Streamlining Consulting Workflows

RFP responses can be a real challenge. They’re often slow and inconsistent due to scattered knowledge and manual processes. This was the case for a global consultancy that wanted to speed up how it brought its offerings to market. Sales teams struggled to access past proposals, relevant case studies, and client-specific context. This customer was an early Glean Agent adopter, and we’re thankful for their feedback along the journey. To address this challenge, they deployed a suite of Glean agents. The goal was to unify content discovery and streamline proposal workflows, pulling from their company knowledge bases, CRM systems, and external research to support end-to-end RFP generation. This was paired with a methodical approach to enablement and adoption. Some examples of agents they built: • A Client Need Triage agent that maps client requirements to standard service offerings • A Research agent to pull together industry and company-specific insights • A Historian agent to surface past engagements and account activity right from the CRM • A Proposal Helper agent to accelerate proposal creation with standardized, offering-aligned drafts This foundation delivered real business value: • Proposal development time dropped from 4 weeks to just a few hours. That’s a 97% productivity gain. • A heuristic metric of deflecting over $150K if a single point enablement Saas solution was chosen. By embedding agents directly into the sales workflow, the consultancy improved both speed and precision in proposal development. Now, they’re looking to apply the same agent-driven approach to other parts of the business, like managed services and engineering, to bring that same efficiency and intelligence everywhere.

Managing multiple clients solo can be brutal. But it's possible with the right systems. Here’s 4 that help me: 1/ Work with fewer clients I once juggled 5 clients at the same time. The context switching was too much. Even “light” projects drained my energy. Now I charge more, and take on less. 2–3 clients max works for me. 2/ Lean into async communication Slack, Loom, & Figma comments are my go-to. Of course meetings have to happen. But async comms lessen the need. 3/ Stay ridiculously organized Every review = detailed notes and tasks. I don’t rely on memory anymore. It keeps projects moving without confusion. When I sit down to work I know what's next. 4/ Protect my energy My daily gym habit keeps me energized. It gets me out of the house to clear my head. I stop working at 6pm to hang with family. I try to spend as much time outside as I can. Golfing weekly with friends is also a boost. Freelancing gets chaotic fast. But it doesn't have to get out of control. You don’t need more hours. You need more structure.

Generative AI surveys: where your feedback is interactive, valued, and promptly discarded. But hey, at least it’s efficient! Sorry, I know it’s a bit early to be snarky. Seriously though, closing the loop with your customers on their feedback - solicited or unsolicited - is a game changer. Start by integrating customer signals/data into a real-time analytics platform that not only surfaces key themes, but also flags specific issues requiring follow-up. This is no longer advanced tech. From there, create a workflow that assigns ownership for addressing the feedback, tracks resolution progress, and measures outcomes over time. With most tech having APIs for your CRM, also not a huge lift to set up. By linking feedback directly to improvement efforts, which still requires a human in the loop, and closing the loop by notifying customers when changes are made, you transform a simple data collection tool into a continuous improvement engine. Most companies are not taking these critical few steps though. Does it take time, effort, and money? Yes it does. Can it help you drive down costs and drive up revenue? Also, a hard yes. The beauty of actually closing the loop is that the outcomes can be quantified. How have you seen closing the loop - outer, inner, or both - impact your business? #cx #surveys #ceo

