Work We Are Proud Of: Case Studies of SME & Non-Profit Success Stories

Empowering a Private Training Agency with Scalable Systems

An education agency in the natural resources sector (private client)

In an industry where niche expertise can drive significant competitive advantage, our client—a private training agency specializing in the natural resources sector-was struggling to scale effectively. While their tailored programs attracted widespread industry recognition, their internal systems and decision-making structures were not equipped to support growth. Without a clear strategic framework, their ability to sustain expansion was at risk.

Despite strong market demand, the firm lacked a structured approach to strategic planning and execution, which left them reactive rather than proactive. Their governance model required refinement to establish clear accountability and streamlined decision-making. Furthermore, their reliance on manual processes and fragmented workflows exposed inefficiencies that hampered their agility. Without an integrated approach to digital transformation, the agency risked falling behind in an increasingly technology-driven landscape.

The leadership team faced a critical challenge: How could they maintain their reputation for excellence while ensuring their operations were structured to scale and sustain long-term growth?

Our Approach

We began by conducting a comprehensive assessment of their existing processes, organizational structure, and strategic objectives. Our goal was to align their corporate vision with an actionable strategy and tactical approach that would drive measurable impact while preserving the core values that set them apart.

Strategic Planning & Execution:
  • Developed a structured strategic roadmap that aligned business objectives with operational capabilities, ensuring sustainable growth.
  • Designed a value-stream mapping exercise to identify bottlenecks and prioritize initiatives that would enhance efficiency and scalability leveraging the highly specialized DAVSC methodology.
Organizational Governance & Change Leadership:
  • Established a decision-making framework that improved leadership alignment and accountability, reducing operational ambiguity (supported by a future state map

    with strategic projects including organzational charts, value delivery role alignment, and business unit specific policies and procedures that provided clarity while eliminating waste).

  • · Implemented change management strategies to ensure smooth adoption of new processes and technologies across all levels of the organization.
Digital & AI Transformation:
  • Conducted a technology audit and identified gaps where automation could replace time-intensive manual workflows.
  • Recommended and integrated a suite of digital tools, including a customer relationship management (CRM) system, automated reporting and workflow solutions, and scheduling tools to improve responsiveness and agility.
Enterprise Project Management Frameworks:
  • Developed scalable methodologies for managing complex training programs and operational projects, ensuring standardization and efficiency.
  • Introduced communication frameworks and client feedback loops to drive continuous improvement while supporting leadership with real-time visibility into program delivery.

Outcomes

The transformation was both immediate and sustainable. Within 11 months:

  • Sales portfolio doubled, demonstrating the agency’s ability to scale operations without compromising service quality.
  • Process efficiencies led to a 31% reduction in administrative overhead, allowing staff to focus on high-value activities rather than repetitive manual tasks.
  • Decision-making cycles shortened, enabling leadership to make faster, more informed strategic choices based on real-time data.
  • Cultural shift toward accountability and clarity, with employees empowered to take ownership of their roles and leadership equipped with the tools to drive performance.
  • Future-readiness enhanced, with integrated digital solutions providing the agility to adapt to industry shifts and new market opportunities.

By implementing structured governance, strategic execution, and a digitally enabled infrastructure, this private training agency is now positioned for sustained growth, operational resilience, and industry leadership.

Merging Cultures & Optimizing Revenue Operations for a Marketing Agency

ZGM Modern Marketing Partners

Reigniting Revenue and Operational Clarity Post-M&A

Client: ZGM Modern Marketing Partners

ZGM Modern Marketing Partners had recently undergone a high-stakes merger—bringing together two distinct entities: one technical and process-oriented, the other creative and fast-paced. While the deal expanded their capabilities and client base, the integration revealed deeper issues.

Despite strong leadership and a compelling market offering, revenue growth had stalled, client satisfaction was declining, and internal operations felt fractured. Disconnected teams, overlapping roles, and inconsistent delivery models were slowing the business down—creating missed opportunities, staff turnover, and unclear accountability at every level.

Leadership recognized the need for more than surface-level process fixes. They needed a system-wide approach to stabilize the business, re-energize revenue operations, and fully realize the value of the merger.

Our Approach: Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consulting

Value Stream Discovery & Strategic Planning

We began with a focused diagnostic of ZGM’s end-to-end value delivery—mapping revenue streams, project flow, and role clarity across both legacy organizations. This revealed hidden inefficiencies, duplicated efforts, and bottlenecks that were quietly capping their ability to scale post-merger.

The result: an aligned, adaptive strategy that brought revenue operations, project delivery, and leadership cadence into sync.

Post-Merger Governance & Cultural Integration

M&A doesn’t just blend org charts—it collides ways of working.

We applied Disciplined Agile governance to define how decisions got made, how work got prioritized, and how teams aligned around shared outcomes. This allowed us to preserve each team’s strengths while introducing a common operating rhythm—improving cross-functional accountability without stifling creativity.

