OTM

The challenge

Growing pains

OTM had hit a ceiling. After growing from five to 15 employees, their existing relaxed operational systems weren't working the same way. Things began to break. They needed to split the team into pods — but OTM's leaders couldn't afford to oversee every detail on every project any longer. The team needed to be autonomous, accountable, and effective, while building a more cohesive process and structure. Project quality was suffering.

"We had started to split into pod-based delivery. So instead of the 'one team one dream' model, we started to split up. It was the first time in our company where executives didn't have complete oversight over everything. As the front end of our work started to change, how we started projects needed to get a lot better. Specifically around project onboarding. Bringing a lot more intentionality to that stage was certainly key."

— Val Kailburn, Chief Creative Officer, OTM

Our operational findings

What we discovered

• Missing info in the sales cycle was negatively rippling throughout the entire project lifecycle
• Clients not aligned on the Client Fit Matrix were pulling OTM away from revenue goals — even when projects looked profitable on paper
• Servicing too many clients, creating a reactive approach that led to scope creep and quality issues
• Knowledge gaps between teammates causing unnecessary and expensive back-and-forth delays
• Gaps in the QA process costing more money than they could recoup
• No accountability framework meant the team couldn't create a clear forecast or have autonomy
• No repeatable criteria for project success

"Rachel's approach is fabulous: very flexible, and adaptable. Outcomes-focused. Inclusive. She's an incredible facilitator. And we've worked with quite a few — maybe a dozen over the last few years. She easily ranks in the top two or three. She has an ability to empathetically understand the client's side — what they're going through, what change would look like for them, and how they would go about changing."

— Val Kailburn, Chief Creative Officer, OTM

Results & highlights

What changed

• Improved sales and onboarding experience that accounts for risk and ROI from day one
• Increased net profit from 17% to 30% through better project scoping and estimation
• Converted to an autonomous pod structure with team members that have skills to lead
• An improved QA process that passes skills from senior to junior members
• The ability to answer "are we okay?" and "are we going to be okay?" at all times
• All projects now go through a thorough, team-driven scoping and planning phase
• Increased project value by 20% without reducing win rate
• Reduced projects by 10% but generated 30% more revenue

"Project management is really — this is a weird analogy — but I think it's almost like the centrepiece in a mind map. Everything else, like how you productize services, how you deliver services, how you scope services, anchors back into PM. When you start to map your project management out, you start to see the cascading changes — how much your agency operations have to change."

— Val Kailburn, Chief Creative Officer, OTM

The future

Where they are now

These days OTM is stronger than ever and still implementing the changes we helped them identify and strategize. They've grown and are implementing a specialized consultative approach to serving their clients — one that will help them scale sustainably while generating more business revenue. Their team is happier and their leaders get to spend more quality time with their families. PM is OTM's super glue.