My First Year at ISG Technology

My First Year at ISG Technology
Created by John Mario
A strategic roadmap focused on operational excellence, predictable growth, and leadership alignment. This plan establishes clear priorities, a disciplined operating rhythm, and a pragmatic approach to driving ISG's next phase of success.
First-Year Objectives
Four interconnected goals designed to strengthen ISG's operational foundation and accelerate sustainable growth:
Strengthen Execution
Build operational discipline across service delivery, reducing missed commitments and improving project predictability through standardized processes and accountability frameworks.
Improve Margins
Drive gross margin expansion by optimizing resource utilization, streamlining service delivery, and eliminating operational inefficiencies that erode profitability.
Reduce Churn
Decrease client attrition through proactive relationship management, consistent service quality, and early intervention on satisfaction concerns before they escalate.
Scale Predictably
Establish repeatable systems and metrics that enable confident growth decisions, resource planning, and consistent delivery as we expand our client base and service portfolio.
Assessing ISG's Operating Engine
A comprehensive diagnostic across five critical dimensions to identify gaps, opportunities, and immediate priorities:
01
Revenue Performance
Current MRR trends, growth trajectory, pipeline health, and booking predictability across service lines and client segments.
02
Service Delivery
Project execution quality, SLA compliance rates, resource utilization patterns, and delivery bottlenecks impacting client satisfaction.
03
Client Retention
Churn rates by segment, early warning indicators, satisfaction trends, and root causes of client departures requiring immediate attention.
04
Leadership Accountability
Decision-making clarity, ownership structures, meeting effectiveness, and follow-through on commitments across the executive team.
05
Financial Predictability
Forecast accuracy, margin visibility, cash flow management, and the reliability of our financial planning processes.
Stakeholder Engagement Plan
Strategic listening and relationship-building across key constituencies during the first 90 days:
Executive & Board Level
Board Members: Quarterly updates, strategic priorities alignment, performance transparency
CEO Partnership: Weekly sync on priorities, monthly strategy sessions, daily operational visibility
Executive Team: Individual 1:1s, cross-functional collaboration rhythms, shared accountability frameworks
Operational Teams
Service Leaders: Deep-dive sessions on delivery challenges, resource needs, improvement opportunities
Sales Organization: Pipeline reviews, client feedback loops, pricing and packaging alignment
Key Individual Contributors: Frontline insights, process pain points, innovation ideas from those closest to the work
Top Client Engagement: Direct conversations with our largest accounts to understand satisfaction levels, unmet needs, and partnership opportunities for deeper collaboration.
Operating Frameworks & Tools
1
EOS/Vision Traction Organizer
Entrepreneurial Operating System framework providing structure for vision clarity, quarterly priorities (Rocks), and leadership team alignment on company direction.
2
Operating Model & ROTI
Defined Operating Model Library documenting how work gets done, paired with Return on Time Invested assessments ensuring meeting effectiveness and eliminating wasteful activities.
3
KPI Dashboard System
Real-time visibility into leading and lagging indicators across operations, finance, and client satisfaction—accessible to leadership and teams for data-driven decisions.
4
Cadenced Review Cycles
Structured weekly execution reviews, monthly financial deep-dives, and quarterly strategic planning sessions creating predictable rhythm and accountability.
Top 5 First-Year Priorities
Five interconnected initiatives that will transform ISG's operational performance and market position:
Churn Reduction Program
Implement early warning systems, standardized QBRs, proactive client success protocols, and root cause analysis to decrease annual churn from current levels to industry-leading retention rates.
Service Portfolio Execution
Refine service offerings, establish clear delivery playbooks, improve project scoping accuracy, and eliminate low-margin or poorly-defined services that drain resources.
Operating Model Maturity
Document and standardize core processes, establish clear ownership, implement change management disciplines, and build organizational muscle for continuous improvement.
Margin Expansion Initiative
Drive gross margins up through improved utilization, pricing discipline, automation of repeatable tasks, and reduction of rework and delivery inefficiencies.
Leadership Accountability Framework
Create clear decision rights, establish consequence and celebration systems, implement transparent scorecards, and build a culture where commitments are sacred and ownership is clear.
Quick Wins Without Disruption
High-impact improvements that can be implemented immediately without organizational upheaval:
Standardized QBRs
Deploy consistent quarterly business review templates and agendas across all strategic accounts, ensuring every client receives uniform attention and value assessment.
