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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SaaS Transformation: 4 Steps to Profitable Growth
Discover the essential steps for successful SaaS transformation. Streamline operations, align stakeholders, and accelerate growth in just 1-2 quarters.
SaaS Transformation for Social Impact Leaders with Strategic Prioritization
Get mission-aligned growth without confusion and misalignment in decision-making processes
Streamlining mission-critical processes is better with our data-driven prioritization framework that cuts through guesswork and ensures transparent decision-making, getting you clear, actionable steps to scale your impact efficiently and sustainably.
Apply for your free audit (2 spots left for 2025) & get our Business Process Optimization checklist
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SaaS Transformation: Three Key Obstacles
Avoid three common obstacles to SaaS Transformation: (hit toggle)
- Strategic Depth: Planning processes often lack the detail needed for effective decision-making, making it difficult to prioritize initiatives and achieve long-term goals.
- Existing artifacts such as sticky notes, to-do lists, or high-level customer journey maps may not provide clear guidance on next steps or their relative strategic importance.
- Buy-in and Transparency: Unclear prioritization and informal workflows can lead to stakeholder misalignment, hindering collaboration and efficiency.
- This can manifest in decisions that appear to be made by instinct, without clear rationale, or in response to immediate customer requests without considering long-term strategy.
- Flexibility and Speed: Traditional rigid roadmaps often rely on excessive assumptions or details, resulting in wasted efforts when circumstances change. An agile approach balancing thoroughness with adaptability is crucial.
- Teams may find themselves caught between overly detailed plans that quickly become outdated and overly vague directions that provide insufficient guidance.
SaaS Transformation: Make This Change Today
While these challenges may seem daunting, one powerful tool — our Strategic Prioritization Matrix — serves as a compass to your top problems and solutions, enabling scalable and profitable SaaS in three ways: (hit toggle)
- Strategic Depth: The matrix provides a clear, focused framework for prioritizing problems and solutions, informing decisions aligned with long-term business goals.
- Buy-in and transparency: By centralizing priorities in a transparent, shared source of truth, the matrix fosters alignment and collaboration among stakeholders.
- More flexibility and speed: The matrix enables flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining focus on achieving the SaaS business model efficiently.
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SaaS Transformation: 4 Easy-to-Overlook Steps
To address common challenges and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the Strategic Prioritization Matrix, we will implement the following key steps below.
Step 1: Scope & Matrix Prototype (1-3 weeks)
Start with the “end in mind”
The creation of a structured matrix template with clear success metrics and prioritization criteria addresses the challenge of insufficient strategic depth by providing a framework for detailed, data-driven decision-making.
- Establish core success target (e.g., lowering marginal costs, speeding up time to value)
- Strategic criteria for both problems and solutions
- (Optional) Draft criteria rubric for scoring matrix items
Toggle for Schedule
Task # | Own | Own / Deliverable |
ㅤ | ㅤ | Scope |
1.1 | Client | • Align on Scope of Work • Identify Primary Point of Contact • Pay Invoice (work starts upon receipt) |
1.2 | Both | (Optional) • Sign Contract with Confidentiality Agreement • Refine scope through further discovery and alignment with select stakeholders |
ㅤ | ㅤ | Prototype |
1.3 | Advisor | Share example and suggestions for the following: • Success Target • Top Strategic Criteria (Problem) • Top Strategic Criteria (Solution) • matrix template (Problem) • matrix template (Solution) Each item will be shared individually, and then the client will revise and align with the team to ensure that the schema is on a solid foundation. |
1.4 | Client | Revise each item above and align with team |
Step 2: Problem Finalists (2-6 weeks)
Prioritize the most important problems to solve
By actively involving stakeholders in the process of identifying problems and solutions, this step directly tackles the issue of insufficient buy-in and transparency, fostering greater alignment among all parties involved, especially those closest to the problem.
- Identify top business processes and workflows that need help
- Start with existing data then consider new data from relevant stakeholders (e.g., team, and customers)
- Prioritize problems based on criteria to identify finalists to solve
Toggle for Schedule
Task # | Own | Own / Deliverable |
ㅤ | ㅤ | Source Top Problems (”Wish Lists”) |
2.1 | Advisor | Share example and suggestions for the following: • Business process and workflow mapping • Survey to top stakeholders • (Optional) Scoring rubric for criteria Each item will be shared individually, and then the client will revise and align with the team to ensure that the schema is on a solid foundation. |
2.2 | Client | • Send any relevant information & ideas for problems • Revise each item above • Coordinate with internal team for further information gathering (e.g., send survey and follow up with them) |
ㅤ | ㅤ | Find “finalists” (First Pass) |
2.3 | Advisor | • Add items from wish list Step • Score samples with annotations |
2.4 | Client | • Revise, score, and align with team • Ask key stakeholders to score relevant items • Update scores as needed from feedback • Add new items |
Step 3: Solution Finalists (2-6 weeks)
Find the most viable solutions to your top problems
The iterative nature of drafting and aligning the matrix, with built-in feedback loops, addresses the desire for more flexibility and speed by allowing for quick adjustments as circumstances change, while still maintaining a thorough prioritization process.
