MANAGEMENT • PROFIT • SVETLANA TATAUROVA
When a Business Needs an Operations Director
When a business needs an operations director. A practical analysis for the owner: which figures to check, how to identify the cause, and how to choose the next managerial step.
Author: Svetlana Tataurova · Updated: 2026-09-26
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Formulate the problem in numbers
Typical starting situation: the owner has become the growth bottleneck. Don’t start with layoffs, discounts, or increased advertising. First, set the comparison period and check the number of employees, departments, decisions and management workload. The same external problem can stem from different causes.
Separate the symptom from the cause
A decrease in the account balance does not always mean a drop in profit, and increased sales do not guarantee improved economics. Compare sales, gross profit, fixed costs and cash flow. Then break down the result by products, channels, employees or locations — depending on the business model.
Check data quality
Before drawing conclusions, make sure that revenues and expenses are assigned to the correct periods, that returns and discounts are accounted for, and that metrics from different units are calculated consistently. If figures are collected manually, spot-check them against primary transactions. A management decision based on incorrect data can worsen the problem.
Choose a limited action
A practical next step is to define the role's scope of responsibility before hiring. An action must have an owner, a deadline and a success metric. Do not change prices, advertising, the team and the product at the same time: otherwise it will be impossible to understand what actually affected the result.
Introduce regular monitoring
After changes, compare plan versus actual every week using the same set of metrics. If the result deviates, record the reason and the next action. The goal of the management system is to detect deviations earlier and make decisions before the problem turns into a cash shortfall or crisis.
When an external review is needed
If the owner cannot see the reason for the deviation, the team argues about the numbers, or decisions are constantly postponed, an independent audit is useful. For an initial review, anonymized figures on sales, expenses, liabilities, team structure and a description of the main problem are sufficient; bank passwords and customers' personal data are not needed.
Frequently asked questions
Where to start if there's little data?
Collect the minimum: revenue, gross profit, fixed costs, cash balance, mandatory payments and accounts receivable for comparable periods.
Is it necessary to immediately implement a complex BI system?
No. First define the metrics and the rules for their calculation. Automation is useful after the management logic becomes clear.
How quickly can Svetlana assess the situation?
Prepare a description of the business, the main problem, the dynamics of sales and expenses, the team structure and upcoming obligations. This is sufficient for an initial diagnosis.
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