Problem
Tasks were lost in chat threads. There was no single view of workload, priorities, or delivery status. Frequent conflicts around who owned what. Missed tasks and delayed timelines as the team scaled. The founder was the unofficial source of truth, which doesn't scale past a certain point.
Approach
Evaluated tools against the actual workflow rather than feature lists. Considered HubSpot (good CRM, too heavy for delivery), Jira (built for software, too complex for creative teams), Trello (too simple at scale), and monday.com (best balance of simplicity and visibility). Picked monday.com and rolled out in phases: Islamabad delivery teams first to prove the workflow, then ops ownership of board hygiene and SOPs, then Dubai PMs and account managers, then wider teams and client-facing boards. Built role-based boards, SOP-driven briefs, automations for handoffs, and dashboards for workload visibility.
Outcome
monday.com became the source of truth for delivery, operations, and HR. Six workspaces across departments with role-based dashboards. Clear visibility into ongoing work, fewer follow-ups, stronger planning, less founder involvement in day-to-day delivery. Team grew from 10 to 50+ users without the chaos that usually comes with that growth curve.
Notes
Context
I joined the agency in September 2021 to set up the Islamabad office from scratch. Early on, tasks were managed through Slack and WhatsApp. That worked while the team was small. But as delivery volume and headcount grew, the cracks became obvious. Work was getting buried in chat threads, ownership was unclear, and follow-ups became the default project management style.
Tool evaluation
I had used HubSpot for two years on an NDIS project for an Australian client. That gave me a practical benchmark: the tool has to fit the workflow, not the other way around. We looked at four options:
- HubSpot. Excellent CRM, but heavier than required for day-to-day delivery workflows.
- Jira. Best for software teams. Too complex for creative delivery and non-technical stakeholders.
- Trello. Too simple at scale. Limited structure, automation, and reporting.
- monday.com. Best balance of simplicity and visibility. The UI clicked, and it supported SOPs, automations, and dashboards.
monday.com won.
Rollout in phases
We rolled it out in phases to protect delivery while building adoption.
- Islamabad delivery teams (designers and editors) first. Prove the workflow before expanding.
- Ops took ownership of board hygiene, SOPs, and templates.
- Added Dubai-based project managers and account managers.
- Expanded to wider teams and client-facing boards.
What we built along the way:
- Role-based boards and views (execution vs. management)
- SOP-driven briefs and status conventions
- Automations for handoffs, reminders, and status changes
- Dashboards for workload, delivery health, and reporting
Change management was the real work
The biggest pushback came from account managers and project managers. monday.com required clearer briefs, consistent statuses, and disciplined handoffs. For the first time, work became visible. Including the delays and missing inputs.
Executing teams adopted faster because they gained clarity, delivery records, and less ambiguity.
How we handled the resistance:
- Defined SOPs early and improved them continuously
- Trained teams by role (AM/PM vs. execution teams)
- Used feedback loops to refine statuses and templates
- Kept ownership with Ops initially, then transitioned it to teams
What changed once the system settled
- Clear visibility into ongoing and upcoming work
- Fewer follow-ups with better status hygiene and notifications
- Stronger planning and reduced founder involvement in day-to-day delivery
- Delivery predictability improved significantly across the board
Key learnings I'd carry into the next rollout
- Adoption beats features. Pick what teams will actually use.
- Start with clarity: roles, statuses, and SOPs before automations.
- Roll out in phases and prove value with one team first.
- Dashboards only work if the underlying data is clean.
- Tools don't create accountability. Ownership does.
Today
monday.com is now the source of truth for delivery, operations, and HR at the agency. Six workspaces, role-based views, dashboards, and automations. AI is now being integrated into briefs, updates, and content operations to reduce manual work without removing human ownership.
If I had to deploy it again for a similar agency, I'd still pick monday.com for this profile of team. I'd just execute faster with the lessons learned above.