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WorkIndex of engagements

Six operations,before and after.

Each entry is one workflow we have rebuilt more than once: the steps it had, the steps it has now, and what that changed for the people running it.

Composite engagements: recurring patterns from our work, identifying detail removed. Named work is discussed under NDA.

Composite engagements
06
Industries
06
Systems connected
23
Steps, before and after
62 down to 18
Every step in the six workflows below, one tick each. The coral ones survive.

The index

Showing 06 of 06

  1. 01Sector & scale

    Sector
    Manufacturing
    Scale
    Metal parts manufacturer · two press lines · 150⁠–⁠250 people
    Team
    Dedicated team of 4
    Connected
    Line controllers · ERP · Planning board
    Engagement
    Build · About a quarter to the first line live

    02The problem

    Production was counted on clipboards and totalled after the shift. Downtime was written on a whiteboard and discovered at the morning meeting, a day late. Sales promised delivery dates from stock figures that were already wrong.

    Film still: two green presses on a factory floor, a live ERP board between them and threads of light running up to the planning office.
    Still from the manufacturing film on our home page

    03What changed

    The old workflow had 11 steps. 8 were removed entirely; the remaining 3 became the 3 steps of the new one.

    Before11 steps

    1. 01Operator tallies finished parts on a clipboard (removed)
    2. 02Shift lead adds up the clipboards (removed)
    3. 03Totals typed into the shift spreadsheet (removed)
    4. 04Spreadsheet emailed to planning (removed)
    5. 05Planner re-keys the counts into the ERP (becomes step A)
    6. 06Stoppage noted on the whiteboard (removed)
    7. 07Downtime raised at the next morning's meeting (becomes step B)
    8. 08Planner re-dates the affected orders by hand (removed)
    9. 09Sales phones the floor to check stock (removed)
    10. 10Stock figure copied into the quote (removed)
    11. 11Delivery date promised from yesterday's numbers (becomes step C)

    After03 steps

    1. ACounts and stops reach the ERP from the line as they happen
    2. BA stop alerts the planner, with the affected orders listed
    3. CSales promises dates from live stock

    04Result

    Within the first quarter of the line going live, stoppages were being handled in the hour they happened instead of the morning after, and the shift spreadsheet was retired. Sales stopped phoning the floor for stock, because the number in the ERP was the number on the floor.

    Tracked from day one

    • Hours between a part being made and the ERP knowing about it
    • Orders promised on stock that did not exist

    Composite engagement. Identifying detail removed; the pattern is real.

  2. 01Sector & scale

    Sector
    Logistics & supply chain
    Scale
    Regional distributor · three depots · more than one carrier · 120⁠–⁠300 people
    Team
    Dedicated team of 3
    Connected
    Dock scanners · WMS · Carrier feeds · Customer tracking
    Engagement
    Ongoing · Ongoing, released depot by depot

    02The problem

    Dispatch ran on phone calls and a group chat, drivers carried paper manifests, and scans synced at the end of the day. When a customer asked for an ETA, someone opened three screens and called the driver.

    Film still: a depot yard with loading docks, a dispatch cabin and a trailer, joined by threads of light.
    Still from the logistics film on our home page

    03What changed

    The old workflow had 10 steps. 7 were removed entirely; the remaining 3 became the 3 steps of the new one.

    Before10 steps

    1. 01Driver collects a printed manifest (removed)
    2. 02Dock scan synced to the office at end of day (removed)
    3. 03Carrier status checked on the carrier's portal (removed)
    4. 04Status copied into the WMS by hand (becomes step A)
    5. 05Customer phones to ask where the order is (removed)
    6. 06Order desk opens three screens to find out (removed)
    7. 07Desk calls the driver (removed)
    8. 08Answer relayed to the customer by phone (becomes step B)
    9. 09Missed scan noticed when the customer complains (removed)
    10. 10Exception escalated in the group chat (becomes step C)

    After03 steps

    1. AScan, warehouse and carrier events merge into one timeline
    2. BCustomers see that timeline, live
    3. CA late scan raises an exception to a named person

    04Result

    Within the first month of the first depot going live, the order desk stopped fielding most “where is it?” calls, because customers could read the answer themselves. Since then the same team has carried it depot by depot, one release at a time.

