1. Big Name, Big Risk: Are You Really Ready?

Imagine this: tomorrow, your business lands an email that could change everything. A major national brand wants your service. Fast. At scale. And they’re not here to play.

They expect 24/7 performance, zero delays, and processes that just work. The opportunity? Huge. The risk? Even bigger—if you’re not ready.

In one real-world case, a company faced this exact situation. They had under a year to rewire operations, automate weak spots, and prove they could meet enterprise-grade SLAs.

The results?

• 50 core business processes mapped in 10 weeks.
• 6 automation pilots launched before the contract was even signed.
• Governance and workflows rebuilt from the ground up.

This wasn’t luck. It was planning, speed, and smart execution. In this post, I’ll break down the 7 exact steps that helped get that company ready—and show you how to do the same. No buzzwords. Just what works.

2. The Real Challenge Most Businesses Miss

Getting a big client sounds great. Until you realise your current setup won’t survive the onboarding.

In this case, the ask wasn’t small. The client wanted to plug into a complex fibre and service network, with expectations for near-flawless uptime and seamless processes. The existing systems were a mess—spread across departments, often undocumented, and loaded with manual work.

Worse, no one could give a clear answer to this one question: “What actually happens, end to end?”

The problems started stacking up fast:

• Overlapping processes with no owners.
• Gaps between teams, tools, and responsibilities.
• A total lack of workflow visibility.
• No automation, no fail-safes, no clear SLAs.

And the kicker? Most businesses don’t even realise they’re this vulnerable until the pressure’s on.

This article is your pressure test—before the pressure hits. In the next section, I’ll walk you through Step 1: Mapping Reality Ruthlessly, and show you how that one move saved weeks of chaos and kept a multi-million-pound rollout on track.

Let’s go.

3. Step-by-Step Playbook

Step 1: Map Reality Ruthlessly

Why it matters:
You can’t fix what you can’t see. Most businesses operate on assumptions. That’s fine—until a major client walks in.

What to do:

• Run process discovery workshops with everyone involved—yes, even the people you think don’t need to be there.
• Use BPMN or simple swim-lane diagrams to map out what really happens, not what should happen.
• Include every tool, handoff, approval, system, and bottleneck. Don’t skip the ugly bits.

Example:
In one case, 50 critical processes were mapped in just 10 weeks. Within the first hour of the first session, 37 duplicate handoffs were spotted across just two teams. These weren’t bugs. They were daily business.

Bottom line:
Don’t sugarcoat it. Map it honestly. The messier the better—because clarity kills risk.

Step 2: Spot the Gaps Early

Why it matters:
Major clients come with strict expectations: SLAs, compliance needs, data standards, and seamless user experience. Most existing processes? They fall short.

What to do:

• Line up your current-state maps with the new client’s requirements.
• Use a simple gap matrix: SLA vs. current capability.
• Classify risks by impact: revenue, reputation, or regulation.
• Don’t just list problems—prioritise them by what will break first.

Example:
After mapping and gap-checking, the team found over 20 workflows that needed to be redesigned from scratch. Fixing those early slashed the onboarding risk score by 40%.

Quick tip:
Bring compliance and frontline ops into the room together. If they can’t both sign off, it’s not fixed.

Step 3: Co-Create Requirements (Don’t Guess)

Why it matters:
Most project delays happen because someone forgot to ask the right person the right question at the right time.

What to do:

• Get your future client, operations team, and IT in one room—virtual or physical.
• Use simple user stories: “As a [role], I need [function], so that [benefit].”
• Sanity-check everything with the people who’ll actually run the process.
• Use prioritisation tools like MoSCoW or dot voting to get buy-in fast.

Example:
When requirements were co-created, the approval cycle shrank from 4 weeks to just 5 days. And no one said, “This isn’t what we asked for” at launch.

Fast fix:
If you haven’t talked to the person who actually clicks the button or files the ticket—you’re not ready.

