Project Phoenix: A Proposal and 90-Day Action Plan for the Transformation of the Order-to-Cash (O2C) Process

 

Project Phoenix: A Proposal and 90-Day Action Plan for the Transformation of the Order-to-Cash (O2C) Process

Document Version: 1.0

Date: July 4, 2025

Prepared for: The Executive Leadership Team, Innovate Solutions Inc.

Prepared by: Waseem A Rehmani

---

Part I: The Strategic Imperative – A Formal Proposal for Process Transformation

1.0 Executive Summary

This document outlines a comprehensive proposal and an integrated 90-day action plan for Project Phoenix, a strategic initiative designed to fundamentally redesign and optimize the Order-to-Cash (O2C) process at Innovate Solutions Inc. The current O2C process, a legacy of the company's rapid, organic growth, has evolved into a significant source of operational friction, financial inefficiency, and customer dissatisfaction. It is characterized by manual handoffs, fragmented data systems, a high incidence of errors, and protracted cycle times, which collectively act as a material drag on the company's scalability and profitability.

The Core Problem: Innovate Solutions' current O2C workflow is inefficient, error-prone, and ultimately unsustainable for a company on a high-growth trajectory. It results in an average order processing cycle time of over 8 business days, an invoice error rate conservatively estimated at 18%, and a Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) metric that is approximately 40% higher than industry benchmarks for a SaaS business of this scale. These operational failings directly translate into delayed revenue recognition, inflated operational costs due to excessive rework and manual intervention, and a diminished customer experience that creates significant churn risk at the most critical point in the customer lifecycle.

The Proposed Solution: Project Phoenix will address these systemic challenges through a structured, three-phase approach executed over 90 days. The project will systematically map, analyze, redesign, and implement a new, streamlined O2C process built on principles of clarity, standardization, and intelligent automation. Key deliverables will include the creation of a standardized and mandatory digital order intake form, the establishment of a centralized "single source of truth" for all order data within the existing technology stack, the automation of key notifications and handoffs between Sales, Finance, and Customer Success, and the redefinition of roles and responsibilities to create clear ownership and accountability for the end-to-end process.

The Expected Business Impact: This initiative is not merely an operational tune-up; it is a strategic investment in the company's core revenue engine. Upon successful completion, Project Phoenix is projected to deliver significant, measurable improvements across key business dimensions:

• Financial Performance: Reduce Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) by over 35%, from 72 days to under 48 days, directly accelerating cash flow and improving working capital by millions of dollars annually.
• Operational Efficiency: Decrease the end-to-end order cycle time by more than 80%, from over 8 days to under 48 hours, enabling faster onboarding and revenue recognition.
• Quality & Customer Satisfaction: Reduce the invoice error rate from 18% to below 2%, eliminating costly rework, reducing customer support tickets related to billing, and significantly enhancing the customer onboarding experience.
• Scalability: Create a robust, standardized, and scalable O2C framework capable of supporting the company's future growth targets without a linear increase in administrative overhead, thus improving operating leverage.

This proposal details the business case, scope, and execution plan for Project Phoenix. The subsequent 30-60-90 day plan provides a granular, actionable roadmap for delivering these results, demonstrating a commitment to rapid execution and immediate value creation from day one.

2.0 Introduction and Situational Analysis

2.1 Company Background: Innovate Solutions Inc.

Innovate Solutions Inc. is a dynamic and rapidly growing B2B Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider specializing in advanced supply chain logistics and inventory management solutions for the mid-market manufacturing and distribution sectors. Founded eight years ago, the company has successfully navigated the challenging journey from a bootstrapped startup to a recognized market player with approximately $80 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). The company's flagship product, the "LogiSphere Suite," has gained significant market traction for its powerful predictive inventory modeling, real-time shipment tracking, and seamless integration with major ERP systems.

The company's growth has been impressive, driven by a world-class product development team and an aggressive, high-performing global sales organization. However, this rapid top-line expansion has significantly outpaced the development of the internal operational infrastructure. The processes and systems that were sufficient for a 50-person company are now strained and breaking under the weight of a 300-person organization serving a diverse and demanding global client base. The "move fast and break things" ethos that fueled early success has resulted in a collection of ad-hoc, siloed, and dangerously manual back-office processes. Nowhere is this more apparent or more damaging than in the critical Order-to-Cash (O2C) workflow, the very process that converts sales success into company revenue.

2.2 The Problem Statement: A Foundation of Friction and Inefficiency

The Order-to-Cash process is the economic lifeblood of any SaaS business; it is the critical series of events that converts a hard-won sales victory into recognized revenue and cash in the bank. At Innovate Solutions, this vital process is fundamentally broken. It is not a single point of failure, but a systemic breakdown across multiple teams, systems, and touchpoints, creating a cascade of negative consequences that impact financial stability, operational capacity, and long-term customer relationships.  

