RESULTS

What changes when implementation stops depending on workarounds.

The strongest results rarely come from asking teams to work harder. They come from identifying what the operating model is making unnecessarily difficult, then changing the structure around the work. These are examples of how I have approached that kind of change in growing implementation organizations.

Company type: Scaling employee benefits and HR services organization

From Competing Priorities to a Dedicated Implementation Function

The Problem

The Client Service team owned two jobs that required very different kinds of attention. Client Service Managers were responsible for retaining and renewing an existing book of business while also taking new customers through implementation.

Both were important. Both were time-sensitive. And both suffered when the same people were expected to do them simultaneously.

As the company grew, the model became increasingly difficult to sustain. New implementations competed with day-to-day client needs, CSMs were stretched across conflicting priorities, and adding more CSMs provided capacity without solving the structural issue underneath it.

The Approach

I was already leading a dedicated implementation organization for another service line (PEO customer onboarding), where we had built a strong operating model over several years. Rather than recreate everything from scratch, I used that foundation as the starting point for a dedicated implementation function within the brokerage business.

We carried forward the practices that transferred well and redesigned the ones that did not. That included building a dedicated team, adapting playbooks and processes, and clarifying how ownership would shift from Client Service to Implementation.

The harder part was not simply moving responsibilities. It was redesigning how the surrounding organization worked with the new function. I partnered with Sales, Client Service, Product, Platform, Systems, Analysts, and other teams so they understood where Implementation fit, how handoffs would change, and what they could expect from the new model.

The Result

Client Service Managers were able to refocus on account management, renewals, and retention rather than splitting their attention between existing and incoming customers. Sales gained a more consistent and reliable partner for new implementations, and cross-functional teams had clearer accountability and a dedicated point of ownership.

The implementation experience became more standardized without becoming rigid. Customers received a more consistent process, while the team retained the flexibility to adapt when complexity required it.

The dedicated implementation team was also able to support greater new-client volume than the prior model. Once the structure proved itself in a second service line, we continued expanding the implementation organization into additional lines of business rather than rebuilding the function from the ground up each time.

Built and scaled a multi-specialty implementation organization across PEO, brokerage, and additional service lines

Led 500+ complex implementations annually

Maintained 89+ NPS year over year

Managed seven peak seasons at 2-3 times normal volume

Company type: Growing HR and workforce services organization

Turning Manual Tracking Into Operational Visibility

The Problem

When the implementation team was small, performance tracking lived largely in spreadsheets. Client volume, implementation progress, project health, individual performance, and key metrics were all maintained manually.

That approach worked until the organization grew.

Managers were spending increasing amounts of time updating spreadsheets, manipulating data, reconciling information, and preparing reports alongside their actual responsibility of leading people and delivery. Senior leadership still had limited visibility, and the process left too much room for inconsistency and human error.

The Approach

Rather than continue layering more manual reporting onto the management team, I created a dedicated implementation operations function.

Its purpose was to build the infrastructure behind delivery so customer-facing leaders and team members could spend more of their time leading people and supporting customers. The function took ownership of operational reporting, workflows, dashboards, and visibility across the implementation organization.

It also developed stronger working relationships with Product, Platform, and Systems teams. The goal was to create the right cross-functional alignment without making the implementation organization dependent on outside teams for the day-to-day operation of its own function.

The Result

Managers no longer had to serve as the reporting engine for the organization. Individual implementation managers had clearer, more efficient ways to track their customers, milestones, stages, and tasks.

Leadership gained far better visibility into implementation health—from overall organizational performance down to specific client and team-level detail.

That visibility also improved how the organization managed capacity, distributed new business, identified patterns in customer feedback, and understood performance. The result was not simply better reporting; it was a more informed and more manageable implementation operation.

Company type: Scaling HR technology and workforce tech platform

Redesigning the Customer Journey to Improve Integration Adoption

The Problem

As integrations became a more important part of the platform's long-term value, company leadership made integration completion part of the definition of a successful implementation.

The implementation process, however, had not been designed around that expectation.

Integration work was competing with more urgent, time-sensitive implementation requirements. When teams tried to address it earlier, customers naturally prioritized the work they needed to complete for launch. When integrations were pushed to the end without enough structure, customers were fatigued and reluctant to take on what felt like additional work.

Completion remained lower than the company wanted, but the issue was not simply that the implementation team needed to push harder.

The Approach

I treated it as an operating-design problem.

Two issues stood out: the timing did not match the customer journey, and ownership between Implementation and the Platform team was not clear enough. I partnered closely with the Platform team to redesign how integration work fit into implementation rather than forcing it into the existing process.

We introduced the value of integrations earlier in the customer journey so customers understood why the work mattered before they were asked to complete it. Execution moved into a dedicated final implementation stage after the more urgent launch requirements were finished.

We also clarified the roles of the Implementation and Platform teams so customers received the right expertise at the right point in the process. I stayed close to execution after the redesign so we could see how the new structure performed in practice and adjust where needed.

The Result

The new structure reduced friction for both customers and internal teams. Customers entered the integration stage with greater context and fewer competing priorities, while internal teams had clearer ownership of the work.

The redesigned process created a defined path to integration completion with clearer ownership between Implementation and Platform. Customers entered ongoing service with integrations addressed as part of onboarding rather than left as unowned follow-up work.

Just as importantly, the redesigned process supported what happened after implementation. Customers entered ongoing service with more of the platform connected and positioned to realize greater long-term value—creating a stronger foundation for adoption, retention, and platform stickiness.

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“Andrea was one of my most trusted cross-functional partners. Client implementations often involved complicated dependencies across Payroll, Benefits, Systems, Data Ops, Sales and Client Service, and Andrea had a strong ability to bring those functions together, clarify ownership and keep everyone focused on the client outcome. She understood when a problem required an immediate tactical solution and when it pointed to a larger process issue that needed to be resolved. She was collaborative without losing accountability, and our teams were stronger and more effective because of the partnerships and relationships she built across functions.”

– Marie Ellis, Senior Director – Payroll, Sequoia

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“Andrea was a trusted partner in creating a stronger, more connected customer experience across onboarding and ongoing Client Services. She understood that a successful implementation wasn’t just about getting a customer live—it was about setting the relationship up for long-term success. She consistently looked for ways to improve handoffs, clarify ownership and surface risks earlier so customers experienced greater continuity between teams. Andrea was collaborative, thoughtful and highly dependable, and she had a strong ability to turn recurring customer or operational pain points into practical process improvements.”

– Corey P., Head of Client Operations, Stealth Startup

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“Andrea was an excellent partner in identifying where processes were creating friction and translating those issues into practical, scalable improvements. She really understood the customer perspective and always kept the true experience of the customer in mind, while also being able to step back and look at workflows, ownership, capacity and handoffs from a broader operational perspective. She was thoughtful about root causes, not just symptoms, and consistently pushed toward sustainable solutions. I really valued her commitment to continuous improvement and collaboration, along with a clear focus on both the customer and employee experience.”

– Dennis Warner, Head of Operations & AI Enablement, ClearPath Innovation Partners

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“Working with Andrea always felt like a true partnership. She understood the realities and urgency of the sales process, while also bringing a thoughtful operational perspective to what needed to happen after the deal closed. She was especially effective at identifying potential implementation risks early, helping teams set clearer expectations, and finding solutions that balanced the needs of the customer with what the organization could realistically deliver. Andrea was pragmatic, collaborative and never afraid to tackle difficult conversations when it meant creating a better outcome for both the customer and the business.”