Case Study
Enterprise Intelligence at a Mid-Size CRO
Embedded operational assessment spanning strategy, marketing, IT, and cross-functional coordination—evolving from departmental shadow to C-suite advisory.
Organization
375-Employee CRO
Scope
7 Departments
Stakeholder Access
CCO, CEO, CIO, CMO, CSO
Engagement
40 Working Days
The Engagement
Started shadowing one director. Evolved into enterprise-wide intelligence and C-suite advisory.
Engaged to shadow the Director of Scientific Services reporting to the CCO. Within days, the scope expanded as I identified cross-functional friction, fragmented institutional knowledge, and coordination gaps that required broader access to diagnose.
Day 1: Shadowing one director. Day 3: Intelligence project spanning 7 departments. Day 40: Presenting strategic recommendations to CEO and CCO.
What I Found
Fragmented knowledge, redundant initiatives, and broken signal paths across the organization.
Signal Degradation
Client sentiment data lost context at every handoff—leadership received incomplete or contradictory signals about client health.
Institutional Amnesia
Data from a 5-year-old acquisition remained unintegrated. Critical knowledge existed but wasn't surfaced or searchable.
Coordination Friction
150+ redundant distribution lists. Duplicate ticketing systems. BD-Marketing misalignment creating untargeted campaigns.
Workstreams
Parallel initiatives across client intelligence, marketing, IT, and process architecture.
Client Sentiment & Risk Visibility
- Interviewed PM, BD, Delivery, Analytics, Client Success
- Reconstructed CRM→Ops→Leadership signal path
- Built triage framework with triggers, thresholds, escalation rules
- Created living dashboard connecting CRM to leadership signals
Consolidated Institutional Intelligence
- Surfaced and integrated data from 5-year-old acquisition
- Consolidated 100+ capability slides into searchable library
- Created Biomarker Intelligence documentation for BD
- Resolved non-editable PDF bottleneck in content system
Marketing & Brand Positioning
- Identified messy, untargeted marketing campaigns
- Delivered first approved changes to conference materials in 20+ years
- Advised Director of Marketing on brand messaging strategy
- Competitive analysis of industry positioning
IT Tools & Process Architecture
- Advocated with CIO for previously removed collaboration software
- Secured approval for organization-wide tools (375 employees)
- Mapped 92-step workflow, quantified 4.7× cascading RACI failure
- Identified distribution list redundancies and formalization gaps
Methodology
"30 in 30" stakeholder engagement—8% of the workforce interviewed across all levels.
Intelligence Gathering
10 entry-level, 10 mid-level, 10 senior/director interviews
Cross-checked every input against CRM records and legacy documentation
Attended all commercial meetings: Sales, Marketing, PM, Contracting
Reviewed years of acquisition data and historical processes
Rapid Iteration
Architected cross-department survey: 100% response rate
VBA automation enabling real-time workflow adjustments
Weekly synthesis and recommendation cycles
Continuous stakeholder alignment through engagement
92
Steps Mapped
4.7×
Cascading Failure
150+
Redundant Lists
100%
Survey Response
Deliverables
Decision-ready materials and operational infrastructure.
Client Risk Dashboard
Living triage connecting CRM to leadership
Triage Framework
10-page process + 4-page implementation plan
Knowledge Library
Searchable capability docs for BD team
Current-State Workflows
Documented processes for transparency
Outcomes
8 zero-cost improvements delivered to CEO and CCO.
Immediate Impact
Leadership adopted new client triage model
IT approved collaboration tools for all 375 employees
First changes to conference materials in 20+ years
BD-Marketing alignment through structured mediation
Organizational Clarity
Reduced "surprise escalations" through early risk visibility
Frontline teams aligned on shared definitions
Documented current-state workflows for organizational transparency
Phased migration plan delivered for continued adoption