The problem, at its core, is that the O2C process was never intentionally designed; it evolved organically, a patchwork of reactions to immediate needs. It relies on a fragile and inefficient combination of disparate tools—Salesforce for CRM, individual Excel spreadsheets for order tracking and commission calculations, email for communication and approvals, and manual, error-prone data entry into the NetSuite accounting system. This fragmented approach has created a process defined by ambiguity, delays, rework, and errors.

A Narrative of Failure: The Journey of a Single Order To illustrate the problem, consider the typical journey of a new customer order:

1. An Account Executive (AE) finalizes a deal and marks the opportunity "Closed-Won" in Salesforce. This is the starting gun.
2. The AE then manually compiles an "order packet," typically consisting of a PDF of the signed contract, a separate pricing sheet (often an Excel file), and notes about the customer's billing contact, and emails it to a generic "SalesOps" distribution list.
3. A Sales Operations Specialist picks up the email, opens the attachments, and manually enters the key details into a master "Master Order Tracker" Excel spreadsheet. They must interpret the contract to determine the correct product SKUs, subscription start/end dates, and payment terms.
4. If information is missing (a common occurrence), the Sales Ops Specialist emails the AE back, starting a chain of back-and-forth communication that can last for days.
5. Once the Sales Ops Specialist believes the data is complete, they save the spreadsheet and email the Finance team's billing distribution list, attaching the same original documents.
6. A Billing Specialist in Finance opens the email, reviews the documents, and begins to manually create an invoice in NetSuite. They often find discrepancies between the contract, the pricing sheet, and the data entered by Sales Ops.
7. The Billing Specialist now has to become a detective, emailing both the Sales Ops Specialist and the original AE to clarify the correct terms, pricing, and billing entity. This creates more delays and frustration.
8. Finally, after several rounds of clarification, an invoice is generated and emailed to the customer, often 8-10 days after the deal was officially won.
9. In approximately one out of every five cases, the customer replies that the invoice is incorrect, restarting the entire reconciliation process.

This chaotic workflow is the daily reality at Innovate Solutions.

Quantifying the Pain: While a comprehensive data analysis will be a key deliverable of the project's first phase, initial discovery and stakeholder interviews point to a deeply alarming set of performance indicators:  

• Excessive Cycle Time: The average time from a contract being marked "Closed-Won" in Salesforce to an accurate invoice being sent to the customer is 8.5 business days. This delay directly impacts cash flow and postpones revenue recognition under ASC 606 guidelines.
• High Error Rate: An estimated 18% of all initial invoices contain material errors, such as incorrect pricing tiers, mismatched product SKUs, wrong billing entities, or missing customer Purchase Order (PO) numbers. Each error requires a time-consuming manual reconciliation process involving at least three departments, further delaying payment and severely frustrating new customers.
• Financial Impact: The extended cycle times and high error rates contribute to a Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) of approximately 72 days, significantly higher than the SaaS industry benchmark of 45-50 days for companies of this size. This represents millions of dollars in cash that is unnecessarily tied up in receivables, constraining the company's ability to invest in growth.
• Operational Waste & Hidden Costs: It is estimated that the Sales Operations, Finance, and Customer Success teams collectively spend over 250 hours per month on non-value-added activities within this process—chasing information, correcting errors, and manually reconciling data between systems. This is time and salary cost that could be spent on strategic, value-generating work like analysis, customer engagement, and proactive support.
• Customer Dissatisfaction & Churn: The first post-sale interaction a new customer has with Innovate Solutions is often a slow, confusing, and unprofessional invoicing and onboarding experience. This creates a poor first impression, erodes the trust built during the sales cycle, and has been explicitly cited in customer exit interviews as a contributing factor to first-year churn. It directly undermines the brand promise of a seamless, modern, and efficient technology solution.

In short, the current O2C process is not just inefficient; it is a strategic liability. It actively works against the company's core goals of financial strength, operational excellence, and customer-centricity. It is a bottleneck to growth that will only become more severe and costly as the company continues to scale.  

3.0 Root Cause Analysis: Uncovering the "Why" Behind the "What"

To design an effective and lasting solution, it is critical to move beyond treating the symptoms (delays, errors) and to identify and address the underlying root causes of the process failure. A preliminary analysis, leveraging established process improvement methodologies, points to a confluence of systemic issues across people, processes, and technology.  

