Runs on PeopleWork with us
Getting it sorted. Properly.
From startup to scale-up to the Fortune 500. Operational and business transformation without the theatre, for every kind of business. No team too small, no problem too tangled.
Start here
A free 30-minute appraisal. No pitch, and an honest answer, even if that answer is no.
Book a free appraisalWhat we help with
Four lines of work, one approach: fix the people side and the process side together, and measure the change.
People development
Managers who coach, careers that grow.
- Manager coaching
- Career ladders and promotion frameworks
- Team resets
Operational rigour
Ways of working that people actually follow.
- Planning cadence and team agreements
- Framework fixes: SAFe, Scrum, Kanban, Shape Up
- Operating model and roles
Delivery improvement
Faster, safer delivery, measured.
- Flow and DORA measures
- The Effectiveness Baseline
- Bottlenecks named and fixed
AI adoption
Forward Deployed: engineers in your team.
- Deployment Sprints
- Run and Improve
- AI governance and use agreements
We've done this before
We've spent more than 20 years leading teams and fixing how work gets done, in local, national and international businesses across telecoms, fintech, adtech, cyber security and manufacturing. From factory production lines to cloud platforms.
We've taken small businesses from selling locally to building international markets, from Ireland to Mexico. We've given startups the structure to scale, and helped scale-ups put the right people in place on the way to billion-dollar outcomes. And we've taken on teams that were falling apart, with people leaving and the product broken, and left them stable, proud of their work and staying.
The approach is simple. Find out what's really going on, from the people doing the work. Fix the few things that matter most, in the right order. Make it stick, then get out of the way. No 200-slide decks, no new jargon, no programme that outlives its purpose.
Most of what we fix turns out to be a people problem in disguise: unclear priorities, the wrong person holding the keys, a manager promoted without help, a process designed for someone who left years ago. That's what Runs on People is built on.
Free appraisal
Thirty minutes. A real answer.
Most people know something isn't right before they know what. The appraisal is how you find out, at no cost and with no pitch.
Book your free appraisalWhat you get
- A 30-minute video call about what's really going on
- A look at your team scan, if you've taken it
- A short written summary within two working days: what we heard, the three things we'd fix first, and in what order
- An honest answer on whether you need outside help, or can do it yourself with the free tools
Who we help
Every size, every sector. The people problems are the same; the scale changes.
Startups
Structure to scale, without the bureaucracy.
- Priorities everyone understands
- A cadence that fits a small team
- Your first managers, set up to succeed
- Hiring the people who'll carry you to the next stage
Scale-ups
The right people in the right places, fast.
- Leadership teams that can grow with the business
- Delivery that keeps up with growth
- Teams that don't depend on two heroes
- Getting ready for investment, acquisition or the next round
Established businesses and the Fortune 500
Turnarounds, transformations and the teams inside them.
- Turning round a fragile team, product or codebase
- Transformations that land, not just launch
- Agile at scale that isn't just ceremony
- Leaders who need a trusted outside view
IndustriesTelecoms · Fintech · Adtech · Cyber security · Manufacturing · and plenty more. If it runs on people, we can help.
How we work
Four steps, whatever the size of the job.
- 01
Listen first
Time with the people doing the work, not just the people running it. The real picture is usually on the floor, not in the deck.
- 02
Find the few things
Three or four changes that will make the biggest difference, in the order they need to happen.
- 03
Fix it with them
Changes made with the team, not done to them, so they still work after we've gone.
- 04
Measure it, then leave
Agree what better looks like up front, check it moved, and hand over properly.
Track record
What changed. Employers and clients stay confidential.
| Context | The problem | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Scale-up · Adtech | Fast growth needed the right people and structure in the right places | Helped build the teams behind its scale-up to a billion-dollar acquisition |
| Turnaround · Cyber security | A fragile team with people leaving, and a product offering that was broken | Turned the team and codebase round to a stable, reliable offering, and stopped the attrition |
| Growth · Small business, Ireland to Mexico | A local business with the ambition to sell internationally | Built the operations and delivery to take it from local sales to international markets |
| Startups | Good ideas, no structure to scale | Put in the simplest structure that works: priorities, cadence and ownership, ready to grow |
| Manufacturing · Factory production lines | Production processes that cost time and money | Process optimisation on the shop floor, built with the people running the machines |
Ways to work together
From a free conversation to hands-on transformation help. Every engagement is scoped and priced with you before you commit.
Anyone wondering if they need help
Free appraisal
Free
30 minutes
- A 30-minute call about what's going on
- A look at your team scan results, if you've taken it
- An honest view of whether you need outside help at all
New or stretched managers
Manager coaching
4 sessions over 8 weeks
- Your manager profile and a plan from it
- 1:1s, feedback, saying no and your first planning cycle
- Email support between sessions
A team that's stuck or has lost its way
Team reset
Half-day workshop, plus prep and follow-up
- Team scan beforehand, so we start with facts
- A facilitated half-day on the two biggest blockers
- A written plan with owners and dates, and a 30-day check-in
Operational or delivery change that needs to land properly
Transformation sprint
Typically 6 to 12 weeks, often starting with a 2-week diagnosis
- Diagnosis: what's really going on, across people, process and product
- A short, prioritised plan, agreed with the people who'll live with it
- Hands-on help to make the first changes stick, with measures agreed up front
Looking for AI automation and efficiency? See Solutions, from a free appraisal to an embedded engineer-consultant. Rather do it yourself? The free tools and The Steer are built for exactly that.
Get in touch
hello@runsonpeople.com@runsonpeople on LinkedIn