Delancy vs the alternatives.
There are several ways to address operational inefficiency. Each has real strengths and real trade-offs. This page lays them out honestly so you can decide which path fits your situation.
Side by Side
How the options compare.
| Delancy | Hire internally | Off-the-shelf tool | Consultancy | Do nothing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to working system | 4-6 weeks (pilot) | 3-6 months (recruit + onboard) | 1-2 weeks (basic), months to mature | 3-6 months (audit + build) | Never |
| Upfront cost | From £2,500 (pilot) | £5k-£15k (recruitment) | £0-£500 | £20k-£100k+ | £0 |
| Ongoing cost | Optional retainer or £0 | £55k-£90k/year | £120-£600/month | Day rates or new SOW | Hidden: errors, delays, attrition |
| Reflects your exact process | Yes, built bespoke | Depends on the hire | No, you adapt to the tool | Sometimes, if they build | N/A |
| Ownership | No ongoing dependency | Tied to the individual | Vendor-dependent (SaaS) | Varies by contract | N/A |
| Scales without headcount | Yes | No (one person) | Partially | If they build a system | No |
This is not a sales table. Every option has situations where it is the right choice. The comparison is based on typical outcomes for professional services firms with 15-80 people.
The Alternatives in Detail
Strengths, weaknesses, and when each one makes sense.
Hire internally
Recruit an operations manager or process improvement specialist to redesign and manage workflows in-house.
Strengths
- Deep institutional knowledge over time
- Permanently embedded in the team
- Can handle ongoing change management
Weaknesses
- Takes 3-6 months to recruit and onboard
- Salary, NI, pension, equipment: £55k-£90k/year minimum
- One person cannot watch every process simultaneously
- Leaves when they leave, taking knowledge with them
When this is the right choice
You already have systematic processes and need someone to manage and evolve them long-term. Not the right move if you do not have a defined system for them to manage yet.
Off-the-shelf tools
Platforms like Monday.com, Asana, Notion, or Zapier that you configure yourself.
Strengths
- Low upfront cost (£10-£50/seat/month)
- Quick to start with basic use cases
- Large community and integrations library
- Self-service, no external dependency
Weaknesses
- You become the implementer, project manager, and support team
- Generic structure: your process must adapt to the tool, not the other way around
- Configuration creep: starts simple, becomes unmanageable
- No process logic, just task tracking with manual oversight
When this is the right choice
Your processes are simple and your team has someone willing to own the tool long-term. If your process has conditional logic, multiple handover points, or compliance requirements, a generic tool will not hold.
Traditional consultancy
A consulting firm that audits your operation and delivers a recommendations report or builds a system on day rates.
Strengths
- Structured methodology and frameworks
- Can scope large transformation projects
- External credibility for board-level sign-off
Weaknesses
- Day-rate model: cost escalates with every change and delay
- Discovery phase often takes weeks before any build starts
- The deliverable is frequently a report, not a working system
- Knowledge leaves when the consultants leave
- Minimum engagements often start at £50k+
When this is the right choice
You need a large-scale transformation across multiple departments with board-level governance. If you need one workflow systematised and running within six weeks, this is not the right model.
Do nothing
Continue running the operation as it runs today. Rely on the existing combination of email, spreadsheets, and institutional memory.
Strengths
- No cost, no disruption, no change management
- Familiar to the team
- Works if volume stays flat and no one leaves
Weaknesses
- Every new hire increases coordination overhead
- Key-person risk: the operation breaks when someone is ill or leaves
- No visibility for leadership without asking
- Errors compound silently until a client notices
- Capacity ceiling: you cannot grow without adding headcount proportionally
When this is the right choice
Your operation is small, your volume is stable, and you have no plans to grow. The moment any of those change, doing nothing becomes the most expensive option.
Where Delancy Fits
What Delancy is and is not.
Delancy is
- A builder of bespoke workflow systems and AI agents
- Pilot-first model with price agreed before build
- Focused on professional services firms with 15-80 people
- Designed to hand over a system you own outright
Delancy is not
- A platform or SaaS product you subscribe to
- A consultancy that delivers reports instead of systems
- A staff augmentation or outsourcing provider
- The right fit if you need a large-scale enterprise transformation
Still weighing up your options?
Book a discovery call. No commitment. We will help you work out whether Delancy is the right path or whether one of the alternatives makes more sense for your situation.
Book a Discovery Call