3.1 The "5 Whys" - Tracing Common Failures to Their Source

Let's trace two common failure scenarios using the "5 Whys" technique to illustrate the depth and interconnectedness of the problems:  

Scenario A: Incorrect Invoice Amount

• Symptom: A key customer received an invoice with pricing that did not match their signed contract.
• 1. Why was the invoice incorrect?
• Because the Billing Specialist in Finance entered the wrong monthly subscription fee into NetSuite.
• 2. Why did they enter the wrong fee?
• Because they were working from a standalone pricing spreadsheet attached to an email from Sales Ops, which contained an outdated, non-discounted price for that customer tier.
• 3. Why was the pricing spreadsheet outdated?
• Because the Account Executive had provided a custom discount approved by their VP, but this was only noted in the text of the contract and not updated in the separate pricing file they attached.
• 4. Why is there no single, authoritative source for final, approved pricing?
• Because the process relies on multiple, disconnected documents (contract PDF, Excel sheet) instead of a single, unified data object. There is no system to enforce that the final approved terms in the contract are the same as the data used for invoicing.
• 5. Why has a unified system not been implemented? (The Root Cause)
• Because there is no designated, cross-functional owner of the end-to-end O2C process who is empowered and responsible for its design, integrity, and performance.

Scenario B: Delayed Order Processing

• Symptom: A new customer's implementation was delayed by a week because their invoice wasn't sent, preventing the Customer Success team from starting the onboarding process.
• 1. Why was the invoice not sent?
• Because the Finance team never received the order packet from Sales Ops.
• 2. Why did Finance not receive the packet?
• Because the Sales Ops specialist was waiting for the Account Executive to provide the customer's mandatory PO number, which was required by the customer's AP department.
• 3. Why was the PO number not included in the initial submission?
• Because the AE was focused on getting the contract signed to meet a month-end quota and considered collecting the PO number a lower-priority, post-sale administrative task.
• 4. Why is the collection of critical data like PO numbers not a mandatory, upfront part of the process?
• Because there is no standardized, digital order submission form with required fields. The process relies on informal email submissions, allowing for incomplete information to enter the workflow.
• 5. Why is there no standardized form with enforced data validation? (The Root Cause)
• Because the company's operational tools and processes have been treated as departmental afterthoughts rather than as critical, shared infrastructure essential for scaling the business.

These exercises reveal that the daily problems are not the result of individual mistakes or lack of effort, but are the direct, predictable outcomes of a poorly designed and unmanaged system.

3.2 Pareto Analysis: Focusing on the Vital Few

The job description for this role specifically mentions the use of Pareto analysis for decision-making. A preliminary review of 100 recent invoicing errors suggests a classic Pareto distribution, where a small number of causes are responsible for the majority of the problems. This is a powerful tool for prioritizing our improvement efforts.

Assumed Data for Pareto Analysis of 100 Invoice Errors:

• Manual Data Entry Error (from contract to spreadsheet): 45 instances
• Use of Outdated/Incorrect Pricing Sheet: 20 instances
• Missing/Incorrect PO Number: 15 instances
• Incorrect Billing Contact/Entity: 8 instances
• Wrong Subscription Start/End Date: 5 instances
• Incorrect Tax Calculation: 4 instances
• Other Miscellaneous Errors: 3 instances

Analysis: The top three causes—Manual Data Entry Error, Use of Outdated Pricing Sheets, and Missing PO Numbers—account for a staggering 80% (45 + 20 + 15) of all invoice errors. This is a critical insight. It tells us that instead of trying to solve all seven problems at once, Project Phoenix can achieve a massive impact by focusing intensely on solving just these "vital few" root causes. Our proposed solution, with its emphasis on a standardized digital intake form (which eliminates missing data) and a single source of truth (which eliminates outdated sheets and manual entry), is therefore precisely targeted at the heart of the problem.

3.3 Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram Analysis

A broader analysis using the framework of a Fishbone Diagram helps to categorize the multitude of contributing factors, painting a complete picture of the systemic dysfunction:  

