Case study: Driving Efficiency Through Evidence-Based Team Evaluation

In 2025, Right Lane Consulting partnered with a Victorian government agency that supports the professional learning and development of a significant workforce across the state. The organisation has undergone rapid transformation and growth over the past 3 years, scaling its program offering, model of operation and delivery, geographic reach and program participation. As operations matured, the executive sought to review and clarify team activity and functions to improve collaboration and optimise delivery efficiency, striking a better balance of effort and impact.

Right Lane Consulting was engaged to undertake a detailed activity review across a number of teams, to assess the workflow alignment with strategic priorities, to identify duplication and to reduce barriers to collaboration and productivity. The project’s overarching aim was to create an evidence-based foundation for sustainable improvement in organisational design and performance.

Data collection

It was important that this was highly consultative, was supported by both qualitative and quantitative insights and provided a practical evaluation framework to guide future decision-making.

The project began by developing a task-level review template to capture activity across teams, highlighting effort and time allocation, interdependencies with other teams, and challenges or pain points in collaboration and delivery. Insights were co-developed with teams and informed by interviews, co-design workshops, and site visits.

Framework application

Following the collection of relevant inputs, Right Lane Consulting supported the organisation’s teams to apply a Team Evaluation Framework to determine the importance, effort, and value of each key task. The framework comprised three key steps:

1. Define value dimensions: Three value dimensions were established — strategic alignment, impact on stakeholders, and effort versus benefit evaluation. Each task was scored on a scale of 1–5 against each dimension.
2. Apply value dimensions to team tasks: Each team assigned scores across the three dimensions for their key tasks, to produce a total score.
3. Map to a value matrix: The total scores were then mapped to a value matrix comprising three categories — high, medium, and low value.

The framework determined that high-value tasks were to be prioritised and maintained. Medium-value tasks could be optimised for greater efficiency. Low-value tasks were to be challenged and reconsidered in terms of relevance and approach.

Validation

After teams completed their evaluations, Right Lane Consulting facilitated validation workshops with the project team to sense-check and align assessments. These sessions helped reclassify tasks where appropriate, integrating both quantitative scoring and qualitative judgment.

The application of the Team Evaluation Framework and the recommendations provided by Right Lane Consulting supported the client to:

• Identify opportunities for enhancing efficiency and optimising resource allocation across in-scope teams, including quantified estimates of potential reductions in effort and value reallocation.
• Develop a clearer understanding of internal pressures, validating findings related to overlapping team functions, duplicated effort, and structural inefficiencies.
• Consider and prioritise future state options for improved team and organisational structure, culture, and ways of working — enabling the organisation to remain impactful, efficient, and aligned with its evolving purpose and context.

The Team Evaluation Framework offers significant value beyond this project. Its adaptable structure allows organisations across sectors to assess where effort is being invested relative to strategic importance and stakeholder impact. By combining quantitative analysis with qualitative insight, leaders make informed, transparent decisions about where to focus resources for maximum value. Additionally, using a consultative approach and including team members through the process enables greater buy-in to the changes proposed.

For organisations experiencing growth, structural change, or evolving efficiency mandates, applying a similar framework can support evidence-based prioritisation, improve accountability, and foster a culture of continuous improvement — driving teams that remain aligned, efficient, and purpose-driven as their environments shift.

Client feedback: Right Lane Consulting was flexible in their approach and responded well to changes and requests along the way. It felt collaborative and responsive. We got what we wanted  — recommendations, as well as the analysis that led to the identification [of recommendations].

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