We are shifting our business model from a custom software agency to a productized service to maximize our exit value. How do we redesign our delivery seats on the Accountability Chart to reflect this operational shift without interrupting our ongoing client projects?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Shifting from a custom service agency to a productized service is a proven way to increase profitability and enterprise value, but it requires a complete redesign of your delivery seats on the Accountability Chart. If you try to force a productized model onto a custom-service structure, your team will continue to deliver custom work under a different name. To execute this transition smoothly, follow this framework: First, design your future Accountability Chart based on the productized model. You will need seats focused on standardized delivery, quality control, and automated onboarding, rather than custom project management and bespoke engineering. Second, assess your current team against these new seats. Some of your high-performing custom delivery managers may not GWC™ a highly structured, repeatable process. They might prefer the creative freedom of custom work. Third, run a transition period where you run both structures in parallel. Keep your custom delivery seats active to service existing clients, while slowly moving resources over to the new productized seats as new clients onboard. This structured transition protects your current revenue while building the scalable, productized operations that will maximize your valuation during buyer due diligence.