• Process:
• No formally documented, universally understood end-to-end O2C process map exists.
• Lack of standardized procedures for order submission, validation, provisioning, and invoicing.
• Undefined handoffs and no Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between departments, leading to unpredictable timelines.
• Critical approval steps (e.g., for non-standard discounts) are managed via untrackable email chains, which are easily lost or ignored.
• The process is entirely reactive; there are no proactive checks or balances to detect errors before they reach the customer.
• People:
• Lack of clear roles and responsibilities; there is no single "process owner" accountable for the O2C workflow's health.
• Insufficient or inconsistent training for new hires in Sales, Sales Ops, and Finance on the complete, end-to-end workflow and its impact on other teams.  
• A culture of "workarounds" has become standard operating procedure, reinforcing bad habits and masking underlying process flaws.  
• High levels of employee frustration and disengagement in operational roles due to the repetitive, low-value, and stressful nature of the rework.  
• Sales team incentives are 100% focused on closing deals, with no accountability for the quality or completeness of the order information they submit.
• Technology / Tools:
• Fundamentally disconnected systems: Salesforce (CRM), multiple Excel spreadsheets ("shadow databases"), email (communication), and NetSuite (accounting) do not integrate or synchronize data.
• Heavy, redundant reliance on manual data entry and re-entry between these systems, which is the primary source of clerical errors.
• Use of personal or team-based spreadsheets as "shadow databases" for tracking, leading to version control chaos, data drift, and a lack of a single source of truth.
• No central repository or unified view for tracking the status of an order as it moves through the process.
• Lack of automated notifications or alerts to signal when an action is required by the next person or team in the workflow chain.
• Policies:
• No formal, enforced policy defining what constitutes a "bookable" or "provisionable" order.
• Inconsistent enforcement of data entry standards and required fields within Salesforce.
• Lack of a clear, documented escalation path for resolving process bottlenecks or inter-departmental disputes.
• No formal policy on document management and storage for contracts and order forms.
• Measurement:
• No Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are formally defined, tracked, or reported for the O2C process.  
• Process performance is completely invisible to leadership, so there is no data-driven impetus or urgency for improvement.
• The significant "cost of poor quality" (e.g., the labor cost of rework, the financial impact of delayed cash flow) is not measured or understood by the organization.

This multi-faceted analysis makes it unequivocally clear that incremental, piecemeal fixes or departmental-level initiatives will fail. A holistic, cross-functional, end-to-end process redesign is the only viable path forward to create a scalable and efficient revenue engine for Innovate Solutions Inc.

4.0 The Proposed Solution: Project Phoenix

Project Phoenix is a 90-day initiative to design and implement a new, best-in-class Order-to-Cash process. The guiding philosophy of the solution is to systematically replace ambiguity with clarity, manual effort with intelligent automation, and fragmentation with seamless integration. The solution is built on four core pillars designed to directly address the root causes identified above.

4.1 Pillar 1: Process Redesign & Standardization

The project will begin by mapping the current state process in exhaustive detail, involving all key stakeholders to ensure complete accuracy. Following this diagnostic phase, the cross-functional project team will collaboratively design the "future state" process. This new process will be:  

• Visually Mapped & Documented: A clear, simple, and official flowchart will document every step, decision point, and handoff. This map will be the new "source of truth" for how work gets done.
• Standardized: The new process will be the single, mandatory workflow for all standard orders, eliminating ad-hoc variations and "shadow processes."
• Optimized & Lean: Steps that do not add value to the customer or the business will be ruthlessly eliminated. The remaining steps will be rearranged into the most logical and efficient sequence possible to minimize wait times and handoffs.  

4.2 Pillar 2: Centralization & A Single Source of Truth

To eliminate data chaos, version control issues, and manual reconciliation, the project will establish a central hub for all order-related information within the existing Salesforce platform.

• Dynamic Digital Order Form: A mandatory, dynamic form will be created as a custom object or screen flow within Salesforce. This will replace all email and spreadsheet-based submissions. This form will use conditional logic and validation rules to ensure all required information (e.g., final contract PDF, customer PO number, correct billing contacts, verified tax status) is captured correctly and completely at the source, before it can be submitted.
• Centralized Order Object: This new Salesforce object will serve as the "single source of truth" for all in-flight orders. It will house all data and documents related to an order and will have a clear status field (e.g., "Pending Finance Review," "Pending Provisioning," "Complete"). This will eliminate the need for any team to maintain its own separate tracking spreadsheet and provide universal visibility into an order's status.

4.3 Pillar 3: Intelligent Automation & Lightweight Integration

The project will leverage the native capabilities of the existing tech stack (Salesforce and NetSuite) to automate manual tasks and connect information silos.

• Automated Notifications & Task Creation: Simple workflow rules and process builders will be created in Salesforce to automatically notify the next person or team in the chain when their action is required. For example, when an order status changes to "Ready for Invoicing," a task will be automatically created for the Finance billing queue. When an invoice is marked as paid, a task will be automatically created for the Customer Success team to begin onboarding.
• Data Synchronization: The project will explore and implement a lightweight, native Salesforce-to-NetSuite connector or a middleware solution (like Zapier, as mentioned in the job description) to automatically push key customer and order data from the finalized Salesforce Order Object to NetSuite to create a draft invoice. This single action will eliminate the most significant source of manual data re-entry errors in the entire process.

4.4 Pillar 4: Clarity of Ownership & Performance Management

A great process is useless if no one is accountable for it. The new process will be supported by a robust framework of clear accountability and ongoing performance management.

• RACI Matrix: A detailed Roles and Responsibilities (RACI) chart will be created and agreed upon by all departmental leaders. It will explicitly define who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each major step of the new process, eliminating confusion.
• Process KPIs & Dashboard: A set of clear, simple KPIs (as detailed in Section 6.0) will be defined and tracked on a public dashboard, likely built within Salesforce or a BI tool. This will provide ongoing, real-time visibility into process health for all stakeholders and leadership, creating a data-driven culture of continuous improvement.  