    Tracked from day one

    • “Where is my order” calls per hundred shipments
    • Minutes from a missed scan to someone knowing

    Composite engagement. Identifying detail removed; the pattern is real.

  3. 01Sector & scale

    Sector
    Retail & e-commerce
    Scale
    Brand with a web shop, two marketplaces and a handful of stores · 60⁠–⁠150 people
    Team
    Dedicated team of 3
    Connected
    Web shop · Marketplaces · Tills · Warehouse system
    Engagement
    First step · 10 working days

    02The problem

    Orders from four channels were copied into the warehouse system every morning, and stock was counted at close and uploaded channel by channel. The same last unit sold twice in an hour, and someone wrote the apology.

    Film still: a shop floor with stocked shelves and a till, a thread of light running from the counter.
    Still from the retail film on our home page

    03What changed

    The old workflow had 9 steps. 6 were removed entirely; the remaining 3 became the 3 steps of the new one.

    Before09 steps

    1. 01Web shop orders exported each morning (removed)
    2. 02Marketplace orders downloaded one channel at a time (removed)
    3. 03Everything pasted into one spreadsheet (becomes step A)
    4. 04Spreadsheet re-typed into the warehouse system (removed)
    5. 05Stock counted on the shelf at close (removed)
    6. 06Counts uploaded to each channel by hand (becomes step B)
    7. 07Oversold order spotted by the picker (removed)
    8. 08Customer emailed an apology (removed)
    9. 09Return refunded, shelf count left unchanged (becomes step C)

    Designed03 steps

    1. AEvery channel's orders land in one queue, in the order they arrived
    2. BStock updates everywhere when a unit sells, ships or comes back
    3. CA return puts stock back as the refund goes out

    04Result

    By day ten, the order desk was watching real orders land in one queue on a working screen, and the business case set the cost of overselling in the finance team's own numbers. What happened next was their decision, which is the point of a first step.

    Tracked from day one

    • Units sold that were not on the shelf
    • Hours from an order landing to the warehouse seeing it

    Composite engagement. Identifying detail removed; the pattern is real.

  4. 01Sector & scale

    Sector
    Healthcare
    Scale
    Specialist clinic group · four sites · 60⁠–⁠120 staff
    Team
    Dedicated team of 4
    Connected
    Booking diary · Patient record · Text reminders · Referral tracking
    Engagement
    Build · About a quarter, one clinic first

    02The problem

    The front desk spent its first hour confirming the day by phone. Intake was filled in on paper in the waiting room and typed in after the visit, and referrals had no owner until the patient called to ask.

    Film still: a clinic corridor with waiting chairs and consulting-room doors, linked by threads of light.
    Still from the healthcare film on our home page

    03What changed

    The old workflow had 11 steps. 8 were removed entirely; the remaining 3 became the 3 steps of the new one.

    Before11 steps

    1. 01Front desk phones tomorrow's patients (removed)
    2. 02Voicemails left, call-backs noted on paper (removed)
    3. 03Text replies checked between calls (removed)
    4. 04Confirmations ticked off in the diary (becomes step A)
    5. 05Gaps refilled from a paper waiting list (removed)
    6. 06Intake form handed out on arrival (removed)
    7. 07Patient fills it in the waiting room (removed)
    8. 08Form typed into the record after the visit (becomes step B)
    9. 09Referral letter sent by email (removed)
    10. 10Follow-up kept in someone's notebook (removed)
    11. 11Patient calls to ask what happened (becomes step C)

    After03 steps

    1. AConfirmations and reminders go out and update the diary on their own
    2. BIntake reaches the record before the patient sits down
    3. CEvery referral has an owner and a date, and the system chases it

    04Result

    By the end of the first quarter, the day's list was right before the doors opened at the first clinic, and the front desk's first hour went back to the patients in the room. The other sites followed on the same build.

