From Chaos to Cadence
We help agencies and internal teams build delivery systems that scale without heroics, fire drills, or dependency
When Execution Depends on Individuals, Momentum Stalls
Most agencies don’t fail because of bad ideas. They fail because of misaligned incentives, unclear ownership, and delivery systems that rely on heroic effort.
We help agencies and internal teams:
Build delivery rhythms that scale
Externalize structure so execution isn’t personality dependent
Align incentives across clients, teams, and vendors
Whether you’re a creative agency, a fractional CMO, or an internal marketing team, we help you move from reactive to proactive, without losing your edge.
“70% of agencies struggle to scale due to delivery breakdowns, not lack of demand.”
Execution That Doesn’t Require a Fire Drill
We bring quadrant clarity to agency operations, balancing speed, structure, relationships, and strategic intent.
Quadrant-Based Agency Operations | Strategic Delivery Systems | Marketing PMO Frameworks
Build the Execution Bridge
We help agencies and internal teams design PMOs that don’t just track work, they drive momentum and outcomes.
Our PMO services include:
Delivery model design (centralized, embedded, hybrid)
Sprint planning and ritual architecture
KPI frameworks and reporting rhythms
Cross-functional alignment and intake systems
Delegation scaffolds and escalation paths
We help you create delivery system architecture and PMO design for agencies to enable marketing operations optimization.
When Everyone Owns Everything, No One Owns Anything
Principal-agent alignment in agencies requires agency accountability frameworks based on intentional incentive structure for marketing teams.
Agency delivery often breaks down when the principal-agent relationship is unclear.
We help define:
Who sets the vision
Who owns the outcome
How incentives are structured
Where accountability lives
This clarity reduces friction, improves velocity, and strengthens trust, internally and with clients.
“Clarity isn’t control—it’s momentum.”
- Growth Spectrum Principle
Where We Plug In
We support agencies and internal teams through:
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![Picture of the principal consulant Tim with a Harte Hanks, Blend and Slice logo around him.]()
Client Delivery Coaching
Align client expectations, scope, and feedback loops to strengthen trust and improve long-term satisfaction
Hart Hanks Coaching → team taught strategic thinking, critical path, priority management
Blend Coaching → defined account vs. program manager roles, upskilled PMs
Slice Coaching → VPs coached into capability & solution leads, built self-sustaining teams
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Fractional PMO Leadership
Embed strategic delivery leadership without long-term dependency, empowering your team to own execution
Slice Fractional Delivery & PMO Leadership → minimal hours weekly coaching VPs, improved sales throughput, client retention, new client onboarding
Harte Hanks Fractional Leadership → cut campaign build times in half, improved SLA adherence to 99.9%, reduced costs by 90%
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![A Picture fo Ti our principla consultant with harte hanks blend and slice icons]()
PMO Launch & Optimization
Build or refine your delivery engine from the ground up, ensuring scalable systems and sustainable momentum.
Agency Inside Hart Hanks Digital PM Launch → Established structured PM department, defined roles & processes
Blend PMO Restructure → Balanced culture fit, resource management, pipeline tracking
Slice Project Management Initiation → Role matrix, streamlined handoffs between sales and delivery
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![Close-up of a man with dark curly hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a green sweater and a white shirt, looking to the side in an indoor setting.]()
Agency Ops & Workflow Design
Streamline intake, approvals, and cross-functional handoffs to reduce friction and improve velocity.
M&M/Mars Agency Ops → Built internal web & ESP tools, saved $4M in fees, delivered full suite of brand sites
Harte Hanks Digital Marketing Changes → Transformed digital production workflow, Reduced timelines from 7 to 2 weeks
Epsilon Operations Restructure → Parallel sprint methodologies, better protocols between ops & build teams
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![Picture of Tim, our principal consultant, with Harte Hanks Slice Blend and Epsilon logos]()
Client Manager | Delivery Lead
Clarify accountabilities and design collaboration between client success and delivery leadership
Account vs. Delivery Leadership → Balanced model cut attrition 50%, boosted deal velocity 5x, and improved margins by 70%
Harte Hanks & Epsilon→ Coached within structure
Slice & Blend → Transformed structure
“Tim is an exceptional leader and outstanding mentor... Tim is a guiding light for the PMO team.” — Tanaya Singh, SAFe® 6 Agilist
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“He raised the bar for PMO standards and templates.” — Crystal Charlton, PMP
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“Tim empowers his team to own things while staying deeply supportive... He proactively educated me and handed me the reins.” — Liz Brittle
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“His strategic vision doubled our team size and tripled global reach... Tim’s innovative approach significantly improved our market position.” — Chase Trincale, CSM
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“He excels at process improvement and change management.” — Jeanelle Schneider
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“Tim is a powerhouse leader when things really matter.” — Ryan Serpan
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“Tim invests in people and elevates their skills.” — Elizabeth Saber
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“He can fix what others found confounding—in just a month.” — Eileen Parzek
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“He is widely admired and respected by his employees.” — Bo Chipman
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“Tim is an exceptional leader and outstanding mentor... Tim is a guiding light for the PMO team.” — Tanaya Singh, SAFe® 6 Agilist 〰️ “He raised the bar for PMO standards and templates.” — Crystal Charlton, PMP 🚀 “Tim empowers his team to own things while staying deeply supportive... He proactively educated me and handed me the reins.” — Liz Brittle 〰️ “His strategic vision doubled our team size and tripled global reach... Tim’s innovative approach significantly improved our market position.” — Chase Trincale, CSM 🚀 “He excels at process improvement and change management.” — Jeanelle Schneider 〰️ “Tim is a powerhouse leader when things really matter.” — Ryan Serpan 💬 “Tim invests in people and elevates their skills.” — Elizabeth Saber 〰️ “He can fix what others found confounding—in just a month.” — Eileen Parzek 🚀 “He is widely admired and respected by his employees.” — Bo Chipman 💬
Let’s Build the System That Delivers the Work
If your agency or internal team is stuck in reactive mode, we can help you build the scaffolding that sustains momentum, without sacrificing creativity or speed.
