CJ Matthews Consulting Book a 30-minute call

Home / Operations

A business that runs without running through you

Processes, systems, and automations built around how your team works, so they know what to do without asking you first.

Book a 30-minute call

I don't hand you a report and walk away. I build the fix myself: the processes, the automations, the software setup, and the training. When it's in place, I can stay on to run it.

Does this sound like your business?

  • Every question ends up on your desk.
  • Each person does the same job a little differently.
  • New hires learn by shadowing whoever has time.
  • When someone's out, their work stops with them.
  • Handoffs between people are where things get dropped.
  • Customers have to call to find out where their order, account, or project stands.
  • Customers get a different answer depending on who they ask.
  • Your team spends hours every week on the same manual tasks.
  • You're paying for software nobody fully uses.
  • Your systems don't talk to each other, so data gets entered twice.
  • A vendor keeps billing you, and you can't tell what you're getting for it.
  • A software rollout is behind schedule, over budget, or both.

What I take off your plate

Process redesign and documentation

I map how the work actually moves, then build the new process with your team and write it down, so you're no longer part of every workflow.

Clear ownership for every handoff

I set up who owns each step and how work passes from one person to the next, so nothing falls between people.

Automating repetitive work

I build the automations myself, for re-entering data, chasing approvals, and sending the same status updates, so those hours go back into the business.

Software chosen, set up, and connected

I help you pick what fits how your business actually works, then set it up, connect it to the tools you already use, and move your data over.

Vendor and contract oversight

I review contracts and invoices, hold vendors to what they promised, and catch billing that doesn't match the work.

Launches run start to finish

I run the rollout myself: setup, data, training your team on the new way of working, and support through go-live until it's stable.

Getting stalled projects back on track

I step in, find out what's really going on, and lead the recovery, directly or alongside your vendor.

Fractional operations leadership

I step into the operations seat a set number of days a month and run it, without the cost of a full-time hire.

You don't have to change everything at once. We start with what's costing you the most, and you decide the pace.

How it works

  1. 1

    Talk it through

    A free 30-minute call about where things are getting stuck.

  2. 2

    Discovery

    I talk with you and your team, watch how the work actually gets done, and review your tools, vendors, and contracts.

  3. 3

    The fix

    I put the new processes, systems, and automations in place myself, as a fixed-price project.

  4. 4

    Ongoing support

    Support, training, or fractional leadership to keep things from sliding back.

What this looks like for real businesses

A software vendor billing for hours that didn't match the work

  • The vendor absorbed the overbilled hours until it produced real deliverables.
  • Contract gaps were closed at no added cost.
  • Unused hours from another workstream funded the CRM build instead of new spending.
  • The rollout moved forward on a timeline and budget the team could actually deliver.
Read the full story

What they thought was wrong

A CRM rollout for a credit union serving 200,000 members kept slipping, and every configuration change seemed to take longer than it should.

What was actually wrong

The contract signed before I arrived was vague about how delivery and training would happen, which left the credit union bound to terms that weren't realistic. The vendor had little experience with credit unions, and its offshore team lagged on every change. When I reconciled the vendor's time-and-materials invoices, the hours billed didn't match the work I was seeing delivered. The vendor was also marketing a rules-based feature as AI.

What I did

Walked the contract line by line, documented every gap, and escalated the billing discrepancies to the credit union's leadership with the evidence behind them. That led to a leadership-level conversation with the vendor and a zero-dollar change order closing the contract gaps. I rebuilt the cost to complete the project against the new timeline and go-live date, moved unused hours from another workstream into the CRM build, and restructured how the engagement ran, removing vendor staff from recurring meetings where they weren't adding value. I also recommended de-scoping the overstated feature.

An implementation partner reporting progress that wasn't real

  • Leadership got its first accurate picture of where the project stood.
  • They stopped the project before spending more on a path that wasn't working.
  • The project was fully reset, with its vendor arrangements and IT decision-making restructured.
Read the full story

What they thought was wrong

A nationwide consumer finance company's Salesforce rollout had stalled, but the implementation partner's reports said it was on track.

What was actually wrong

The partner's reported progress was hiding rework, which had pushed the budget more than 25% past its approved limit. Discovery had been rushed at the start, leaving the environment setup and data readiness incomplete.

What I did

Took over oversight of the partner, assessed the true state of the build, the data, and how the partner was executing, and took the findings straight to the CIO and steering committee with a full financial and risk analysis.

Questions about operations work

What does "operations" mean for a business my size?

It's how the work gets done: who does what, how tasks move from one person to the next, and the systems and vendors behind it. In a smaller business, much of that lives in the owner's head. Operations work gets it written down and built into how your team works, so the business doesn't depend on you being in the middle of everything.

How is operations different from the back office?

The back office is the work that keeps money and records moving: bookkeeping, invoicing, bills, payroll, and paperwork. Operations is how the rest of the business gets done. The two overlap, which is why Discovery looks at both.

What kinds of tasks can be automated?

Anything your team does the same way over and over: moving data between systems, routing approvals, sending status updates, filing documents. Discovery shows where automation will save the most time, so you start where the payoff is biggest.

We're about to buy new software. Can you help before we sign?

Yes, and that's the best time to bring me in. I'll help you pin down what you actually need, compare your options, and review the contract before you commit.

Our software project is already off track. Can you step in?

Yes. Discovery shows where the project really stands, and you'll get a clear picture of what it will take to recover it, or whether it's time to reset.

What does fractional operations leadership mean?

Ongoing operations help for a set number of days each month. You get experienced leadership without a full-time salary, and the time scales up or down as the business changes.

Will my team push back on the changes?

Some pushback is normal. I involve the people who do the work from the start, so the new process reflects how the work really happens. People support what they help build.

Find out what's slowing your team down

Book a 30-minute call
Jackie Mitchell on a call with a client