakeholders to document the processes, gaps, pain points, and revenue impacts (ex: unnecessary client credits due to miscommunication).
Mentored the Project Manager to analyze the CRM data for evaluating the actual time required vs. time recorded for completing various client deliverables.
Oversaw the Controller to create a client profitability analysis tool for the Account Teams to determine high-level estimates before finalizing agreements (MSA/SOW).
Based on the results, we implemented the following changes within 45 days:
Removed the "internal non-billable client meeting" code from the time-entry platform.
Mapped and implemented an intake form to centralize all requests, communications, edits, document routing, and approvals.
Sunsetted the unnecessary Teams Channels.
Partnered with the Creative and Digital Teams to conduct a deep dive into the time required to complete tasks, resulting in more accurate client estimates.
Created an extensive Policy Playbook outlining the process handoffs, expectations, and impacts of not adhering to the new guidelines.
Authored and delivered company-wide training to launch the new process and CRM (Function Point).
Facilitated weekly cross-functional sessions to create an open dialogue and establish collaboration across teams.
Results:
Billable Team time entry improved from 20% to 95% with 99% accuracy in codes used.
Improved accuracy of SOWs by more than 20%, thus increasing profitability and offsetting debt.
Reduced manual steps across six functional teams by 50%, improving communication, collaboration, and employee satisfaction.
Launched a new intake form to centralize requests and taught the IT manager how to create workflows for automated assignments, communications, approvals, and a real-time reporting dashboard.
Presented the breakeven rates requested by the CEO to right-size legacy client rates.
Mentored the Controller to develop a regular cadence of reporting client and team profitability to the Executive Team.
The Executive Lead Team locked arms to openly hold each other and their teams accountable to the new processes.