Client Delivery Coaching Outcomes
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Situation: Team was stuck in reactive mode, using myopic non-critical path plans, with no support from leadership
Actions:
Introduced critical path planning to prioritize real dependencies and eliminate wasted effort
Coached PMs to shift from task tracking to risk management and strategic delivery
Established milestones and gates to measure progress and trigger proactive course corrections
Built confidence by teaching managers to escalate issues early instead of firefighting late
Reframed project ownership so the team moved from reactive executors to proactive leaders
Created a feedback loop with leadership to align delivery outcomes with business goals
Outcomes:
Timeline compression reduced, increased client accountability, providing adequate time for QA
Increasing on-time and complete from 10% to 90%.
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Situation: Team operating in a “we don’t like rules” culture, stuck in old behaviors and reactive delivery.
Actions:
Assessed team members across roles to identify strengths and gaps
Coached individuals into the right lanes based on skillsets
Helped non‑agile PMs become more flexible, while guiding agilists to adapt to client waterfall communication needs
Shifted mindset from “I can’t change that” to “I can plan for this, manage risk, and communicate proactively”
Eliminated the victim mentality by reframing structure as empowerment, not constraint
Developed leaders across US, India, and Paraguay, creating promotion paths and recognition opportunities
Outcomes:
Team grew from 5 to 25 across three geographies
Revenue scaled in parallel with team growth
Team members recognized as leaders, advancing into new roles
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Situation: A 4‑person VP leadership team was thrust into undefined service line roles, paralyzed by a split C‑suite (over‑action vs. over‑process) and defaulting to “just doing the work” without clarity or strategy.
Approach:
Coached VPs to move from reactive execution into defined leadership lanes
Split roles horizontally (relationship, strategy, delivery, quality) to match personalities and strengths
Initiated Client Delivery Lead (CDL) function and trained PMs on account‑level responsibilities
Guided team through difficult staffing decisions, reframing layoffs as opportunities to rebuild culture
Trained VPs in resource management, financial stewardship, forecasting, and sales support
Shifted mindset from “we don’t know what to do” to deliverables-based management tied to client needs
Taught employees to see their role as value creation, not just a paycheck
Outcomes:
Client attrition reduced by 50%
Deal close rate increased 40%
Opportunity velocity grew 5x with the same sales headcount
Margin improved by 70%
Only 1 employee out of 17 left during the transformation
Fractional PMO/Delivery Leadership Outcomes
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Situation:
Slice faced the burden of an oversized C‑suite without the budget or clarity to sustain it. Leadership roles were overlapping, costs were high, and delivery lacked cohesion. A fractional Growth Spectrum PMO/Delivery leader was brought in to provide structure, coaching, and accountability (without the expense of a full‑time executive.)
Approach:
Held weekly coaching sessions with VP Solutions, VP Delivery, and PMO to build leadership capacity
Facilitated weekly leadership meetings covering sales, marketing, master services, resource management, workflow, recruitment, account management, and forecasting
Acted as client partner for two major accounts, ensuring delivery excellence and relationship stability
Enforced compliance with newly developed processes and systems to embed consistency
Provided executive coaching to reframe solutions around profitable, sustainable income streams
Balanced utilization, employee satisfaction, client demands, and account profitability through structured planning
Built financial forecasting and modeling across core business and M&A scenarios to guide growth decisions
Outcomes:
Achieved 15% sales growth month‑over‑month since engagement began
Doubled win rate by increasing deal velocity and improving sales process clarity
Improved client profitability by 20%
Maintained zero client attrition during the ongoing fractional leadership period
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Situation: A newly acquired Romanian business unit struggled to integrate into Harte Hanks’ MarTech systems for B2B marketing automation. At the same time, an affiliate marketing database and campaign for a major insurance client was running at a loss due to incomplete requirements and improper structure. Leadership needed fractional PMO/Delivery support to stabilize operations, align priorities, and restore profitability.
