Why I’m refocusing on Delivery and Financial Ops integration for agencies
TL;DR: Most agencies have a gap between Delivery Ops and Financial Ops. Work happens, but the numbers don't tell the same story. I'm refocusing to close that gap. The result is cleaner forecasts, faster billing, fewer write-offs, and a margin lift without the need to chase new top-line revenue.
The problem I keep seeing
Agencies invest in tools, hire great people, and run countless projects. Yet profit lags, forecasts miss, and invoicing gets messy. The root cause is almost always the same.
Delivery runs on one set of rules and tools. Finance runs on another. The handoffs between them are weak or undefined.
This creates write-offs, rework, and slow cash. Leadership loses trust in the data. Teams burn projects explaining variances instead of fixing them.
The gap in plain language
Delivery Ops focuses on how work moves from initial intake to client offboarding. Financial Ops focuses on how work turns into revenue, margin, and cash. When these two aren't aligned, effort doesn't equal outcome.
Common symptoms:
Scope changes that are never priced or billed.
Forecasts that don't reflect capacity or actual stage progress.
Project management tool data that doesn't map to the general ledger.
Time entry that's accurate enough for staffing but not for revenue recognition.
Invoicing that lags because "billing readiness" is unclear.
Why I’m refocusing now
I've worked in delivery for 18+ years, and I speak finance. In my last in-house operator role, I helped increase EBITDA 13x and supported ~$20M in enterprise value growth in two years. The work that moved the needle wasn't a shiny new tool. It was the operating model that connected delivery to the P&L.
I'm refocusing on this integration because it's where I create the most value the fastest. For most agencies, I can find 3% margin lift in 60 days without adding headcount or new business.
What this looks like in practice
I call the connective tissue the "integration layer." It's not a new department. It's a short list of checkpoints and rules that keep the plan, people, and numbers in sync.
Forecast ties to capacity and hiring plan.
Intake confirms scope, pricing, and funding before work starts.
Project stage definitions map to revenue milestones that finance can trust.
Scope changes trigger pricing and revenue updates.
Billing readiness is defined with a clear checklist.
Project management tool data maps cleanly to the GL and standard reports.
A weekly cross-functional cadence reviews forecast, capacity, risk, and billing status.
What doesn't change
I'm not replacing your PMO, Account, or Finance teams. I bridge the seams between them. I'm also tool-agnostic. If you run Monday, ClickUp, Asana, Workamajig, etc. I work with it. If you run EOS, I plug into your cadence. If you don't, I bring a simple weekly rhythm that works for where you are right now.
What Delivery Ops is (and isn't)
Delivery Ops is the operating system for how work moves through the agency. It sets the rules, roles, tools, and rhythms from client onboarding to offboarding.
It's not extra status meetings. It's not tool configuration in a vacuum. It's not heroics by project or account managers trying to fix a broken plan after the fact.
If you want a deeper dive on Delivery Ops, check out What is Delivery Operations?.
What Financial Ops is (and isn't)
Financial Ops is the control system that turns work into revenue, margin, and cash. It sets rules for forecasting, pricing, revenue recognition, billing, and collections.
It's not month-end bookkeeping only. It's not a spreadsheet no one trusts. It's not a blocker that says no after the work is already done.
There's a full overview on the Financial Operations page.
The value you can expect
Within one quarter, you should see movement on:
Forecast accuracy %
Gross margin % and EBITDA %
Write-off % and unbilled WIP
Longer term, you should see more predictable revenue per employee and better contribution margin by client and service. A secondary benefit is usually increased employee engagement and happiness (less chaos equals less stress).
How I work
Start with a Diagnostic and Setup
This is a fixed fee, short timeline (about 10 days) engagement. I review your numbers, map your current process, surface the leak points, align the operating model, and define a 90-day plan with weekly outcomes.
Then choose a level of ongoing support:
Integration Advisory for a lighter touch.
Integration Lead for change momentum.
Integration Embedded for complex environments and situations.
I join your weekly rhythm and own the seams until the numbers move.
Common questions
"We already have a PMO."
That’s fine. The PMO is one pillar. I keep it in place and connect it to finance through shared rules, checkpoints, and reports.
"We just installed a new tool."
No problem. I make the tool reflect the operating model and map it to the GL so leaders can trust the data.
"Finance is slammed at month-end."
Which is why we shift control points earlier in the flow. Billing readiness happens before month-end. Recognition rules are clear before the close.
Next Steps
When Delivery Ops and Financial Ops are connected, effort turns into outcomes you can defend. Forecasts hold. Billing is clean. Margin grows without new top-line revenue. It's where I can do the most good, the fastest. That's why I'm refocusing.
If this fits your current goals, start with the diagnostic. We'll map the system and set the plan.