Building a connected operations platform for a UK consultancy
A growing UK consultancy wanted to reduce the operational friction surrounding client delivery. Alba Nova designed and built a connected platform spanning contracts, SOWs, approvals, e-signatures, documents, associates, invoicing and reporting, integrated with the systems the business already used.
- Industry
- Management Consulting
- Engagement
- Operational Transformation
- Capabilities
- Automation, Integrations, Custom Software, AI
- Environment
- HubSpot, Signable, SharePoint, Finance Systems
The challenge
As the consultancy grew, important operational processes were spread across multiple systems and required significant coordination between people, documents and data. Creating contracts and SOWs, managing approvals, progressing documents for signature, tracking associates, monitoring invoices and producing operational reporting all involved separate steps and manual handoffs. The challenge was not to add another disconnected tool. It was to create a connected operational layer around the systems the business already relied on.
The approach
Rather than automating individual tasks in isolation, Alba Nova mapped the operational lifecycle and designed a platform around the way the consultancy actually worked. HubSpot remained a core system of record. The new operations platform connected CRM data with document workflows, approvals, e-signatures, associate management, invoicing and reporting. This created a single operational experience while allowing specialist systems to continue doing the jobs they were designed for.
What the platform covers
These capabilities sit inside one operational environment. They are not a set of isolated automations.
Contracts & SOWs
Generate operational documents using existing CRM and project data.
Approvals
Route SOWs and other documents through clear internal approval workflows.
E-signatures
Move approved documents into Signable without disconnected manual steps.
Document management
Keep executed documents connected to the operational process and stored within SharePoint.
Associate management
Give the operations team a central view of associate information and activity.
Invoice operations
Track expected, received and missing invoices with clear operational statuses.
Reporting
Bring connected operational data into useful commercial and management reporting.
CRM integration
Use HubSpot as a core system of record while extending it with purpose-built operational workflows.
AI support
Layer AI capabilities onto connected operational information where they provide practical value.
A connected operating layer
Specialist systems keep doing the jobs they were designed for. The platform connects the operational work between them.
HubSpot
CRM and system of record
Connected operations layer
Alba Nova operations platform
Bespoke operational layer designed around the consultancy's delivery lifecycle
- Contracts & SOWs
- Approvals
- Associates
- Invoices
- Reporting
- AI support
Signable
E-signature workflows
SharePoint
Document storage
Finance systems
Invoice and accounting workflows
Xero
Finance-related workflows
A more connected operating model
The result is a more connected operational environment around the consultancy's existing systems. Processes that previously required movement between documents, systems and manual handoffs can now progress through defined workflows with clearer status and ownership. Operational teams have greater visibility across contracts, SOWs, associates, invoices and reporting, while the underlying systems remain connected rather than being replaced unnecessarily. The platform also provides a foundation for further automation and AI capabilities as the business evolves.
Professional services businesses rarely need another disconnected tool.
The biggest opportunities are often found between the systems a consultancy already uses. CRM, contracts, project delivery, associates, documents, invoicing and reporting may all work individually, while the operational processes connecting them remain manual. Alba Nova helps identify those gaps and build the automation, integrations and software needed to connect them.
Relevant industries
Related services
Could your operations work better together?
If your consultancy is relying on manual processes between CRM, documents, finance and delivery systems, we can help identify where automation and AI can create practical value.