Approach:
Aligned client priorities with operational processes to ensure delivery matched strategic intent
Integrated strategy and client success teams into workflows so tactics reflected business goals
Simplified processes and eliminated unnecessary hand‑offs that caused delays across time zones
Cleaned up operational practices and implemented a unified release management process
Identified, proposed, and designed a new database architecture to support campaign efficiency
Applied data governance to improve audience effectiveness and model accuracy
Provided fractional oversight to enforce process compliance and embed sustainable practices
Outcomes:
Cut campaign build and run times by 50%
Increased SLA adherence on file loads from 70% to 99.9%
Improved architecture reduced systems and labor costs by 90%
Implemented code changes that saved $300,000 in development costs
Project Management Initiation Outcomes
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Situation: Responsible for implementing a PMO and integrating program managers and client success teams in a culture resistant to rules and structure.
Approach:
Established a role matrix and clarified accountabilities across delivery and client success
Fixed Resource Management Office (RMO) and sales pipeline earmarking process to align staffing with demand
Introduced financial and client‑outcome-based project planning with success metrics
Added global reach by integrating teams in India and Paraguay into delivery workflows
Created a foundation of PMO standards that balanced structure with cultural flexibility
Outcomes:
PMO became a trusted partner for program managers and client success teams
Improved pipeline visibility and resource allocation
Delivery scaled globally with consistent processes and measurable outcomes
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Situation: A multi‑site digital agency was relying on siloed, manual “green job jackets” to manage projects. This outdated system created inefficiencies, duplication of effort, and limited visibility across creative, production, and client delivery teams.
Approach:
Partnered with creative traffic managers, production managers, account directors, programmers, and leadership to map core functions and workflow needs
Identified inefficiencies where multiple project managers were assigned by channel, and streamlined deliverables and timelines into an integrated model
Selected and deployed a modern project management platform across all agency sites
Drove adoption through consistent communication and training tailored to each user group
Demonstrated the tool’s value when alternate sites closed and teams had to collaborate remotely, ensuring continuity of client workload management
Maintained executive visibility into project progress, fidelity, and benefits through regular reporting
Outcomes:
Remote work and cross‑site collaboration improved, reducing lead times and increasing utilization
Synergies uncovered that reduced project management overhead while improving delivery outcomes
Process adherence and workflow visibility increased, providing real‑time indicators of risks and upcoming issues
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Situation: The VP team lacked definition across solutioning, capability, resource management, sales pipeline support, client onboarding, account management, and profitability tracking. The absence of structure left delivery leadership undefined and execution inconsistent.
Approach:
Clearly delineated core delivery functions: capability, solutioning, organic sales, team management, CSAT, profitability, service line growth, bench management, and sales support
Established Client Delivery Lead role and defined interactions with relationship leads and capability leads
Created databases and dashboards to support Monthly Account Planning and trained team on usage
Built infrastructure reporting processes for account‑level profitability tracking
Updated sales process with clarified roles, hand‑offs, documentation, and preparedness functions
Modeled staffing scenarios to balance freelancers, contractors, and full‑time employees for cost‑effective growth
Integrated strategy into delivery teams, repositioned solution VP into sales support, and aligned capability lead as overall delivery leader
Outcomes:
PMO structure enabled sustainable growth across service lines
Improved pipeline visibility and resource allocation
Delivery team became self‑sufficient, reducing dependency on executive oversight
Financial tracking and profitability reporting created transparency and accountability
Agency Operations Outcomes
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Situation: In the early days of Web 1.0, smaller brands like 3 MUSKETEERS, DOVE, and COMBOS lacked the budgets to build million‑dollar websites. Many had no web presence at all, while others had sites they couldn’t afford to update.
Approach:
Proposed and gained approval to create an internal agency of record
Procured domains, sites, and development tools while upskilling in web development
Partnered with packaging design vendors to deliver high‑impact visuals at low cost
Built an internal ESP to manage email delivery and consumer data
Created branded versions of the product locator tool for all brands
Developed FAQs and Consumer Affairs web tools to support consumer engagement
Took over maintenance of mid‑size brand sites that lacked update capabilities
Established a Global Privacy Office to manage consumer data issues
Integrated consumer databases to ensure CAN‑SPAM compliance and cross‑brand profiles
Outcomes:
Delivered a full suite of branded websites and consumer tools with only 25% FTE investment and ~$20,000 in vendor fees (vs. ~$2M estimated external cost)
Saved the PR department $500,000 by handling pitches and pickups in‑house
Internal ESP saved $4M in agency fees for email production, delivery, and tracking
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Situation: Harte Hanks was transitioning from decades of direct mail expertise into digital marketing. Strategy, analytics, production, account, and creative teams all needed to adapt their processes to deliver integrated outcomes in a new channel environment.
