Diagnose
Find the friction
Work with the people closest to the problem. Map the workflow, identify the causes, and quantify what is being lost.
You leave withA prioritized opportunity map and one clear starting point.
Practical change for growing businesses
Make better work possible.
When the way your business runs starts holding it back, you need more than a report. We work with your team to improve operations, put AI to useful work, and build the capacity to compete in a changing market.
Start with the problem you can feel. Build the capability you will need next.
Operations · AI · Readiness01 / 03 · Start with what you know
What is slowing you down?
You do not need to know the cause. Start with the broad issue you can describe; we’ll narrow it down together.
02 / 03 · Notice where it shows up
Where do you notice it most?
Pick the closest sign you see in daily work. “Not sure yet” is a useful answer.
03 / 03 · A first move to explore
This is a starting point to test with your team, not a diagnosis.
Explore a first moveA different way to work together
Small enough to start.
Built to make a difference.
Our Improvement Blocks turn a broad advisory question into a bounded piece of work. You see the scope, the output, and the next decision before committing to more.
Improve
Build the fix
Redesign one high-value process, pilot a practical solution, and help the team put the new way of working into use.
You leave withA working improvement, an owner, and measures that show whether it works.
Prepare
Get future ready
Assess data, workflows, people, and technology. Find credible AI use cases and sequence the changes needed to scale.
You leave withAn actionable readiness roadmap tied to business value.
Defined scope. Agreed fee. Useful deliverable. Continue only when the next step earns its place.
Talk through a first block ↗A practical way to improve your business
What is the Block Model
One focused improvement at a time. Choose the support you need, put the result to use and build on it when the next Block fits.
PHASE 01 / SHARED CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
Shared Challenge — starting Block
A Block is one focused piece of improvement: a clear issue, practical work, a usable result and a progress check. Start by bringing these three perspectives together.
LEADERSHIP / BUSINESS IMPACT
Our experts keep answering the same questions.
Input: What is the impact on the business?
Example: Experienced people lose time for higher-value work.
FRONTLINE / DAILY EXPERIENCE
We wait for answers to keep work moving.
Input: What gets in the way of doing the work?
Example: Answers are hard to find, so we pause and ask again.
TEAM MANAGER / BRING INPUTS TOGETHER
Agree on one shared challenge.
Combine both inputs. Confirm where work stalls and agree on the improvement to pursue.
Shared challenge agreed together
Make reliable answers easier to find so work keeps moving.
Next: explore how a follow-on Block is carried out.
How a Block works
Block pathway
Build capability. Adapt as you learn.
One Block turns an agreed challenge into a practical next move. Here is what happens, who takes part and what you receive.
The business goal
Grow with less dependence on a few experienced people.
EXAMPLE FOLLOW-ON BLOCK / MAP THE FRICTION
01 / The issue
Experts answer the same questions while others wait. We need to understand where work stalls before choosing a solution.
02 / The work — done with your team
Waterland leads short working sessions with the manager and frontline team. Together, we capture recurring questions, identify missing answers and record the current interruptions and waiting.
03 / What you receive — something you can use
A prioritized question map: the question, where it causes delay, who owns the answer and which improvement to tackle first. Your manager uses it to focus the team's next action.
04 / How we check progress — together
The team confirms the map reflects real work. We check whether it creates a clear priority and a useful baseline. This Block creates the foundation; later Blocks implement solutions and test their effect.
Your team brings the context. We lead the work.
The manager coordinates participation. Frontline colleagues share examples and review the output. We facilitate, organize the findings and help the team agree on the next move.
AFTER A BLOCK / REVIEW BEFORE CONTINUING
Review the result. Choose what fits next.
A completed Block creates a foundation for the next decision. Check what changed, then choose a compatible Block, adjust the approach or pause.
The business goal
Grow with less dependence on a few experienced people.
Example: “Map the friction” is complete.
You now have a prioritized question map, answer owners and a baseline. The team agrees where to act first. Use that outcome to choose the next improvement.
Illustrative example: completing the map does not yet prove time or cost savings. Check those effects after a solution is put into use.
Choose from the Blocks that fit your next need.
Take as many or as few Blocks as your goal requires. These example options connect to the question map; the next choice depends on what the team found.
EACH NEXT BLOCK MUST FIT
The next Block must serve your business goal and use the outcome of the completed Block.
THE CONNECTION: question map + identified friction → a compatible next improvement
OPTION / REPEATED QUESTIONS
Build shared answers
Needs: A prioritized question map and answer owners.
Creates: A validated, shared guide that helps people find reliable answers.
OPTION / DECISION DELAYS
Clarify decisions
Needs: Decision bottlenecks identified in the question map.
Creates: Clear decision and escalation rules that reduce waiting.
OPTION / OWNERSHIP GAPS
Improve handoffs
Needs: Handoff friction and ownership gaps identified in the map.
Creates: Defined responsibilities and a reliable transfer of work.
If a required input is missing, establish it first. Every Block should build on previous work.
Continue
Choose the Block whose required inputs are ready and whose result advances your goal.
Adjust
Refine the output or address a missing foundation before adding more work.
Pause
Put the result to use. Stop further spending when the goal is met or priorities change.
