03

Installing operational structure and pricing authority within a hospitality-focused design studio

At the outset, the studio was operating without a defined system for how work was structured, priced, or delivered.

Projects were managed without consistent workflows, pricing did not reflect the full scope of work, and communication across both team and clients was fragmented. As the studio grew, the absence of structure began to impact delivery, clarity, and control.

Studio Snapshot 

Commercial / Hospitality Studio

4 - Member Team

Multiple Projects across Commercial & Residential

Engagement (9 mo)

Intervention

Installed operational structure and defined how the studio runs

  • Built a centralized Asana system to structure workflows, task ownership, and execution across the studio

  • Defined the studio’s process from onboarding through delivery, replacing informal and inconsistent execution

  • Established clear client pathways to guide how projects are experienced end-to-end

Restructured pricing and aligned value with delivery

  • Reworked pricing to more accurately reflect scope, effort, and level of service

  • Increased rates and introduced consistent pricing frameworks across projects

  • Identified inefficiencies in labor and improved utilization through more intentional allocation of time

Clarified roles and expanded team capacity

  • Defined roles and responsibilities across the team, establishing clear ownership of work

  • Supported team expansion, increasing capacity and reducing reliance on the principal

Structured communication and client experience

  • Established guidelines for internal and client-facing communication, improving clarity and consistency

  • Introduced client and trade portals to improve visibility, organization, and coordination across stakeholders / collaborators

Operated as a strategic and operational partner

  • Worked in close partnership with the principal on pricing, client dynamics, and business direction

  • Provided strategic support in moments of ambiguity, translating challenges into clear, actionable paths forward

Shift

  • A fully built team in place, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities across both design and construction

  • A defined operational structure in place, with clear processes guiding how projects are run

  • Projects executed with greater consistency, with defined workflows replacing ad hoc decision-making

  • Communication across both team and clients structured and more controlled, reducing fragmentation and ambiguity

  • Clear client pathways established, improving how projects are experienced from onboarding through delivery

  • Pricing aligned more closely with scope, effort, and delivery, increasing overall profitability and improving consistency across projects

  • Greater authority and clarity in how pricing is communicated, resulting in more direct and consistent client conversations around value

  • Improved utilization rates, with greater visibility into how time is spent and where inefficiencies exist

  • Expanded team capacity, with defined roles and responsibilities creating clearer ownership across the business

  • Decision-making more distributed, improving the day-to-day flow of work and reducing reliance on a single point