5.0 Project Scope and Deliverables

To ensure focus, prevent scope creep, and guarantee timely completion within the 90-day timeframe, the project scope will be tightly and explicitly defined.  

In Scope:

• The end-to-end process from the moment a deal is marked "Closed-Won" in Salesforce to the point where the initial, correct invoice is successfully delivered to the customer and the customer's account is provisioned for onboarding.
• The handling of standard new customer orders, standard upsell/expansion orders, and standard renewal orders.
• The roles, activities, and system interactions of the Sales, Sales Operations, Finance/Billing, and Customer Success teams as they directly pertain to this process.
• The creation and implementation of all necessary documentation, including the "Future State" process map, the detailed RACI matrix, and the official Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
• The development and delivery of comprehensive training materials and live training sessions for all affected staff members.
• The configuration of all necessary changes within the existing Salesforce and NetSuite environments (e.g., new objects, fields, workflow rules) and the implementation of a lightweight integration tool if required.

Out of Scope:

• The lead-to-opportunity sales process (any activities that occur before a deal is marked "Closed-Won").
• The implementation of a new, large-scale ERP or enterprise billing system (the project will focus on optimizing processes and maximizing the value of the existing technology stack).
• The handling of highly complex, non-standard enterprise contracts with unique legal or billing requirements (these will be handled via a separate, documented exception process).
• The accounts receivable collections process for severely delinquent accounts.
• The calculation of sales commissions.

6.0 Defining and Measuring Success: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The success of Project Phoenix will not be a matter of opinion; it will be measured against a clear, transparent, and data-driven set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The project will establish a firm baseline for each KPI in the first 30 days and will track progress against aggressive but achievable targets throughout its lifecycle.  

Primary Project KPIs:

KPI Name	Definition	Baseline (Current)	Target (at 90 Days)	Business Impact
Order Cycle Time	Average time in business hours from opportunity "Closed-Won" to "Correct Invoice Sent."	~170 Hours (8.5 days)	< 48 Hours	Faster revenue recognition; improved customer experience; increased operational capacity.
Invoice Accuracy Rate	Percentage of first-time invoices sent with zero data, pricing, or formatting errors.	~82%	> 98%	Drastic reduction in rework costs; increased customer trust; faster payment cycles.
Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)	Average number of days to collect payment after a sale is closed.	~72 Days	< 48 Days	Significant improvement in cash flow and working capital; reduced cost of capital.
First-Touch Resolution Rate	Percentage of Finance team inquiries about an order that are resolved without needing to go back to the Sales team for information.	~35%	> 95%	Massive reduction in internal friction, wasted time, and employee frustration.

Export to Sheets

Secondary Project KPIs:

KPI Name	Definition	Baseline (Current)	Target (at 90 Days)	Business Impact
Cost Per Transaction	Estimated labor cost associated with processing a single order from end to end.	~$125	< $40	Direct reduction in operational expenses; improved operating margin.
Onboarding CSAT Score	Customer satisfaction score specifically related to the invoicing and initial onboarding experience.	6.5 / 10	> 8.5 / 10	Improved customer loyalty; reduced first-year churn; stronger brand reputation.
Employee Satisfaction	eNPS or survey score for employees in Sales Ops and Billing roles related to their daily work processes.	-15 (Detractor)	+20 (Promoter)	Higher employee engagement and retention; improved morale and productivity.

Export to Sheets

7.0 High-Level Project & Change Management Approach

The project will be executed using a structured, phased approach aligned with the detailed 30-60-90 day plan presented in Part II of this document. The success of this project hinges not just on the elegance of the new process design, but on the effectiveness of the change management strategy. A new process that is not adopted is a failed process. Therefore, Project Phoenix will adhere to a principle of relentless communication and proactive stakeholder engagement.  

