Establishing a Transformation Office to Accelerate Strategic Execution in a Top 15 Accounting Firm

June 16, 2025

THE WORK AT A GLANCE

Establishing the Infrastructure to Govern and Advance Business Transformation

What We Did

Lotis Blue helped a Top 15 accounting firm establish and operate a Transformation Office to bring greater structure, governance, and accountability to its business transformation agenda. We developed the processes, tools, roles, and communications needed to manage strategic initiatives, served as interim Transformation Office staff, and hired and onboarded the internal team that would sustain the work.

The Impact

The firm gained a dedicated Transformation Office, a more disciplined portfolio of strategic initiatives, and stronger visibility into transformation value. The work established eight priority projects across six capabilities, identified $240 million in first-year ROI, eliminated $800,000 in recurring fees, and increased firmwide understanding of the transformation strategy.

INDUSTRY

Accounting

SERVICES

STRATEGY ALIGNMENT

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Top 15

Public Accounting Firm

$1.3B+

Revenue

400+

Partners

30

Offices

01 – BUSINESS ISSUE

Creating the Infrastructure to Execute a Firmwide Transformation Strategy

The firm had defined an ambitious business transformation vision but lacked the infrastructure, processes, and resources required to execute it. Multiple strategic initiatives were advancing simultaneously without consistent governance, ownership, evaluation, or coordination, making it difficult to prioritize investments and sustain momentum.

01

Strategic initiatives lacked clear leadership ownership, roles, accountability, and success measures.

02

Business cases, ROI assessments, reporting, governance, and coordination were applied inconsistently.

03

Concentrated executive decision-making slowed progress and limited broader ownership and innovation.

04

Employees lacked a clear understanding of the transformation strategy, expected benefits, and progress.

02 – OUR APPROACH

Building and Operating a Transformation Office for Sustainable Execution

Lotis Blue partnered primarily with the chief innovation officer while engaging the CEO, CFO, COO, managing partners, and other firm leaders. We developed the governance model, tools, processes, and templates needed to assess initiatives, clarify accountability, monitor progress, and coordinate execution across the transformation portfolio.

Serving as interim Transformation Office staff, we guided current and new projects through the process and worked with initiative leaders to define objectives, business cases, success measures, and reporting requirements. We also partnered with the communications and human resources teams to prepare the firm for long-term internal ownership.

Building on this work, we:

  • Established a standardized process for evaluating, prioritizing, governing, and reporting on transformation initiatives.
  • Developed tools and templates for business cases, ROI calculation, initiative planning, and portfolio oversight.
  • Created firmwide communications that clarified the transformation vision, progress, and long-term direction.
  • Developed job descriptions, onboarding materials, job architecture, career paths, and advancement criteria for Transformation Office roles.
  • Hired and onboarded an associate director and specialist before transitioning all responsibilities to the internal team.

8

projects in the initial transformation portfolio

6

dedicated transformation capabilities

$240M

in first-year ROI identified

03 – BUSINESS IMPACT

Creating a Sustainable Engine for Business Transformation

The firm established a fully functioning Transformation Office with the governance, processes, and resources needed to guide business transformation from strategy through execution. Leaders gained a more consistent way to evaluate initiatives, assign ownership, monitor performance, and coordinate work across the organization.

The initial portfolio included eight projects spanning six dedicated capabilities and identified $240 million in first-year ROI. By hiring and onboarding an internal team, the firm also eliminated $800,000 in recurring external fees while creating a sustainable structure that could evolve with its transformation agenda.

01

Established a durable Transformation Office with clear governance, tools, processes, and accountability.

02

Created greater visibility into initiative value, priorities, progress, and expected returns.

03

Identified $240 million in first-year transformation ROI across the initial portfolio.

04

Reduced recurring costs by $800,000 while transitioning ownership to dedicated internal staff.

July 21, 2026

Turning Strategy Into Action in Law Firms

Law firms are under increasing pressure to make clearer strategic choices and execute them consistently. Yet even strong strategies can lose...

June 30, 2026

Why Sector‑Led Go‑to‑Market Strategy Is the Future of Law Firm Growth

The legal industry is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its modern history, driven by shifting client expectations, technological...

June 10, 2026

Strategic Alignment in Law Firms: Balancing Practice Choices with Firmwide Goals

The legal industry is being reshaped by forces that demand genuine, long term strategic choices: accelerating consolidation of the industry, alternative...

Related Posts

Make Bold Moves

Thank you for your interest in Lotis Blue. Please fill out the form to let us
know how we can help. We'll be in touch soon.

Get in touch