FOCUSED SPENDING / ONE BLOCK AT A TIME
Pay for the next useful improvement.
Agree on the scope and fee for one Block.
Keep participation focused on the people and work involved.
Review the result before funding another Block.
This structure is designed to limit upfront commitment and avoid paying for work your business does not need.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Start with the issue you recognize.
Describe what is slowing your business down.
Waterland helps identify a suitable starting Block.
Agree on the outcome, timing, participation and fee.
Then work together, put the output to use and check progress. You do not need to know the solution before making contact.
BLOCK 1 / SHARED CHALLENGE
From a familiar issue to a shared starting point.
The first Block brings leadership, frontline colleagues and the team manager together. You leave with three usable deliverables that guide the work ahead.
THE ISSUE THE BUSINESS RECOGNIZES
“Our most experienced employees spend too much time answering the same questions.”
What happens in this Block
Leadership explains the business impact. Frontline colleagues share examples of waiting and interruptions. The manager connects both perspectives; Waterland facilitates and captures the agreements.
Three deliverables. One shared foundation.
DELIVERABLE 01 / CHALLENGE STATEMENT
One agreed problem
A short statement of the issue, who it affects and why it matters.
Example: Repeated questions interrupt experts and leave the team waiting for reliable answers.
DELIVERABLE 02 / SUCCESS DEFINITION
A clear goal and measures
The improvement we want and how we will check it.
Example: Reduce repeat interruptions and waiting. Agree how to record the starting point and review progress.
DELIVERABLE 03 / NEXT BLOCK BRIEF
A practical next move
The next Block's objective, required inputs, expected output and responsible people.
Example: “Map the friction” uses the agreed challenge to identify priority questions and answer owners.
Shared Challenge is complete when…
The team recognizes the problem, agrees on success and approves a suitable next move. These three deliverables become the inputs for the next Block.
This first phase creates alignment and direction. Further Blocks implement improvements and check their results; the next commitment is a separate decision.
Block 2: choose the next fit.
Use the agreed problem, success definition and next Block brief to choose one compatible option. Each option must advance the goal and have the inputs it needs.
BLOCK 2 OPTION / UNDERSTAND
Map the friction
Fits when: The problem is agreed, but its main sources are unclear.
Together: Review real questions and interruptions with the team.
You receive
- Prioritized question map
- Baseline of interruptions and waiting
- Recommended improvement and owner
BLOCK 2 OPTION / SHARE KNOWLEDGE
Build shared answers
Fits when: Recurring questions are known and reliable answers are available to capture.
Together: Capture, validate and test a shared guide.
You receive
- Validated answer guide
- Owners and update process
- Results from a team trial
BLOCK 2 OPTION / ENABLE DECISIONS
Clarify decision rules
Fits when: Work stalls because people repeatedly need approval or guidance.
Together: Clarify authority and test escalation rules.
You receive
- Decision guide
- Approval and escalation responsibilities
- Results from testing in daily work
Three alternatives, not three required steps. Establish missing inputs first; review the chosen Block against the agreed success measures before deciding what follows.
AI with a business purpose
Start with the work. Then choose the technology.
AI can reduce repetitive work and help people make better decisions. Its value depends on the process, information, and team around it. We help you establish that foundation and test one useful application.
01
Find the right use case
Look for recurring work, costly delays, and decisions that need better information.
02
Make the workflow ready
Clarify ownership, information quality, handoffs, and safeguards before introducing a tool.
03
Pilot, measure, and adapt
Test on a manageable scale, learn with your team, and expand only when results justify it.
Quality of Earnings / Explore the experience
A clearer path from evidence to action.
Rethink how a Quality of Earnings review comes together. Explore how technology, AI-assisted analysis, and professional judgment can improve workflow and connect source evidence to findings and proposed actions. The approach is designed to reduce preparation time and cost while improving clarity; those benefits remain subject to validation.
01 / Understand the value
See what changes.
Explore the Model N demonstration and compare the workflow, evidence, and potential time and cost drivers behind the approach.
Value Comparison02 / Follow the process
Follow the evidence.
Walk through the application from evidence and assessment to human review, a finding, and a proposed First 100 Days plan captured in the sample report.
Start Your JourneyBoth experiences open in a new tab without SharePoint sign-in. This demonstration uses Model N’s historical public information. The sample report and financial workbook are available separately to invited visitors with read-only access. Contact us to request access.
About Waterland Consulting Group
Real progress, one block at a time.
Business leaders know when something is slowing them down, even if they do not know the exact cause or what to ask for. Waterland Consulting Group starts with the problem you can see. We listen, find a practical place to begin, and turn it into a focused Block with a clear finish line.
Each Block has a defined scope, an agreed fee, and a useful outcome you can see or measure. That outcome helps you decide whether the next Block is worth the time and investment. You get a manageable way to make progress, without committing to an open-ended advisory program.
Led by Chris Janssen, Waterland brings more than 25 years of hands-on leadership across industries. We apply that experience and use AI where it can help simplify work, improve decisions, or create new possibilities. Your people help shape the solution, and the results guide what comes next.
Experience25+ years of hands-on leadership
Claritya defined scope, fee, and finish line
Resultsvisible outcomes guide the next step