    Tracked from day one

    • Appointments that went ahead as booked
    • Minutes of front-desk time per booking

    Composite engagement. Identifying detail removed; the pattern is real.

  5. 01Sector & scale

    Sector
    Real estate
    Scale
    Developer with an in-house sales team · two schemes selling · 30⁠–⁠60 agents
    Team
    Dedicated team of 4
    Connected
    Listing portals · CRM · E-signature · Buyer portal
    Engagement
    Ongoing · Ongoing, a release every few weeks

    02The problem

    Leads from six portals landed in one shared inbox and waited for someone to forward them. Agents tracked buyers in their own spreadsheets, and offers and contracts drifted through email for weeks.

    Film still: a street of terraced houses and an estate agent's office, linked by threads of light.
    Still from the real estate film on our home page

    03What changed

    The old workflow had 10 steps. 7 were removed entirely; the remaining 3 became the 3 steps of the new one.

    Before10 steps

    1. 01Portal enquiry lands in a shared inbox (removed)
    2. 02Someone forwards it to an agent (removed)
    3. 03Agent copies the lead into a spreadsheet (removed)
    4. 04Spreadsheet merged once a week (becomes step A)
    5. 05Two agents call the same buyer (removed)
    6. 06Offer drafted from an old template (removed)
    7. 07Contract emailed back and forth (removed)
    8. 08Signed copy saved to a personal drive (becomes step B)
    9. 09Buyer phones for an update (removed)
    10. 10Agent checks three tools to answer (becomes step C)

    After03 steps

    1. AEvery enquiry lands in one pipeline, routed with a reply clock
    2. BOffer, contract and signature live on one record
    3. CBuyers see their own status in a portal

    04Result

    In the first weeks, enquiries were answered the day they landed, Friday's included. The buyer portal followed in a later release, and the calls asking for an update thinned out with it.

    Tracked from day one

    • Minutes from enquiry to first reply
    • Leads with no owner at the end of the day

    Composite engagement. Identifying detail removed; the pattern is real.

  6. 01Sector & scale

    Sector
    Professional & financial services
    Scale
    Accountancy and advisory firm · two offices · 80⁠–⁠200 people
    Team
    Dedicated team of 3
    Connected
    Shared inbox · Identity checks · Document store · Practice system
    Engagement
    First step · 10 working days

    02The problem

    Onboarding a client took a week of chasing. Documents arrived by email to whichever partner the client knew, identity checks waited for someone free, and approvals happened in a Friday pile of emails.

    Film still: an office desk with document trays and a screen, threads of light carrying papers between them.
    Still from the services film on our home page

    03What changed

    The old workflow had 11 steps. 8 were removed entirely; the remaining 3 became the 3 steps of the new one.

    Before11 steps

    1. 01Client emails documents to a partner (removed)
    2. 02Partner forwards them to an assistant (removed)
    3. 03Assistant saves them to a shared folder (removed)
    4. 04Identity checked by eye, when someone is free (becomes step A)
    5. 05Missing items chased by email (removed)
    6. 06Chases noted in a spreadsheet (removed)
    7. 07Engagement letter drafted from last year's copy (removed)
    8. 08Partner approves the file by email (becomes step B)
    9. 09Signed letter saved in two folders (removed)
    10. 10Client set up in the practice system by hand (becomes step C)
    11. 11Welcome email written from scratch (removed)

    Designed03 steps

    1. ADocuments are filed and checked as they arrive
    2. BThe partner approves in one place, with a logged trail
    3. CThe client record is created from the approved file

    04Result

    By day ten, a working intake screen was running on the firm's own sample files, and the business case set a week of onboarding against the partner hours it was using up. Whether to build the rest was the firm's call to make.

    Tracked from day one

    • Working days from first contact to client ready
    • Approvals waiting on a person for more than a day

    Composite engagement. Identifying detail removed; the pattern is real.

End of index

Every one of these started the same way: one process, ten working days, a working screen at the end. Yours can start just below.