• Stakeholder Engagement & Governance: A cross-functional project team with empowered representatives from all affected departments (Sales, Sales Ops, Finance, CS, and IT) will be established in Week 1. This core team will be responsible for co-designing the solution. A senior executive sponsor will provide top-down support and remove roadblocks.
• Communication Plan: A formal communication plan will be developed and executed to ensure all stakeholders are informed and engaged. This will include:
• A formal project kick-off meeting for the core team.
• Weekly 15-minute stand-up meetings for the core project team.
• Weekly, concise email updates to a broader group of stakeholders.
• Bi-weekly 30-minute progress reviews with the executive sponsor.
• Company-wide announcements at key milestones (e.g., pilot launch, full go-live).
• Risk Management: A project risk register will be created and maintained, identifying potential risks (e.g., resistance to change from the sales team, technical issues with integration, resource constraints) and defining proactive mitigation and contingency plans.
• Change Management Framework: The project will adopt a simple but effective change management framework, such as Kotter's 8-Step Process or Prosci's ADKAR model, to guide the human side of the transition. This will ensure we build Awareness of the need for change, create a Desire to participate, provide the Knowledge and Ability to succeed, and Reinforce the change to make it stick.
• Training & Support: Comprehensive, role-based training will be provided to all users before the new process goes live. The project will also create durable, "just-in-time" training materials (e.g., short screen-capture videos, quick reference guides) to support the onboarding of future employees and reduce long-term training overhead.  
• Feedback Mechanisms: The project will establish clear, safe channels for users to provide feedback and report issues during the pilot and post-launch phases, fostering a sense of psychological safety and a culture of continuous improvement.  

---

Part II: The Execution Blueprint – An Integrated 30-60-90 Day Action Plan

This section translates the strategic proposal into a detailed, time-bound execution plan. It is designed to demonstrate a proactive, results-oriented approach, ensuring that the project delivers tangible value within the first quarter. The plan is structured around three distinct phases, each with a clear theme, specific objectives, and measurable actions.  

Phase 1: Days 1-30 – Foundation: Learn, Assess, and Plan

The first 30 days are dedicated to total immersion and building the foundational elements for project success. The theme of this phase is "Go deep, not wide." This phase is about validating the assumptions in this proposal, building critical relationships with the people who do the work, and establishing the hard, data-driven baseline from which all future success will be measured.  

• Overarching Focus: Learning, Relationship Building, Data Collection, Root Cause Validation, and Strategic Planning.
• Key Objective: To transition from an external candidate to a fully integrated, trusted internal partner who possesses a data-validated and sponsor-approved Project Charter for Project Phoenix.
• Success Metric for Phase 1: Successful delivery of a comprehensive "State of the Process" report and a finalized, signed-off Project Charter to the executive sponsor by Day 30.

Weekly Breakdown:

Week 1 (Days 1-7): Orientation, Stakeholder Mapping, and Initial Discovery

• Priorities: Understand the company culture, identify the key players, absorb all existing information, and schedule the initial discovery tour.
• Actions:
• Day 1: Meet with direct manager to review and refine this 90-day plan, ensuring alignment on priorities and expectations. Get access to all necessary systems (Salesforce, NetSuite, email, etc.).  
• Day 2: Request and begin reviewing all existing documentation, however informal, related to the O2C process, sales policies, and billing procedures.
• Day 3: Work with my manager and HR to build a comprehensive stakeholder map. Identify the key individuals in Sales, Sales Operations, Finance, and Customer Success at all levels—from VPs to the front-line specialists.
• Days 4-5: Proactively schedule 45-minute 1-on-1 "discovery meetings" with every key stakeholder for Weeks 2 and 3. The stated goal of these meetings is "to learn from your expertise and understand the process from your perspective."  
• Day 5: Set up a recurring weekly 30-minute 1:1 with the project's executive sponsor to establish a rhythm of communication for progress updates, guidance, and roadblock removal.  

Week 2 (Days 8-14): Deep-Dive Discovery & "Gemba" Process Observation

• Priorities: Listen, learn, and understand the process from the perspective of those who live it every day. Build trust and rapport.
• Actions:
• Daily: Conduct the scheduled 1-on-1 discovery meetings. Key questions to ask each stakeholder group:  
• For Sales VPs/Directors: "What is the biggest point of friction for your AEs after a deal is won? How much selling time do you estimate is lost to administrative follow-up?"
• For Finance/Billing Specialists: "Could you walk me through the last five invoices you sent? What information was missing? Where did you have to go to find it? What is the most frustrating part of your day?"
• For Customer Success Managers: "How does the invoicing and initial payment experience impact your ability to successfully and quickly onboard a new client? What feedback do you hear from customers about this process?"
• Throughout the week: Conduct "Gemba walks" (or virtual equivalents via screen-sharing) to observe the process in real-time. Ask employees to  

show me, not just tell me, how they do their work. Observe the clicks, the copy-pasting, the searching through emails.

• End of Week: Synthesize all meeting and observation notes and begin creating a detailed "As-Is" process map using a tool like Visio or Lucidchart. This map will be the visual representation of the problem, complete with annotations for pain points and delays.  

