Operating Model Case Study
When universities rely on you to power their online programs, there's no room for guesswork.
2U, a leading educational technology company, found themselves six months post-cloud migration and facing a harsh reality:
- They couldn't see their delivery capacity.
- They couldn't estimate project timelines.
- They couldn't track how long anything actually took.
In other words: they'd gone digital.but were flying blind.
Challenge
Despite consolidating workflows and migrating to Jira Cloud, 2U's marketing operations were still trapped in chaos. Work kept piling up, but leadership had no reliable way to forecast delivery, understand bottlenecks, or plan confidently for upcoming initiatives.
Insight
When Think Systems' founder, Joshua King, stepped in (while at a previous consulting firm), it quickly became clear:
The tools weren't broken. The way people worked together-and how work was structured-was the real problem.
Teams were focused on finishing their individual tasks, but there was no shared focus on outcomes. The work was getting done.but not moving the business forward in predictable, measurable ways.
Approach
Joshua launched a Fast Track assessment to diagnose the root issues. His findings shaped a bold three-phase plan to transform both process and culture.
Key elements included:
Redesigning Workflow Structures
- Created a new issue hierarchy in Jira tailored for marketing asset delivery
- Designed workflows for visibility and faster handoffs
Piloting a New Way of Working
- Built and tested new processes with a steering committee first
- Launched a cross-functional pilot team to stress-test the changes
Custom Training and Cultural Shift
- Developed tailored training that explained not just what to do differently-but why
- Shifted focus from "my task" to "our collective delivery of high-value assets"
Enabling Data-Driven Decision Making
- Implemented measurement frameworks for cycle times, wait times, and bottlenecks
- Equipped leadership with data for better planning and forecasting
Key Actions
- Facilitated story mapping for the entire marketing ecosystem
- Built a phased release map to prioritize critical features
- Integrated team-level coaching to help adopt new ways of working
- Designed custom Jira boards for shared services teams to reduce context switching
Results
70% reduction in overall project durations (target was 30%-they crushed it)
Increased transparency into:
- Workflow progress
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Time spent waiting vs. actively working
Cultural transformation:
- 15% improvement in perceived workflow effectiveness
- 48% boost in communication and collaboration
- Nearly 100% team adoption after addressing initial pain points
Client Impact
What started as a fix for a Jira implementation turned into a true business transformation.
2U's marketing operations are now:
- Data-driven and predictable
- Aligned around shared outcomes
- Equipped to deliver faster without sacrificing quality
And perhaps most importantly:
Teams finally stopped working in silos-and started working as one.
Key Takeaway:
"Technology alone doesn't transform a business. People, clarity, and shared purpose do."
The lessons and tools Joshua honed in this engagement continue to fuel how Think Systems helps medium-sized organizations achieve big results without big-company chaos.