CDG — Atlassian Operations Transformation.
How we mapped an entire architecture firm's business flow and migrated 12 staff from WhatsApp, email and spreadsheets onto Jira and Confluence — delivering a 22% gain in operational efficiency.
The results
What changed after we implemented.
Increase in operational efficiency across all project workflows
Staff trained and actively working on Jira and Confluence
Of business processes mapped, documented and stored in Confluence
Reduction in time spent searching for project information and updates
Performance data
Before and after implementation.
Key operational metrics measured across the CDG team in the 60 days before and after go-live on Jira and Confluence.
Hours lost per week to admin and searching
Average per team member — before vs after implementation
Key outcomes after go-live
Measured across the full team of 12
The full story
Challenge, solution and outcome.
CDG, an architecture and design firm based in Sandton, had grown to a team of 12 but their operational infrastructure had not kept up. Every project — from initial client briefs to final drawings, procurement schedules and site coordination — was being managed across a fragmented mix of WhatsApp groups, email threads and spreadsheets.
The result was predictable. Critical updates were missed. Procurement decisions were being made on outdated information. Project managers had no single view of where anything stood. New team members took weeks to get up to speed because nothing was written down. The founders were pulled into every decision because nothing could happen without them.
They needed their entire operation digitalised — not just a new tool, but a complete rethinking of how work moved through the business.
We started by mapping CDG's entire business flow — from the moment a client brief arrived to final project handover. Every step, every decision point, every handoff between team members. We documented what actually happened, not what was supposed to happen.
- Full business process mapping across every project phase — brief, design, procurement, construction and handover
- Jira configured with custom project types, workflows and boards built specifically for architecture project delivery
- Confluence company wiki built out — SOPs, drawing management standards, procurement procedures and onboarding guides
- Procurement tracking and approval workflows set up in Jira — eliminating the email and WhatsApp approval chains
- Project visibility dashboards giving management a real-time view of every active project and its status
- Full team training delivered across all 12 staff — including hands-on sessions for every project role
The team went from scattered tools to a single, connected system. CDG now runs every project through Jira and Confluence — from the first client conversation to the final handover document.
What the numbers mean
The business impact of getting your systems right.
For a 12-person architecture firm, these numbers translate into real money and real time back in the team's hands.
Saved per person per week
Each of the 12 team members saves an average of 7 hours per week previously spent on admin, chasing updates and searching for information.
Reclaimed every week across the team
Across 12 people, that is 84 hours per week returned to billable work, design and client delivery — not admin.
New hires productive immediately
With every process documented in Confluence, new team members can onboard and contribute from their first day — no weeks of shadowing required.
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