Case study
Confidential client
Operations Optimisation
The client organisation is not named. A confidentiality agreement prevents publication of the company name, individual identities, and commercially sensitive working papers. Sector, size, location, scope, and measured results are published with the client’s permission.
- Sector
- Professional services
- Size
- Mid-market, about 180 people
- Location
- Singapore headquarters; files also served Malaysia and Indonesia
- Engagement
- Q1–Q2 2024 · 14 weeks, discovery through handover
Initial problem and baseline
Intake-to-complete work was slow, ownership was unclear, and rework was built into the week. Leadership could not see ageing files until a client chased them.
Before the engagement, median end-to-end processing time on in-scope matter types was 12.4 working days (90-day baseline). A typical file passed through 7.2 handoffs, and 18% of completed files were reopened within 30 days for missing information or rework. Ownership sat with individuals rather than a defined queue, so ageing work was invisible until a client chased it.
Work performed
- Mapped the live intake-to-complete path across four in-scope matter types, including wait time between desks.
- Removed non-value approval loops and collapsed seven recurring handoffs into three named roles.
- Wrote a RACI for intake, quality check, and client release so ageing work had a single owner.
- Installed a Monday operating huddle and a simple ageing dashboard from the existing matter system.
- Coached team leads for four weeks after go-live so the cadence survived handover.
Deliverables
- Current-state process map and time-in-stage baseline pack.
- Target operating model and RACI for in-scope work.
- Standard operating procedures for intake, quality check, and release.
- Ageing dashboard specification implemented in the clientu2019s matter system.
- Four-week hypercare log and a 90-day measurement pack.
Results
Before and after
| Measure | Baseline | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median intake-to-complete time | 12.4 working days | 8.1 working days | u221235% |
| Average handoffs per file | 7.2 | 3.1 | u221257% |
| Files reopened within 30 days | 18% | 7% | u221211 pp |
How this was measured. Taken from the client’s matter-management timestamps. Baseline is the 90 calendar days immediately before kickoff. Result is the 90 calendar days after hypercare, same four matter types, excluding files opened before the new process. Percentage change uses the baseline median, not a modelled target.
The operations programme paid for itself in the first quarter. More important, the team now owns the process instead of working around it.
