Creative Agency Operations Streamlining

A growing creative agency was running on too many moving parts - and none of them were moving in sync. Tools were scattered across Trello, Basecamp, Jira, Notion, and Slack and other tools. Strategy meetings ended with lots of ideas but without clear ownership, and the founders were buried in admin work instead of leading growth. The team had talent, but the lack of systems was capping their ability to scale.

I was brought in by the agency’s Operations Strategist to help dig into the real operational issues - not just put out fires. My role was to run a deep systems audit, spot the root causes, and map out a plan that would stick.

Systems Audit – Mapped how information moved across 10+ disconnected platforms, surfacing gaps and duplication.

Founder Workload Review – Tracked where their hours were going to separate strategic work from admin noise.

Workflow Mapping – Documented where handoffs stalled and accountability dropped.

Delegation Audit – Categorized tasks by skill level and strategic value to pinpoint what could be handed off to a VA.

Tool Consolidation – Focused on fewer, better-chosen platforms instead of adding more complexity.

VA Integration – Built clear handoff protocols between founders and support roles.

Process Systematization – Created SOPs that made delegation smooth and repeatable without constant founder oversight.

The team chose Basecamp for project management (familiarity won here), kept Slack for communication, and used Notion for strategic deliverables. I guided the migration, handled data transfer planning, set up VA onboarding processes, and created team training resources.

Freed Up Leadership – Founders could finally focus on growth, not admin.

Clear Accountability – Centralized project management meant everyone knew their role.

Built to Scale – VA integration created a support structure the team could grow into.

Better Client Delivery – Improved internal organization translated into smoother client work.

Tool problems are usually process problems in disguise. By fixing workflows first, we solved the root issues - not just the surface problems.

Timeline: 6 weeks

Role: Ops support + systems audit (contracted by Operations Strategist)