Week 3 (Days 15-21): Quantitative Data Collection & Baseline Analysis

• Priorities: Quantify the problem. Move from anecdotal evidence and qualitative observations to hard, undeniable data.
• Actions:
• Days 15-16: Work with the IT/data analytics team and system owners to pull raw data for the past six months related to the primary and secondary KPIs. This includes exporting all "Closed-Won" opportunities from Salesforce (with timestamps) and all corresponding invoices from NetSuite.
• Days 17-19: Perform the data analysis. Clean the data and calculate the official baseline metrics for Order Cycle Time, Invoice Accuracy Rate, and DSO.
• Day 20: Conduct the Pareto analysis on the invoice error data to confirm and validate the "vital few" root causes.
• Day 21: Identify and scope a "quick win" – a small, high-visibility improvement that can be implemented immediately to build momentum and trust. Example: Create and distribute a standardized email template for the Finance team to request missing information from Sales, ensuring all necessary details are asked for in the first touchpoint, reducing back-and-forth.  

Week 4 (Days 22-30): Synthesize, Plan, & Secure Formal Alignment

• Priorities: Consolidate all findings into a compelling and data-driven case for change and secure formal approval to proceed with the project.
• Actions:
• Day 22: Implement the identified "quick win" and communicate its launch and purpose to the relevant teams.
• Days 23-25: Draft the formal Project Charter for Project Phoenix. This official document will include the validated problem statement, project goals and objectives, detailed scope, primary KPIs with their baselines, a list of core project team members, and a high-level timeline.
• Days 26-27: Create and rehearse the "State of the Process & Project Phoenix Charter" presentation. This presentation will combine the qualitative findings (from interviews), the visual "As-Is" map, and the quantitative data (the baseline KPIs and Pareto chart) to tell a powerful, undeniable story.
• Day 28: Present the report and charter to the executive sponsor and key departmental VPs. The goal is not just to inform, but to create alignment and urgency.
• Day 30: Incorporate feedback from the leadership review and secure formal sign-off on the Project Charter. This signature marks the official launch of Project Phoenix.

Phase 2: Days 31-60 – Execution: Contribute, Implement, and Collaborate

With a validated plan and formal buy-in, the second month is focused entirely on execution. The theme of this phase is "Build, test, and learn." This is where ideas are translated into tangible process artifacts and tested in a controlled environment to ensure they work in practice, not just on paper.  

• Overarching Focus: Collaborative Design, Solution Development, Pilot Implementation, and Proactive Communication.
• Key Objective: To have a fully designed and documented "future state" process, complete with its enabling tools, that has been successfully tested and validated with a pilot group.
• Success Metric for Phase 2: Successful completion of a two-week pilot program with the new process, with pilot KPIs showing a >60% improvement over the established baseline.

Weekly Breakdown:

Week 5 (Days 31-37): Project Kick-Off & Collaborative Design Workshops

• Priorities: Formally launch the project with the core team and begin co-designing the new process.
• Actions:
• Day 31: Host the official Project Phoenix Kick-Off meeting with the full cross-functional project team. The agenda will include a review of the signed-off charter, a reinforcement of the project goals and KPIs, and a clear outline of the timeline and expectations for team members' participation.
• Days 33 & 35: Facilitate two half-day "Future State" process design workshops. These are highly interactive sessions, not lectures. Using the "As-Is" map as a starting point, the team will use brainstorming and lean techniques (e.g., "eliminate, combine, rearrange, simplify") to collaboratively design the new, optimized workflow on a virtual whiteboard.  

Week 6 (Days 38-44): Solution Development & Prototyping

• Priorities: Build the core assets of the new process based on the workshop outputs.
• Actions:
• Days 38-39: Based on the workshop output, create the first draft of the "Future State" process map and the detailed RACI matrix.
• Days 40-42: Work directly with a Salesforce administrator to begin building the prototype of the new dynamic Digital Order Form and the Centralized Order Object. Involve the front-line users from Sales and Finance in daily check-ins to ensure the form is intuitive and captures all necessary data fields correctly.
• Day 42: Draft the initial workflow logic for the automated notifications and tasks.

Week 7 (Days 45-51): Refine, Document, & Prepare for Pilot

• Priorities: Finalize the solution components, document them, and prepare the selected pilot team for testing.
• Actions:
• Day 45: Circulate the draft process map and RACI matrix to the core team and department heads for feedback.
• Days 46-48: Finalize the build of the Digital Order Form and the notification workflows in a Salesforce sandbox environment. Conduct user acceptance testing (UAT) with the core team members.
• Day 49: Identify and confirm the pilot group (e.g., the North American mid-market sales team and their counterparts in Finance and CS). Gain commitment from their manager.
• Day 50: Develop a concise training module for the pilot team, a one-page quick reference guide, and a simple feedback collection mechanism (e.g., a dedicated Slack channel and a short daily survey).

