Industry: FMCG Manufacturing & Distribution
Company Stage: Founder Led, scaling SME
Team Size : Under 10 People
Markets : Sri Lanka & Japan
Engagement: Multi-phase (Audit through Implementation)

KEY OUTCOME

• Operations scorecard tracks OTIF and production adherence, with sales volume and daily dispatch rate feeding directly into production planning

• Inventory, production, procurement, dispatch, warehouse and quality control each run on documented process, led by a dedicated Operations Manager

• Founder time in day-to-day operations down 30%, driven by clear direction, ownership, rhythm, and process

• 14-day founder absence, with production, dispatch, and sales running on schedule throughout

• Spending decisions run through a delegation of authority matrix, approved by named owners at the right level

• Sales runs on its own base system and lead system, with finance next

  
  

SITUATION

This consumer goods manufacturing and distribution business has been operating for over a decade. It survived the Easter attacks, the pandemic, and Sri Lanka's economic crisis.

By 2023, revenue was moving again. The operating structure was ready for the same kind of investment.

Most decisions still ran through the founder. The team was capable - what the business needed was clear ownership, defined decision rights, and process written down. He was working 70+ hours a week, holding the business together day to day.

THE DIAGNOSIS

We looked at how decisions moved, where ownership was unclear, and where work slowed down or repeated itself - across leadership, operations, and sales.

The pattern was the same everywhere: the gap wasn't people, it was structure. Purchase orders, schedule changes, and quality calls all routed back to him - even ones his team could handle. Work paused until he confirmed it, or ran differently depending on who did it.

Operations came first. It had the biggest direct impact on growth - if delivery couldn't scale, nothing else was ready to either.

Then we asked one question: what happens if he's away for 30 days? The answers became the starting point for everything we built.

WHAT WE INSTALLED

Same approach at every level: direction, the right people in the right seats, and a clear way execution actually happens. We focused on what mattered most, first.

Leadership. Direction, priorities, decision rights, a shared scorecard, a weekly rhythm - giving the whole leadership team visibility into what mattered most. A delegation of authority matrix defined exactly who could approve what spend, and at what level.

Operations. The same base system, plus its own delivery system. Every step in inventory, procurement, production, quality, and dispatch got mapped and given an owner. We built the organisation structure, role packs, and onboarding checklists that gave the team clarity on what they owned. To fill the Operations Manager seat, we built the interview structure and training plan that supported the founder's hire. We also built the operations scorecard - tracking OTIF and production adherence - so performance is visible every week. Sales volume and daily dispatch rate now feed directly into production planning, replacing guesswork with a calculated plan. The team runs on Excel-based trackers and planners today - built, tested, and in daily use.

Sales. The same base system, plus its own lead system. Pipeline stages, follow-up rhythms, and distributor handoffs, each with a named owner. The sales cycle is now visible across the team.

WHAT'S NEXT

Finance. Bookkeeping is in place. Next: the same structure applied to cash flow and receivables, plus a weekly dashboard, so the founder can see the numbers directly.

Odoo. Once finance processes are proven on paper, operations, sales, and finance move into Odoo - tools built to support systems that already work.

WHAT CHANGED

• Operations and sales now hold their own full picture. Each function has its own owner, rhythm, and priorities, including a dedicated Operations Manager now leading day-to-day operations.

• The founder's time in day-to-day operations dropped by roughly 30% — decisions now get resolved at the right level, by the people who own them.

• The founder took 14 days away from the business. Production, dispatch, and sales ran on schedule, led by the team already in place.

• Spending decisions ran through the delegation of authority matrix, approved directly by the owners responsible.

With the Operations Manager seat filled and clear process in place, the founder now spends more of his time on strategy and growth - the work only he can do.

THE LESSON

Systems need leaders to make them real. Leaders need systems to make their standards repeatable. This business built both.

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