Case study sample · Step 2 of 2 · Project intake improvement
Project Intake Cycle-Time Diagnostic
A diagnosis of where requests stall before kickoff, with a redesigned intake path.
Executive readout
Following the health check, Summit Ridge Financial asked for a practical diagnosis of project intake. The problem was not missing goals or weak prioritization. Work simply took too long to get moving. Overall status: Needs attention. The organization needed a faster, more visible path from request to governed start.
Current intake path
| Stage | Typical owner | Illustrative cycle time | Where it stalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Request submitted | Business sponsor | Day 0 | Templates vary; required fields are incomplete on first pass. |
| Portfolio review | PMO analyst | Days 3-8 | Queue is invisible; sponsors follow up by email. |
| Funding / priority decision | Steering group | Days 9-16 | Decision criteria exist but are not applied consistently meeting to meeting. |
| Governance package | Program delivery | Days 12-20 | Vendor SOW and audit artifacts restart after funding instead of preparing in parallel. |
| Kickoff | Delivery lead | Day 18+ | Teams lose calendar time before staffed work begins. |
Findings
| Finding | Illustrative evidence | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Wait time dominates cycle time | Active work on intake packets averaged under two hours; elapsed time averaged 18 business days. | Improvement depends on ownership and handoffs, not more forms. |
| Stage status is opaque | Four of seven sponsors could not name the current decision owner without a meeting. | Requests feel lost even when someone is working them. |
| Governance repeats late | Audit and vendor documentation often began only after funding approval. | Approved work still waits to start while paperwork catches up. |
Redesigned path
| Change | What it fixes | Test for success |
|---|---|---|
| Named owner per stage with visible status | Sponsors know who decides next and what is missing. | 90% of active requests show stage, owner, and last update. |
| Minimum complete request standard | Portfolio review stops bouncing incomplete packets. | First-pass completeness improves within two intake cycles. |
| Parallel governance prep | Vendor and audit artifacts start before funding when risk profile requires it. | Median days from approval to kickoff drops materially. |
| Single intake calendar for steering decisions | Funding decisions stop waiting for ad hoc scheduling. | Decision dates are predictable to sponsors. |
Illustrative outcome
After piloting the redesigned path on one intake lane, median time from complete request to kickoff improved by roughly 25%. Teams reported less status chasing and more predictable starts. The gain came from removing wait time, not from changing strategic goals.
Decision requested
Pilot the redesigned intake path on one business lane for two cycles, then compare cycle time, sponsor follow-up volume, and kickoff predictability before scaling.
All names, counts, and observations in this sample are illustrative. This is an example of the deliverable format, not a claim of client results.