I Was Drowning In Busy Season! (Then I Found This Mental Hack) Ever felt your brain was being pulled in 8 different directions at once? That was me a few months back. 4 different clients. Long hours workweeks. 1 auditor - Me. And the problem wasn't the amount of work. It was something far more dangerous. My mind was constantly shifting: From Task A to Task B. From Client 1 to Client 3. From urgent email to random ping. Each switch felt like it drained a little more of my mental battery. Until one week, I hit empty. Know that feeling of heaviness in your head? When your thoughts feel like they're wading through mud? That's where I was. But I refused to accept this as "just part of the job." There had to be a better way. And after weeks of experimenting, I found 3 mental hacks that saved my sanity. These aren't your typical productivity tips. These are survival techniques for anyone juggling multiple clients. Here's what worked for me: 1. Your Brain is Not a Storage Device Your mind wasn't designed to remember things. It was designed to GET THINGS DONE. So stop forcing it to be your to-do list. Every time a manager pinged me with a request, I immediately wrote it down in OneNote. Not tomorrow. Not "when I have time." IMMEDIATELY. Then I'd mentally release it. Think of your brain like your smartphone – when too many apps are running in the background, everything slows down. Close those background apps. 2. Treat Client-Facing Tasks Like Hot Potatoes When juggling multiple clients, everything seems urgent. But here's the truth: Not all urgent tasks are created equal. My breakthrough came when I realized this simple rule: Anything that goes directly to a client takes absolute priority. Emails. Deliverables. Meeting preparations. Think of them as hot potatoes – get them off your plate FIRST. Everything else? It can wait for 25 minutes. 3. The 25-Minute Forcefield I started using the Pomodoro Technique – 25 minutes of intense focus, followed by a 5-minute break. During those 25 minutes, I created a mental forcefield around myself. No emails. No Slack pings. No team check-ins. Just me and ONE task. Unless you're in a live client meeting, NOTHING is so urgent it can't wait 25 minutes. The most surprising benefit? This practice didn't just save my work life – it saved my personal life too. Before, even when talking with my parents, my mind would wander to pending tasks. Now, I'm fully present wherever I am. If you're in a client-facing role juggling multiple projects, these techniques aren't optional – they're essential for your mental health. Are you constantly task-switching? What techniques have worked for you? If you enjoyed reading this, it's a snippet from my FREE weekly newsletter where I share everything about my audit lessons and concepts. #audit #productivity #mentalhealth #consulting #clientmanagement

The gap between a project estimate and kick-off can be a killer. (Automation Tip Tuesday 👇) For service-based businesses (any business, really!), friction is the ultimate profit killer. A client agrees to the scope, but then… paperwork, approvals, deposits — it all creates delay and destroys momentum. One of our recent automation projects tackled this head-on. Our client, a high-end home remodeling firm, was using a host of tools to manage their workflows, but the process of moving from an estimate to a signed agreement (with a deposit) was still manual and disjointed. We streamlined it. Now: ✅ Estimates auto-generate in Airtable, pulling project details from a structured pricing database. ✅ Signed agreements trigger deposits automatically — Dubsado sends the contract, collects e-signatures, and instantly generates an invoice in QBO. ✅ Once the deposit is paid, the project kicks off in Google Calendar and updates the team’s task board. The result? Faster approvals, fewer dropped leads, and a smoother experience for homeowners eager to begin their renovations. Software should work for you, not slow you down. If your business has gaps in its process, automation might be the missing piece. What’s killing your momentum? -- Hi, I’m Nathan Weill, a business process automation expert. ⚡️ These tips I share every Tuesday are drawn from real-world projects we've worked on with our clients at Flow Digital. We help businesses unlock the power of automation with customized solutions so they can run better, faster and smarter — and we can help you too! #automationtiptuesday #automation #workflow #efficiency

Here's something I wish I started doing sooner in my legal career: Using checklists for project intake. Too often, when a project is being turned over, details get missed, and questions don't get asked, resulting in confusion and frustration. Part of the problem is that senior lawyers don't get trained on how to assign a project, which leads to things like emails being forwarded with the directive to "pls handle." A checklist can help a junior lawyer who's unclear on a request gain clarity. Here are some helpful prompts: 1. When? Make sure you're clear on the deadline. If there is a filing deadline or date by which something has to go to a client, when does the assigning lawyer need to see a draft? Clarify if the given deadline is "ASAP" or "COB". 2. Who? Who is the audience? Is it an internal memo? Is it going to the client? Is the client a lawyer or a business person? This is important because it can help make sure the work product strikes the right tone and includes the right level of detail. 3. What? What are the client's work product preferences (e.g., lots of detail with citations or list of bullet point conclusions)? Also, what is the scope/budget of the project? Spend a few hours and report back on findings or go all out to find the answer? 4. Why? Why does this matter? What is the context and how does what I'm doing fit into the big picture of our work for this client? Are there other issues I should be on the lookout for? Clarity comes from asking good questions. This is a start. Create a checklist for the types of projects you commonly work on. I promise you’ll feel more squared away, and fewer details will slip through the cracks.