- Identify best solutions to top problems (sources can include: validated solutions, stakeholders, and customers)
- Personalize and scope solutions based on key criteria
- Prioritize solutions based on criteria to identify finalists to validate & launch
Toggle for Schedule
Task # | Own | Own / Deliverable |
ㅤ | ㅤ | Source Top Solutions (”Wish Lists”) |
3.1 | Advisor | (Optional) Share example and suggestions for the following: • Survey to top stakeholders • Scoring rubric for criteria Each item will be shared individually, and then the client will revise and align with the team to ensure that the schema is on a solid foundation. |
3.2 | Client | • Add relevant information & ideas for solutions • Revise each item above • Coordinate with internal team for further information gathering (e.g., send survey and follow up with them) |
ㅤ | ㅤ | Find “finalists” (First Pass) |
3.3 | Advisor | • Add items from wish list Step • Score samples with annotations |
3.4 | Client | • Point of contact revise and align on first pass |
3.5 | Client | • Pay rest of fee* (I put this before refinement because, after providing my first pass, my main role here will be to provide support and guidance as you work on revisions and alignment, which can be an ongoing process.) |
Step 4: Refinement & Next Steps (2-6 weeks)
Validate solutions and continuously improve
This phase addresses all three challenges by providing strategic depth through evidence-based decision-making, fostering buy-in and transparency through continuous team alignment, and enabling flexibility and speed through iterative improvements. The ongoing nature of this process ensures that the matrix remains a dynamic tool, adapting to new insights and changing business needs while maintaining strategic focus.
- Refine, revise, add more ideas, and align the team as needed
- Build prototypes to improve evidence quality on effectiveness and viability
- Continue problem and solution prioritization for continuous improvement
Toggle for Schedule
Task # | Own | Own / Deliverable |
ㅤ | ㅤ | Refinement |
4.1 | Client | • Revise, score, and align with team • Ask relevant stakeholders to score matrix items on criteria • Update scores as needed • Add new relevant items as new information identified |
4.2 | Advisor | • Continue providing support and guidance |
ㅤ | ㅤ | Next Steps |
4.3 | Advisor | • Next Steps: Share top items to consider |
4.4 | Client | • Revise or provide feedback • Discuss if I can help further |
SaaS Transformation: Three Packages
Now that you understand the transformative power of the Strategic Prioritization Matrix, let's explore how you can implement this game-changing approach. We've designed three comprehensive packages to suit different needs and stages of SaaS transformation, ensuring you have the right level of support and resources to drive your success.
SaaS Transformation Package
ㅤ | Premium | ⭐ Most popular Standard | Basic |
ㅤ | "Done-for-you" service | Handheld support | Templates and guides |
ㅤ | $4-8k+ / mo | $1-2k / mo | $750 (one time) |
ㅤ | For businesses seeking customized implementations Async-first priority support with live meetings as needed Everything in Standard tier | For teams wanting personalized guidance and feedback Async-first support via email and text Everything in Basic tier | For self-starters wanting self-paced learning |
Apply for your free audit (2 spots left for 2025) & get our Business Process Optimization checklist
What are the key features included in these packages?
To help you seize this opportunity and overcome these challenges, our process is designed with features that ensure clarity, efficiency, and flexibility:
- Async: We use an async-first approach, reducing meetings and enabling efficient task completion. We offer ad hoc calls and facilitation as needed.
- Guides & Templates: Throughout the process, we provide curated materials on key concepts and templates to help you get to progress faster.
- Trial Period: Every engagement begins with a low-risk trial period, ensuring the relationship is mutually beneficial. There is no obligation to continue after the trial package detailed below.
The baseline package includes customizable templates, scoring tools, and frameworks designed to streamline your SaaS transformation. Depending on your chosen tier, you'll also receive varying levels of support and guidance.
Template | Description |
Strategic matrix Template | Prioritize problems and solutions with clarity |
Process Analyzer Tool | Framework for identifying workflow inefficiencies. Highlights areas for improvement. |
Problem Scoring Rubric | Evaluate business challenges based on impact and urgency |
Solution Viability Scorecard | Assess potential solutions based on feasibility and ROI |
Stakeholder Insights Survey | Template to gather input from key stakeholders. Resolves misalignment issues. |
What’s included in the done-for-you service?
See the schedule and phases in 4 easy-to-overlook steps below
Do you negotiate on pricing?
If these rates don’t align, please still inquire. There may be a strong fit, and we can explore alternative arrangements.
SaaS Transformation: FAQs
How long does the transformation process take?
The full process typically spans 1-2 quarters, depending on your organization's size, complexity, and responsiveness. We've designed the process to be flexible and adaptable to your specific needs.
Note: Timeframes are estimates and may vary based on responsiveness and circumstances.
Is ongoing support available?
Yes! Our Standard and Premium tiers include async support or full "done-for-you" services. We're committed to your success throughout the entire transformation journey.
Can this work for my industry?
While we specialize in tech-enabled services or product companies, our frameworks are adaptable to various industries. The core principles of prioritization, stakeholder alignment, and iterative improvement are universally applicable.
How does this compare to competitors or traditional consulting?
Unlike traditional consulting, our Strategic Prioritization Matrix approach provides you with actionable tools and frameworks you can continue to use long after our engagement. We focus on empowering your team rather than creating dependency.
For more resources on scaling your service or product, see this series (hit toggle)
North Star
North Star Metric Framework: Five Key Changes to Make Today
The North Star Framework for Effective Member Retention
B2B Customer Journey Mapping: A Missing Link
Process Optimization for Scale
How To Scale With Business Process Optimization
SaaS Transformation: 4 Steps to Profitable Growth (offer)
North Star Metric Framework: Five Key Changes to Make Today
The North Star Framework for Effective Member Retention
B2B Customer Journey Mapping: A Missing Link
Process Optimization for Scale
How To Scale With Business Process Optimization
SaaS Transformation: 4 Steps to Profitable Growth (offer)
Three Ways Joyful Ventures Can Help You
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