Revenue Flow Optimization & Project Management Reform

Using value stream mapping and agile lifecycle tailoring, we redesigned ZGM’s core delivery systems to improve predictability, flow, and client experience.

Work was realigned to actual value creation—not just role titles—ensuring sales, delivery, and finance could operate as an integrated unit. Agile project frameworks were introduced to reduce rework, accelerate handoffs, and give clients a more consistent experience from kickoff to closeout.

AI-Enabled Operational Intelligence

We configured ZGM’s project and financial systems to provide real-time visibility into resourcing, forecasting, and profitability. This empowered leadership with the data to make better investment decisions, course-correct early, and continuously improve margin and throughput.

Results

✅ Revenue growth reactivated—faster project delivery, reduced rework, and improved client experience drove measurable improvements to cash flow and margin.
✅ 49% increase in project velocity enabled teams to take on more work without burning out.
✅ Client attrition dropped by 15%, and staff turnover fell by 30%, reflecting higher alignment and engagement.
✅ Teams now operate with clarity, shared tools, and adaptive governance—turning integration friction into sustained performance.

Strategic Organizational Alignment & Marketing Operations Framework for a Non-Profit

Green Calgary

As a non-profit organization committed to sustainability and environmental advocacy, Green Calgary had a strong mission but faced challenges in aligning its operations, marketing, and community engagement efforts. Their marketing and fundraising efforts required strategic alignment, tracking, and integration as an operations function. Effectively aligning team members, organizational goals, measuring campaign impact, and optimizing outreach were pertinent. Without a clear framework connecting strategic goals to marketing execution, their ability to scale their reach and donor engagement was constrained.

Our Approach

Strategic Planning & Execution:

We conducted a deep analysis of Green Calgary’s organizational objectives, focusing on aligning marketing strategies with their overarching mission. By identifying gaps between their outreach efforts and desired impact, we created a structured approach to ensure marketing activities drove measurable engagement and fundraising success.

Organizational Governance & Change Leadership:

To improve accountability and efficiency, we introduced a governance framework that clarified roles across marketing, operations, and community engagement team members. This framework ensured that strategic marketing initiatives were executed with consistency, improving collaboration between departments.

Marketing Operations Framework:

We developed a marketing operations framework that standardized campaign planning, audience segmentation, and performance tracking. By implementing a structured approach to content creation, donor engagement, and program awareness, Green Calgary was able to execute campaigns more effectively and measure their success.

Outcomes

  • Improved strategic alignment between marketing, operations, and community engagement, ensuring a unified approach to outreach efforts.
  • Increased donor engagement through a structured marketing operations framework that enhanced communication effectiveness.
  • Enhanced campaign performance, continuous optimization of marketing efforts.
  • Greater efficiency in marketing execution, reducing wasted effort and increasing the impact of outreach initiatives.

By integrating strategic alignment, governance structures, and a marketing operations framework, Green Calgary is now positioned to expand its outreach, strengthen donor relationships, and drive greater community impact. YOY, social engagement rose by 30%.

Scaling an International Business Development Firm with Smarter Systems

Canadian-Based International Business Development Firm (private client)

For this international business development firm, growth had come at a cost. As the company expanded across borders, it encountered communication silos, inefficiencies, and misaligned processes that stifled collaboration and productivity. Employees were frustrated with “work-about-work”—non-value-adding tasks that consumed valuable time and resources. Leadership recognized the urgent need to realign operations with their growth strategy while modernizing their systems to support sustainable expansion.

Our Approach

Strategic Planning & Execution:

We conducted a strategic assessment to align business objectives with operational execution. By identifying inefficiencies and mapping out communication flows, we designed a plan that ensured people, processes, and technology worked in unison to support scalable growth.

Organizational Governance & Change Leadership:

We introduced governance structures that clarified roles and responsibilities, reduced operational ambiguity, and improved accountability across international teams. Leadership alignment strategies ensured that decision-making was streamlined and effective.

Enterprise Project Management Frameworks:

We developed standardized workflows and best-practice methodologies to optimize project execution and cross-border collaboration. By eliminating redundancies and centralizing key functions, we created a more agile and responsive operational model.

Digital & AI Transformation:

We implemented secure, scalable digital solutions to automate routine processes and reduce manual work. Collaboration tools and file management best practices improved communication and knowledge sharing, eliminating inefficiencies that had previously hindered productivity.

Outcomes

  • Increased operational efficiency, with employees able to focus on high-value work rather than repetitive administrative tasks.
  • Eliminated communication silos, fostering better collaboration across international teams.
  • Improved project execution, allowing for seamless expansion without compromising service quality.
  • Greater employee satisfaction, as frustration from outdated systems and inefficiencies was significantly reduced.

By integrating strategic planning, governance structures, and digital transformation initiatives, this firm is now positioned for sustainable global growth and operational excellence.