Forecast Accuracy
Implement weekly forecast discipline, establish variance analysis protocols, and create transparency around pipeline assumptions to improve predictability.
Escalation Clarity
Define clear escalation paths, response time commitments, and ownership for critical issues—eliminating confusion when problems need executive attention.
Metric Visibility
Launch real-time dashboards for key operational and financial metrics, making performance data accessible to all leaders and teams for faster decision-making.
These foundational improvements create immediate value while establishing habits and systems that support larger transformation initiatives.
COO Metrics & Scorecard
Six core metrics that will measure operational health and drive accountability throughout my tenure:
MRR
Monthly Recurring Revenue Growth
Net new MRR minus churn, tracking our ability to expand the business sustainably month-over-month across all service lines.
<5%
Client Churn Rate
Target annual logo churn below 5%, measuring our ability to deliver consistent value and maintain long-term client relationships.
40%+
Gross Margin Target
Achieve and maintain gross margins above 40% through operational efficiency, pricing discipline, and service delivery optimization.
85%
Resource Utilization
Billable utilization target of 85% for delivery teams, balancing profitability with sustainable workloads and professional development time.
98%   70
CSAT/NPS Scores
CSAT and Net Promoter Scores consistently at or above 98% / 70, demonstrating exceptional service quality and client partnership strength.
90%
Operating Model Completion
Progress toward fully documented operating model library, targeting 90% of critical processes defined and adopted within 12 months.
Operating Cadence
A disciplined rhythm that creates predictability, drives accountability, and ensures strategic priorities receive consistent attention:
1
Weekly Execution Reviews
Leadership team reviews progress on quarterly Rocks, addresses blockers, examines key metrics, and ensures alignment on immediate priorities. 60-minute focused session with clear action items.
2
Monthly Financial Deep-Dives
First week of each month: Comprehensive review of financials including revenue performance, margin analysis, forecast accuracy, cash flow, and variance explanations. Cross-functional participation ensures shared understanding.
3
Quarterly Rocks & Strategy Sessions
Every 90 days: Full-day strategic planning including Rock completion review, next quarter priority setting, market assessment, competitive positioning, and resource allocation decisions. Combines reflection with forward planning.
This cadence ensures we balance short-term execution with long-term strategic thinking, while maintaining consistent communication and accountability across the organization.
Leadership Philosophy
Three core principles that will guide every decision, interaction, and initiative throughout my tenure as COO:
Clarity Over Intensity
Clear direction and expectations beat urgency and activity every time. I prioritize crisp communication, well-defined outcomes, and shared understanding over heroic efforts driven by ambiguity. Confusion is expensive—clarity scales.
Accountability Without Blame
We own our commitments and outcomes while maintaining psychological safety. When we miss targets, we diagnose systems and processes first, not people. Accountability means learning fast and adjusting quickly, not finger-pointing.
Data-Driven Decisions
Intuition has its place, but data provides the foundation for sound judgment. We invest in measurement systems, trust our metrics, and make decisions based on evidence. When data conflicts with assumptions, we follow the data.
Execution in Practice
Three concrete examples demonstrating how these frameworks translate into measurable operational improvements:
Mean Time to Resolution
Reduce MTTR for critical incidents by 40% through standardized troubleshooting playbooks, improved escalation protocols, and proactive monitoring systems.
Impact: Higher client satisfaction, reduced operational stress, improved service margins.
Margin Improvement
Increase gross margins by 5-7 percentage points through utilization optimization, pricing discipline, and elimination of low-margin service offerings.
Impact: Enhanced profitability, better resource allocation, stronger competitive positioning.
Scalable MSP Operations
Build repeatable MSP delivery model supporting 3x client growth without proportional headcount increase through automation and process standardization.
Impact: Predictable delivery, consistent quality, sustainable growth economics.
Why This Works for ISG
This approach is purpose-built for ISG's current stage, culture, and ambitions:
Values Alignment
Every framework reinforces ISG's commitment to client success, operational excellence, and transparent communication. No conflict between doing right by clients and building a sustainable business.
Growth Enablement
These systems are designed to support aggressive growth targets without sacrificing quality or burning out teams. Scalability is built into every process and metric.
Long-Term Vision
We're building operational muscle for the company ISG aspires to become, not just solving today's problems. These frameworks will serve us through multiple stages of growth and market evolution.
The result: a stronger, more predictable, more profitable ISG that delivers exceptional value to clients while creating an environment where our people thrive.