Northbridge had strong individual leaders and no way to get them moving in the same direction. Here's how they built the system they needed — without hiring a full-time executive.
Northbridge had strong individual contributors — a solid sales leader, a sharp VP of operations, a sharp finance manager. But nobody owned the system. Decisions got stuck in manager meetings. Cross-functional priorities fell through the cracks. Leadership spent more time firefighting than planning.
They didn't need another hire. They needed someone who could connect what they already had.
We had the talent. We just couldn't get them moving in the same direction. Everyone was working hard — nobody was rowing together.— Elena Marsh, CEO, Northbridge Manufacturing
Coherence's Build Your Team model places a senior fractional operations leader inside the business — not as a consultant who hands over a report, but as a working operator accountable to outcomes.
In the first two weeks, the embedded operator mapped how decisions actually got made — who escalated, who blocked, where things stalled. Not the reporting structure on paper. The real flow of work.
Week 1–2Three project management tools collapsed to one. The embedded operator ran the weekly cross-functional prioritization meeting — not to create more process, but to make sure the right decisions got made in the room and actually propagated.
Week 3–6Quarterly, the operator identified which coordination patterns should be owned internally — and who should own them. By month six, the weekly cross-functional meeting was being run by a senior operations manager Northbridge had promoted.
Month 3–6Cross-functional initiatives that used to take 6+ months now run in 6–8 weeks.
Meetings consolidated. Decisions made in the room. No more parallel follow-up threads.
Operational alignment freed leadership to focus on growth. First expansion capital raise in company history.
"I was skeptical. I thought this was another consultant who'd leave us with a slide deck. Instead, we have a team that's actually aligned — and we didn't have to hire a full-time COO to get there."
Two-week discovery sprint: decision flow mapping, tool inventory, stakeholder interviews. Delivered a clear picture of where time was going and why.
Consolidated project management tools. Ran first cross-functional prioritization meeting. Established clear escalation paths so decisions stopped pooling.
Senior ops manager took over meeting facilitation. Embedded operator shifted to advisory role, still accessible for high-stakes decisions and strategic planning.
Quarterly planning cycle running smoothly. Leadership focused on growth initiatives. First board-level operational report delivered by internal team.
Embedded fractional operators across HR, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Sales, and Strategy. Part-time senior expertise, full-time accountability to outcomes.
Explore programOne focused 90-minute session to cut through complexity and leave with a written action plan. For when you need clarity fast — before the next fire starts.
Book a sessionLonger-horizon strategic planning with dedicated fractional leadership. For companies that know where they want to go and need a partner to build the road.
See programMost companies don't need another hire. They need someone who can connect what they already have. Let's find out if Build Your Team is right for you.