Strategic and operational advisory

Organisations face difficult decisions about performance, investment, technology and change. We bring independent thinking and practical experience to bear on them, helping leadership teams understand the choices available and what each would lead to.

Discuss a challenge Explore our approach

The kinds of question we advise on

The questions that reach a leadership team are usually the ones that nobody could settle further down, and they tend to involve several functions at once.

Strategic choicesWhere to compete, what to stop doing, and which commitments the organisation can realistically carry.

Operating modelsHow responsibilities, decisions and information flow between teams, partners and the supply chain.

Organisational performanceWhy results differ from plan, where capacity is lost and which constraints actually bind.

Technology directionWhich systems, data and AI investments are relevant to the organisation's objectives, and in what order.

Investment decisionsThe options, their consequences over time and the assumptions each depends on, set out so they can be challenged.

Implementation supportCarrying a decision through into practice, and adjusting it as evidence comes in.

How an advisory engagement runs

A clear question saves more time than a quick answer, so we spend the early part of an engagement agreeing what the decision actually is.

Frame the questionAgree the decision to be made, who owns it, what a useful outcome looks like and what is already known.
Understand how the organisation worksWork with the people closest to the operation to see how decisions, information and incentives behave in practice, not only on the chart.
Weigh the optionsSet out the realistic choices and their consequences, with the assumptions and uncertainties made visible.
Support implementationHelp carry the chosen course into practice, measure what changes and revisit the decision if the evidence moves.

The experience we bring

The advice draws on experience from both sides of the industry, that is to say the delivery of buildings and infrastructure on one hand and the development of software and AI on the other.

Our founders have worked across construction and infrastructure delivery, commercial and contractual management, hardware, software and AI. That breadth matters because the causes of a problem and its symptoms often sit in different places.

In earlier roles, our founders have advised software chief executives on aligning AI with their business, helped residential developers understand their throughput, supported clients in getting a firmer grip on their contractors, and helped commercial teams understand their exposure to risk.

Questions

What kinds of question do you advise on?

Strategic choices, operating models, organisational performance, technology direction, investment decisions and implementation. The common thread is that the question crosses more than one part of the organisation, or more than one discipline.

Is this only about technology?

No. Technology is one of several things we look at. Many of the questions we see are about how responsibilities, information and decisions are organised, and the right answer may involve no new system at all.

Can you help us understand our exposure to risk?

Yes. We can help set out where exposure sits, what drives it and which assumptions it depends on, and where useful we can model how it changes under different decisions.

Can you help us work out where AI fits?

Yes. We start from what the organisation is trying to achieve, then look at where AI is relevant, practical and worth the investment. Our technology and AI enablement page sets out how.

What experience do you bring?

Our founders' experience is mainly in the built environment and we can support from business case, through design, delivery and right through to operations. We couple this with our expertise in technology, machine learning and AI.

Do we need to use Synaform software?

No. Our advice is independent of our products. We will recommend them only where they help.

Related services

Systems modelling and simulationTest options before committing to them. Technology and AI enablementDecide which technologies are worth adopting, and how. Process and organisational improvementImprove how the work is actually done. Data, integration and implementationConnect what matters and put the change into use.

Talk to us about a decision you are facing

A performance problem, or a change that has stalled, is just as good a starting point.

Start a conversation