Case study sample · Step 1 of 2 · Project intake improvement
Project Health Check
An initial read on a data-platform program where delivery is moving but new work cannot get started.
Executive readout
Summit Ridge Financial is a fictional regional financial services organization. Its Customer Data Platform program is progressing, but sponsors report that unrelated initiatives sit in intake for weeks before anyone can assign teams or funding. Overall status: Needs attention. The immediate question is not whether the platform work is healthy. It is whether intake can keep pace with demand.
Scope and evidence
| Reviewed | Illustrative evidence |
|---|---|
| Program sponsor interview | CDP milestones are tracked weekly; intake backlog is discussed only when a request is already late. |
| Intake queue sample | Seven open requests averaged 18 business days from submission to first staffing conversation. |
| Governance materials | Approval criteria exist, but requesters cannot see which step is active or who owns the decision. |
| Delivery lead interview | Teams can execute once chartered; the delay is almost entirely before kickoff. |
Top findings
| Status | Finding and consequence | Recommended response |
|---|---|---|
| Needs attention | Intake time is unpredictable. Sponsors cannot tell whether a request is waiting on information, approval, or funding. | Map the intake path and publish visible stage owners before redesigning tools. |
| Needs attention | Platform delivery and intake governance use different language for the same decisions. | Align intake criteria with existing delivery governance instead of creating a parallel process. |
| Healthy | Once chartered, teams run disciplined delivery reviews and dependency tracking. | Preserve existing delivery cadence; do not import intake fixes that slow execution. |
Decision requested
Approve a focused intake diagnostic on one representative request path: request through approval, funding, and kickoff. Success means leadership can see where time is lost and what must change before work starts.
All names, counts, and observations in this sample are illustrative. This is an example of the deliverable format, not a claim of client results.