Approach:
Managed migration from PostFuture 6 → PostFuture 7 → Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Coordinated training for account teams and digital project managers on best practices and digital strategy
Taught analytics teams the fundamentals of email marketing, attribution, and web metrics
Leveraged data insights to challenge client assumptions on messaging, cadence, content, and audience targeting
Implemented PMO guidelines to ensure early‑stage focus where projects typically slip
Advocated for QA to be protected in timelines rather than sacrificed for speed
Trained creative and account teams on dynamic content execution structures
Designed and executed extensive testing plans to challenge norms, identify opportunities, and grow client revenue
Outcomes:
Generated $4M in agency revenue and $16M in client revenue through an 84‑cell cadence, channel, and audience test
Grew Sony’s email marketing program even as other channels declined due to SKU reductions from smartphone disruption
Reduced digital creative and production timelines from 7 weeks to 2 weeks
Doubled engagement and inbox deliverability while expanding the mailable universe
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Situation: Epsilon was onboarding new clients to its PeopleCloud CDP platform while simultaneously restructuring billing and delivery functions. The shift from traditional project teams to a hybrid model—subscription‑based support and project/MRR‑based build teams—created operational strain and risk of missed SLAs.
Approach:
Partnered with product teams to define new ITIL protocols for real‑time services clients
Modified global support coverage plans to meet SLAs without increasing costs
Implemented labor‑share practices to balance expertise and overflow between high‑revenue/low‑margin production teams and low‑revenue/high‑margin syndicated support staff
Adjusted sprint and release plans to reflect actual activity and improve predictability
Increased focus on Business Analyst requirements, story creation, and QA test case development
Reallocated staff across US and India to align resources with work inputs, skillsets, and priorities
Implemented a walled‑garden solution layered onto consumer database and loyalty program services to strengthen security and data governance
Outcomes:
Increased SLA compliance from 25% to 99% while reducing hours required by 33%
Helped client avoid $7M in unnecessary spend by solving an identity management issue without a third‑party tool
Tripled release velocity and doubled client acceptance rate of UAT builds
Increased incident fix throughput by 5X
Account vs. Delivery Leadership Models
Finding Balance
Across Harte Hanks, Epsilon, Blend, and Slice, I’ve seen two dominant schools of thought in how agencies organize client success and delivery leadership. On one end is the Account‑Led model, where client relationship managers drive strategy and delivery simply executes. On the other end is the Delivery‑Led model, where project managers own client conversations and account teams remain hands‑off. Both can succeed (and both can fail) depending on how they’re managed.
Account‑Led Model
Works IF:
Strategic SMEs lead intelligent client conversations and guide effective tactics
Clear inputs and rationale provided to delivery teams
Fails WHEN:
Risk of “dump and demand”, unrealistic briefs handed off without context
Delivery teams left scrambling, frustrated, and undervalued
Example: At Harte Hanks, account teams delayed creative approvals for months, then demanded overnight execution. Coaching PMs to push back constructively and requiring account leads to share accountability broke down the “us vs. them” dynamic.
Delivery‑Led Model
Works IF:
Delivery leads engage directly with clients, ensuring needs are understood
Greater focus on profitability, successful outcomes, and workload management
Fails WHEN:
Risk of defaulting to “no”, protecting scope and team comfort over client satisfaction
Lack of strategic vision, tunnel‑vision on execution details, no clarity on “the why”
Example: At Epsilon, project managers and the delivery team were shifting focus and activities regularly in addition to not understanding what the client wanted and why. By coaching them to ask, document, and think about what success would look like they were able to proactively produce better quality outputs that were less likely to be rejected.
Balanced Leadership
The most effective model blends both perspectives: account teams bring strategic insight, while delivery leads ensure execution aligns with client needs and agency profitability.
Example: At Slice, VP leaders were paralyzed between over‑action and over‑process. By splitting roles horizontally (relationship, strategy, delivery, quality) and creating the Client Delivery Lead function, we helped the team transform into a balanced leadership model. The result: client attrition down 50%, new deal velocity up 5x, and margins improved 70%.
Our Role
We coach both account and delivery leaders to respect each other’s needs, align on client outcomes, and build systems that protect profitability without sacrificing trust. The result is a mutual model where clients feel understood, teams feel empowered, and agencies deliver consistently.