Earlier this year, we launched a full agency technology audit. The rationale behind this review was straightforward. It had been some time since our last comprehensive review, and we felt there were some areas where we were not fully leveraging the capabilities of the systems we already owned. The pace and complexity of modern agency work have evolved, and we wanted to ensure our tools, workflows, and processes were aligned to support that evolution.
Our Approach
We treated this project like we do projects for our clients. We:
- Performed 12 stakeholder meetings to capture feedback from every level and department within the organization.
- Drafted business requirements.
- Evaluated 22 tools. Sat through over 20 demos.
- Gathered over 10 vendor scorecards from across the organization.
Treating the work with this level of rigor allowed us to look at our operations with objectivity and clarity.
What we found
What we found wasn’t an issue with agency performance. Instead, it highlighted a pattern common in our line of work: variability. Teams were accomplishing the work, but often through different individual systems and personal preferences. Over time, those small differences begin to create friction across departments.
One example was task tracking. Some team members relied on our internal resource planning tool to understand what work was on their plate each day. Others used personal spreadsheets, OneNote sheets, Planner boards, or notebooks to manage their own work. Each approach was effective for the individual, but when teams collaborate across departments, fragmentation creates unnecessary noise and reduces shared visibility.
A similar pattern surfaced in communication channels. Requests arrived through email, chat, DMs, as well as our resourcing platform. The variety makes it harder to keep a single source of truth.
These findings reinforced a simple operational reality. Process alignment, not effort, is going to be a differentiator in scalable delivery. Without a consistent framework, even strong teams create diverse habits. And while process adjustments can help, enforcing new methodologies without a clear change agent is difficult. People naturally revert to what is familiar, leaving project management in place to police and enforce the rules.
New Technology as the Change Agent
Introducing new technology is, right now, that change agent for us. Modern tools allow us to reset expectations, establish cleaner workflows, and reinforce a more unified approach from day one. The rollout will come with updated procedures, clearer communication paths, and a stronger framework for day-to-day execution. The result will be a more predictable, more transparent, and more connected operational environment.
This audit was a proactive investment in strengthening how we work, not a response to any performance gap. It provided insight, alignment, and a foundation for operational consistency that will benefit every department and, most importantly, our clients. Our next phase is focused on implementation, training, and ensuring the new tools become catalysts for the processes and controls that help our teams deliver their best work every time.
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