How GCC Leaders Can Improve Work Execution to Drive Employee Experience, Productivity, and Quality Most GCCs focus on scaling operations and cost efficiencies, but the best leaders go beyond that. They rethink how work gets done—removing inefficiencies, empowering employees, and ensuring quality outcomes. Here’s what truly moves the needle: 1. Fix Process Inefficiencies and Automate the Obvious Too many GCCs still replicate HQ processes instead of optimizing for agility. Identify bottlenecks, eliminate redundant approvals, and automate manual tasks—especially in IT, HR, and finance. Workflow automation can cut task times in half. 2. Align Teams Across Time Zones with Outcome-Based Execution Global teams struggle with coordination, leading to handover gaps and rework. Instead of micromanaging, real-time dashboards, and clear outcome ownership. Focus on customer impacting outcomes not effort. 3. Empower Employees with the Right Tools and Autonomy A poor employee experience leads to low engagement and productivity loss. Give teams self-service analytics, knowledge bases, and low-code/no-code tools to solve problems independently. Cut meeting overload and encourage deep work time. 4. Prioritize Learning, Growth, and Cross-Functional Expertise GCCs shouldn’t just execute work—they should drive innovation. Invest in technical upskilling, global mobility programs, and leadership rotations to create a future-ready workforce. 5. Governance Without Bureaucracy Traditional governance models slow down execution. Instead of rigid top-down approvals, implement agile decision-making frameworks and RACI models that balance control with speed. GCC leaders must shift from process execution to work transformation—optimizing workflows, leveraging AI, and making employee experience a top priority. The results can be significant: • 15-30% productivity gains by automating and streamlining workflows. • 10-25% cost savings through elimination of reduntang processes, process efficiencies and automation. • 20-40% improvement in employee engagement by reducing friction in daily work. • 20-50% faster execution of key projects by reducing delays and dependencies. • 25-50% fewer errors through improved governance and automation.

Resource planning separates successful firms from those constantly scrambling to meet deadlines 📊 Most finance teams operate in reactive mode, putting out fires instead of preventing them. I've worked with dozens of clients who struggle with this exact problem. They're always stressed, always behind, and wondering why profitability suffers despite working harder than ever. ➡️ CAPACITY PLANNING FOUNDATION You know what I've learned after years of helping firms optimize their resources? It all starts with forecasting your hours correctly. See, when you can predict workload based on historical data and upcoming client needs, you avoid that feast or famine cycle that absolutely crushes profitability. Monthly recurring revenue clients need consistent attention too. Don't make the mistake I see so many firms make by forgetting about them during busy season. Client volume scaling requires a completely different approach. Growing your client base means different staffing patterns and retention strategies. Plan resources based on both current clients and realistic growth projections. ➡️ BUDGET VS ACTUALS Track your planned versus actual resource utilization religiously. Variance patterns tell you exactly where your assumptions are off. Sometimes it's scope creep eating up resources. Sometimes it's inefficient processes slowing everyone down. Sometimes it's just unrealistic estimates from the start. Your resource planning gets better when you learn from what actually happened versus what you expected. Create accountability across your team so everyone understands how their work impacts overall capacity. ➡️ TIME TRACKING Without accurate time data, resource planning becomes pure guesswork. Monitor your billable versus non-billable ratios to understand true capacity. That administrative time still consumes resources and needs planning. Track project profitability in real-time so you can course-correct before it's too late. Waiting until project completion to assess profitability costs money. Use time data to identify productivity bottlenecks. Maybe certain work takes longer than expected, or specific team members need additional training. ➡️ STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES Document your repeatable processes and workflows. This dramatically reduces training time for new team members. Consistent processes mean more predictable resource requirements. When everyone follows the same approach, you can actually forecast capacity accurately. ➡️ CLIENT SCOPE DEFINITION Clearly define project boundaries upfront. Scope creep destroys resource planning faster than anything else I've seen. Set realistic client expectations from the start and stick to them. When clients want additional work, have a system to price and resource it properly. === Resource planning isn't glamorous work, but it's what separates profitable firms from those working harder for less money. What's your biggest resource planning challenge?

