The GrayWire Approach

We drive the process, figure out what needs doing, then deliver the result.

From analysis and strategy through implementation, we own the work. We figure out what to do, why it matters, how to do it, then deliver the result. Each client is unique, but this is our typical process.

01

Map the Landscape

It’s about people, and how they actually work: systems, teams, approvals, handoffs, workarounds and shortcuts. We work hands-on, in-person, and learn how the relevant part of your business actually runs.

02

Find Improvement Opportunities

With decades of experience, we know where to look: humans are human, and that means duplicate effort, slow handoffs, preventable errors, department boundaries, misaligned and disconnected organizational silos. And of course there are the systems they use — outdated workflows, unused features, legacy and siloed systems. Or, the Client already knows what needs fixing, and we move straight to the fix.

03

Measure Value of Each Improvement

As an established practice, we work to deliver improvements incrementally. So properly establishing the business value of each is essential, weighing time, labor savings and operational value against effort, risk and cost. Timing matters as well, especially if there’s a lot changing. Too much change too quickly impacts your people.

04

Deliver the Improvements

As a turnkey provider we handle technical implementation. Our goal is to get your result with minimal impact on your business. If other specialized third-party providers are needed, we handle it. Each client is different, and you have the option to handle implementation yourself.

05

Hand Off to You

Our ultimate goal: your problem, solved. That means we handle training, documentation and anything else needed for your people to own it.

In-House Delivery

Analysis decides what to fix. When it’s time to act, delivery is ours. As a turnkey provider, our in-house staff implements it — engineers and specialists who stand up, tune, consolidate, and build workflow systems. Most often, that looks like one of the four below.

01

New Workflow Platform Implementation

You’re adopting an industry-standard workflow platform and leaving legacy systems behind. We handle the full implementation of Salesforce, Jira, ServiceNow, or Workday — including limited development if it’s needed. When we’re live, your old systems are retired.

02

Workflow System Tuning

You already have a workflow system in place, but time has passed — people, processes, and the platform have moved on. We tune what you have, including features you already pay for but don’t use. You end up with workflows that match how the business runs today.

03

Workflow Systems Consolidation

Your workflow is split across multiple systems. We consolidate them onto one — either an industry-specific platform or big-league SaaS (Salesforce, Jira, etc.). When all is said and done, you’re retiring most, or all, of the legacy systems.

04

Custom Workflow Application

You need specific functionality that isn’t available off the shelf. We build a standalone custom workflow application to meet those requirements. You end up with a delivered workflow system, source code in hand.

26

Years in the optimization services business

We’ll spare you the industry acronyms.

You want results, not acronyms. We describe what we offer in plain English. With decades of expertise, we’ve been through eras: TQM in the ’90s, 6S, JIT, DMADV in the 2000s, now VSM, LSS, and it goes on. If you happen to like acronyms, we are happy to oblige: GrayBase, our proprietary rabbithole of industry jargon, for you to enjoy. OK, now let’s talk benefits.

“The past few years, the big SaaS workflow companies have been locked in a feature race. And that’s to the customer’s benefit. You can do so much more with them, and you’re already paying for it. Of course, you have to know what’s there, and how to fit it into your company’s processes. And that’s been great for us. We get to deliver significant improvements. And most of the time, our client doesn’t have to pay more in platform fees.”

GrayWire — Business Optimization

What We Believe

Decades in the trenches shaped how we think.

These are the convictions that stuck.

Platforms evolve, and people do too.

Once your workflow goes live, the people who configured it move on. SaaS keeps shipping features, but it’s unlikely that someone reviews what’s new and whether it fits. Meanwhile, people treat the workflow system as fixed — so when their work changes, they take shortcuts and workarounds instead of changing the system. The gap between how the system should run and how it actually runs grows as a function of time.

Process drift is a human condition.

People change how they work. Systems and handoffs follow — a little at a time, often unnoticed — until the drift becomes the ‘new normal’ and adds up. That’s why business process optimization isn’t a one-and-done project. Human organizations need GrayWire on an occasional basis.

Knowing what not to touch matters, a lot.

Starting from ‘everything is broken’ is the wrong move — and can be quite expensive. In a real operation, most of what you run already works — and a smaller set carries the real opportunity. Finding what should be left alone is as important as finding what needs fixing.

Small improvements beat a rip-and-replace.

When you already have a workflow system, ‘total transformation’ is often a sales pitch — not a better outcome. Throwing out a working foundation and starting over can be a net negative for the business. A focused set of incremental improvements more often delivers real gain than rebuilding end to end.

You don’t need to map the whole company, usually.

Large consulting firms often require a full end-to-end process map across the business before anything else — a slow, expensive artifact, and hard to justify. In most cases, it isn’t necessary. We map where attention is actually needed, when that mapping helps deliver the result — not just because.

Take Action

Get more from your business

Massive projects and big commitments don’t mean better results. We start with the workflows, systems, and people you already have. We will find the smartest places to move, deliver on them, and make the gains real.

• —Initial assessment at no cost
• —Know what you’ll pay, one initiative at a time
• —Value-based approach, with a lean staffing model