Week 8 (Days 52-60): Pilot Launch, Monitoring, & Iteration

• Priorities: Execute the pilot, meticulously gather data, collect rich qualitative feedback, and iterate in real-time.
• Actions:
• Day 52: Conduct the 90-minute training session for the pilot team. Ensure they understand not just the "how" but the "why" behind the changes.
• Days 53-60: Launch the two-week pilot program. All new orders from the pilot team must follow the new process.
• Daily: Monitor the pilot closely, tracking the KPIs for the pilot orders in real-time on a simple spreadsheet dashboard.
• Daily: Hold daily 15-minute "pilot stand-up" meetings with the pilot team to capture immediate feedback, celebrate small wins, and address any issues or points of confusion on the spot. Be highly visible and supportive.  
• Throughout the week: Begin drafting the full Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document based on the pilot process and the feedback received.

Phase 3: Days 61-90 – Leadership: Optimize, Scale, and Standardize

The final 30 days are about leveraging the proven success of the pilot to drive full-scale adoption and embed the new process into the operational fabric of the organization. The theme of this phase is "Demonstrate value and make it stick."  

• Overarching Focus: Data Analysis, Full-Scale Rollout, Company-Wide Training, Documentation, and Establishing a Continuous Improvement Framework.
• Key Objective: To have the new O2C process fully implemented and adopted company-wide, supported by comprehensive documentation and a system for ongoing performance monitoring.
• Success Metric for Phase 3: All new standard orders are flowing through the new process, and the public-facing KPI dashboard shows the project is on track to meet or exceed all of its 90-day targets.

Weekly Breakdown:

Week 9 (Days 61-67): Analyze Pilot Results & Develop Full Rollout Plan

• Priorities: Analyze the pilot data to build an undeniable, data-driven case for the full rollout.
• Actions:
• Day 61: Formally conclude the pilot program.
• Days 62-63: Analyze the quantitative data from the pilot. Prepare clear, simple charts comparing the pilot KPIs (Cycle Time, Error Rate) against the original baseline. Calculate the projected financial impact based on the pilot results.
• Day 64: Synthesize the qualitative feedback from the pilot team to identify any necessary final tweaks to the process, the form, or the training materials.
• Day 65: Prepare and deliver a "Pilot Results & Rollout Plan" presentation to leadership. Showcase the demonstrated success and outline the detailed plan for the company-wide launch. Secure final go-ahead.

Week 10 (Days 68-74): Full Rollout & Company-Wide Training

• Priorities: Flawlessly manage the transition of the entire organization to the new, superior process.
• Actions:
• Day 68: Incorporate final feedback into the process and deploy the finalized configuration from the Salesforce sandbox to the production environment.
• Days 69-71: Schedule and conduct a series of mandatory, role-based training sessions for all remaining Sales, Finance, and CS team members. Use pilot team members as "champions" in the training to share their positive experiences.
• Day 72: Officially "go-live" with the new O2C process for the entire company. Send a company-wide communication announcing the launch and highlighting the expected benefits for customers and employees.
• Days 72-74: Establish a "hyper-care" support period for the first week of go-live. The project team will be on-call and highly visible, ready to answer questions and troubleshoot any issues to ensure a smooth transition.

Week 11 (Days 75-81): Stabilization, Standardization, & Performance Monitoring

• Priorities: Ensure the new process is stable, becomes the new standard of work, and its performance is made visible to all.
• Actions:
• Daily: Continue to monitor the process KPIs for all new orders flowing through the system.
• Days 75-77: Finalize and publish the official Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and all supporting quick reference guides to a central, accessible knowledge base (e.g., Confluence or SharePoint).
• Days 78-79: Create a short (under 5 minutes) screen-capture training video that walks through the new process from end to end. This will be a critical, scalable asset for onboarding all future employees.  
• Day 80: Build and launch the official, public-facing KPI dashboard in Salesforce so all stakeholders can see process performance in real-time.

Week 12 (Days 82-90): Transition, Close-Out, & Continuous Improvement

• Priorities: Formally close the project, celebrate the team's success, hand off operational ownership, and demonstrate a forward-looking, strategic mindset.
• Actions:
• Days 82-84: Prepare the final Project Close-Out report and the Executive Summary presentation. This report will highlight the achievement of the 90-day goals, the final KPI numbers, and the realized business value (e.g., "We have accelerated our cash flow by an estimated $X million annually").
• Day 85: Host a final project team meeting to celebrate the success, recognize key contributors from each department, and document key lessons learned for future projects.  
• Day 87: Formally transition the ongoing ownership of the process and the KPI dashboard to a designated "Process Owner" (a key recommendation of the project, likely a director-level individual in Operations or Finance).
• Day 90: Present the final results and business impact to the executive leadership team. Conclude the presentation not by stopping, but by proposing the next high-value area for process improvement (e.g., "Based on what we learned, I recommend our next focus be the customer renewal process..."), demonstrating a commitment to building a sustainable culture of continuous improvement.