Your project kickoff call isn't just a formality It sets the tone for your whole project. Too many PMs treat the kickoff call as a checked box. Quick introductions. Vague timelines/next steps. "We're excited to work with you." Then they wonder why alignment unravels two weeks later. The truth is, your kickoff call is one of the most high-leverage moments in your project. It's your chance to: ✅ Set expectations Who owns what? How do decisions get made? What's in vs out of scope? Make it painfully clear NOW, not midway through. ✅ Establish communication norms Weekly sync-ups? Email? IM? Decision logs? Align on how you're going to communicate and when early or you'll deal with chaos quickly. ✅ Spot misalignment early If goals or success metrics don't match, you'll hear it in the kickoff. But you have to be listening for it. Grab that confusion and pull on it until you get more information. Then facilitate shared understanding and align appropriate messaging. A kickoff isn't just a meeting, it's your project's foundation. If it's rushed or unclear, your project will follow suit. Set the tone. Own the room. Start strong. PS: what's something you ALWAYS include in your kickoff calls? 🤙

Yet another reason estimates are ridiculous. One of the silliest things about time estimates is that the vast majority of time it takes for a team to finish something is spent waiting. For the average development team to create something of value, only 10-20% of the total start-to-finish completion time is spent actively working on the item. The majority of the time is spent waiting. 🔵 Waiting for Reviews 🔵 Waiting for team member hand-offs 🔵 Waiting on other teams or departments So much time is spent waiting… instead of asking, “How much time will it take WORKING to complete this?” You’d be better off asking, “How much time will it take WAITING to complete this?” This, of course, is impossible to answer since most teams have zero control (or even awareness) of waiting time. You’re far, far better off ditching time estimates entirely and focusing on reducing wait states instead. But how? 1] Use Flow Efficiency ↳ Few teams are even aware of the most critical flow metric: Flow Efficiency. ↳ Flow Efficiency tells you how much time is spent actively working on increments of value (features, assets, stories, etc.). ↳ Flow Efficiency (%) = Active Time / Total Time X 100 ↳ Any good workflow tool will calculate your Total Time (Cycle Time). 2] Determine Active Time ↳ To figure out Active Time, you need to track your wait states by adding a “Done” state to every existing stage in your workflow. ↳ For Example: Development -> Development Done -> Testing -> Testing Done -> Review -> Review Done -> Released ↳ The “Done” columns are your wait states.  ↳ Now, you can effectively determine Active Time for each item in your flow vs. Wait Time. 3] Improve Flow Efficiency ↳ Once you can visualize and track wait times, you can focus on fixing the worst offenders. ↳ Add team members, reduce work in progress, remove dependencies… there are many ways to minimize wait states. ↳ Any reduction made to any of your wait states will improve Flow Efficiency An average team will have a Flow Efficiency of 20%. Your team should achieve a Flow Efficiency of 40% or greater to be considered high-performing. Will this take some effort? Of course! But far less effort and total team time (and annoyance) than asking for estimates. Plus, the increase in productivity will far outweigh any loss in imagined predictability.