Organisational healthchecks
Client Context
A growing professional services firm commissioned an independent health check to understand how its structure, systems and ways of working were supporting the next stage of growth. The organisation had expanded quickly during and after the pandemic. People were highly committed and proud of their work, but the pace of growth had created inconsistencies, stretched leadership capacity and made it harder to maintain coherence across teams.
The brief was clear: provide an honest, practical view of what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to shift.
The Challenge
The leadership team wanted to move away from reactive decision‑making towards a more predictable, strategic way of running the business. The structure had developed organically, leaving people unclear on roles, expectations and how progression worked. Recruitment was consuming a disproportionate amount of senior time. Despite strong values and goodwill, the day‑to‑day experience varied widely depending on role, location and manager.
The underlying challenge was how to become a more intentional organisation: clearer priorities, more consistent management, and a healthier balance between delivery and internal capability.
Core Question
How does this organisation evolve into a simpler, more coherent and sustainable business—one where people are clear on expectations, supported by sensible systems, and able to deliver great work without relying on heroic effort?
Our Approach
We carried out thirty‑four confidential interviews across all levels, including conversations with a small number of former employees. The interviews were open, reflective and designed to surface what people were really experiencing.
We also spent time on site observing internal workshops focused on future planning. This provided live insight into behaviours, collaboration and decision‑making patterns.
We analysed the data thematically, identifying repeated trends rather than isolated issues. Three interconnected systems emerged: strategy and capacity; organisation and people; and business intelligence and delivery. These became the structure for the findings and recommendations.
How We Worked
Our role was independent and straightforward: bring clarity, challenge weak assumptions, and stay focused on what the organisation could realistically do. We kept the process human, practical and grounded in evidence gathered from multiple sources rather than individual perspectives.
Contribution from the Team
The team were open, thoughtful and honest. People spoke candidly about pressures but remained highly aligned with the purpose and values of the organisation. Their input created a rich, balanced picture and made it clear that the organisation had outgrown some of its systems and needed a more deliberate way of operating.
Key Findings
The absence of a clear strategic plan was influencing almost every part of the organisation. Without shared priorities, decisions were reactive and workloads uneven. Senior leaders remained heavily involved in operational detail, limiting the time available for longer‑term direction.
The structure had evolved in a fragmented way, creating inconsistent roles, unclear expectations and opaque career pathways. Recruitment and people management placed significant strain on senior staff, and training varied widely depending on the manager.
Business intelligence and delivery systems were inconsistent. Estimating, timesheets and project allocation varied significantly across teams. Knowledge sharing relied on individuals rather than accessible tools, creating vulnerability when people left the organisation.
Emerging Impact
By the end of the review, the organisation had a clearer shared view of its challenges and the priorities that mattered most: a simple strategy, a more intentional structure, clearer expectations and development pathways, and more consistent processes for data and project management. The review created momentum and a practical starting point for building a more coherent, sustainable organisation.
Why LEEWAY
Our work is grounded, practical and human. We help organisations simplify complexity, build sensible systems and create ways of working that support both performance and people. This health check gave the client clarity, confidence and a realistic path forward.