Step 4: Build a Repeatable Workflow Factory

Why it matters:
You can’t scale chaos. Big clients mean big volume. That means repeatability beats creativity—every time.

What to do:

• Design a clear intake-to-launch process: request form → review board → delivery sprints.
• Standardise your templates: RACI, BRD, testing scripts, and project plans.
• Create a “toolkit shelf” your teams can grab from, not reinvent every time.
• Publish the entire lifecycle—from request to go-live—in one visual chart.

Example:
By setting up a defined workflow engine, approval timelines dropped from 4 weeks to 5 days. Everyone knew what was expected, when, and by whom.

Fast win:
If it can’t be explained on one page, it can’t be repeated. Start there.

Step 5: Pilot Automation—Small, Fast, Visible

Why it matters:
Enterprise clients want reliability, speed, and low error rates. That’s where automation earns its paycheck.

What to do:

• Pick manual, repeatable, low-risk processes.
• Stand up simple pilots using workflow tools like Camunda or Power Automate.
• Run them in a test sandbox. Demo results weekly.
• Track real data: time saved, FTE freed, error reduction.

Example:
Six automation pilots launched before go-live. Result?
✅ 4 FTEs freed up
✅ Faster turnaround
✅ Less risk at peak load
✅ Credibility with the client before signing a contract

Pro tip:
Don’t aim for moonshots. Aim for things a human hates doing and a bot can do in its sleep.

Step 6: Lock in Governance & Controls

Why it matters:
When it goes wrong, people ask two things: “Who’s responsible?” and “Where’s the backup?”

What to do:

• Set a weekly steering board with go/no-go decisions.
• Assign one name per process, not teams or departments.
• Attach every process to a plan B.
• Use KPIs everyone understands: “2-hour SLA,” “zero errors,” “next-day delivery.”

Real-world quote:

“If everyone owns it, no one owns it. Name names, or prepare for finger-pointing.”

Example:
Governance boards reduced last-minute chaos and helped escalate blockers before they became fires.

Quick test:
If something fails, do you know who owns the fix? If not—your governance is broken.

Step 7: Measure, Learn, Repeat

Why it matters:
You’re not finished when you go live. You’re just getting started. What you don’t track will break—quietly, and expensively.

What to do:

• Measure what actually matters: lead times, error rates, SLA hits and misses.
• Set up simple dashboards—no more digging through spreadsheets.
• Run monthly reviews: What went wrong? What’s working? What’s next?
• Fix fast, share lessons, repeat what works.

Real result:
After launch, error rates stayed under 0.5%—four times better than the industry average. That didn’t happen by accident. It happened by tracking, reacting, and improving.

Bottom line:
If you’re not learning, you’re leaking value.

4. Common Pitfalls & Quick Fixes

Shiny-tool syndrome
Don’t start with automation. Start with process maps. Fix the mess before you try to speed it up.

Scope creep
Freeze the MVP. Park every “nice-to-have” in a backlog with dates, not promises.

Silent SMEs
If no one speaks, you’re missing red flags. Rotate who runs meetings. Use anonymous voting tools to surface real feedback.

Bonus red flag:
If you keep hearing “we’ve always done it this way,” stop and ask: why?

5. Rapid-Fire Checklist

✅ One-page goal & SLA gap summary
✅ End-to-end process maps (level 3 detail)
✅ Ranked and signed-off requirement log
✅ Weekly governance calendar locked in
✅ Automation pilot launched and tracked
✅ Contingency plans documented and tested
✅ Launch party booked (yes, it matters)

6. Your Next 48 Hours

• Book two mapping workshops—get real data, not assumptions.
• Build a risk-by-gap matrix—what breaks first?
• Choose one process to automate—start small, show results.
• Share this playbook with your ops lead—align fast, act faster.

This isn’t theory. It’s a system that worked when the stakes were high. You don’t need 100 people or a huge budget. Just clarity, structure, and urgency.

Big client coming? You’ve now got the playbook. No panic. Get to work.