Wythe
System Mapping Case Study – 2025
Context
Wythe is a specialist content studio that produces long-form research reports for professional associations. Over five years it grew from three editors to a team of twelve writers, designers, and project managers. With growth came layering: one cloud drive for drafts, another for design files, and an internal wiki that was only partially maintained.
In early 2025 a typical report involved seven people, three file locations, and far more back-and-forth than the founders felt was necessary. Delivery dates were met, but effort levels were rising and new hires found the system difficult to follow.
Why They Came to Us
The founding editor-in-chief wanted to know where the real friction was before hiring another project-manager. His question:
“Is the workload truly too high, or is the structure carrying unnecessary weight?”
He asked for a full audit to surface hidden loops, clarify ownership, and decide whether they needed head-count or a rebuilt workflow.
What We Found
During the mapping phase we shadowed two live projects and interviewed team members across editorial, design, and client liaison. Three structural issues emerged:
Parallel File Trees
Drafts, design files, and final PDFs lived in separate drives. Each version had its own naming logic, so teams spent hours reconciling which file was current.Unclear Stage Gates
Writers believed edits closed when a comment thread resolved; designers started layout only after a separate Slack confirmation. The gap added an average two-day idle period per report.Ad-hoc Archive Rules
Completed projects were archived by whoever closed the job, leading to inconsistent folder structures and lost historical references.
None of these failures were catastrophic; together they created constant low-grade drag — extra follow-ups, duplicate reviews, and rechecking of “final” files.
What We Delivered
System Map — a single visual showing every step from client brief to publication, with decision points, owners, and file moves.
Friction Report — eight specific points where time or clarity was lost, each tied to hours spent in recent projects.
Redesigned Workflow —
A shared project directory template generated automatically at kickoff.
Formal stage gates: Draft → Editorial Sign-off → Design → Proof → Client Review → Publish.
One “status document” updated at each gate, replacing scattered Slack confirmations.
Light Automation — simple file-naming and folder-creation scripts to keep the structure consistent without manual policing.
Results
Average report cycle time trimmed by 4.5 days.
Internal “file-hunt” queries in Slack down 70 %.
No additional project-manager hired; existing team capacity recovered enough hours to meet the projected workload.
All findings published with client consent; quantitative data rounded to protect commercial detail.