Doubling capacity without increasing size

A copper mining company faced an increasingly common challenge: its environmental management team was overstretched, with growing responsibilities, and no structure that allowed it to respond with agility and focus. Despite the team's commitment, processes were scattered, decisions were slow, and the impact was insufficient for the current challenges.

The question was no longer how to add more people. It was about how to redesign the system to do more, with what they already had.

The starting point

The first step was to understand the entire system, including its organizational structure, roles, levels of responsibility, governance system, and operational functioning. At Summa, we conducted a rigorous joint diagnosis that brought to light what everyone sensed, but was not yet clear. There were multiple friction points, functional overlaps, and a growing gap between regulatory requirements and the team's actual response capacity.

We mapped the current process network, identifying operational bottlenecks and critical tasks for environmental compliance, but these were misaligned or lacked a clear owner. This snapshot allowed us to prioritize sensibly, as not everything was equally important. And not everything required more effort, but rather better design.

The solution

Together with our client, we defined adjustments to the organizational structure and designed, from scratch, concrete solutions for key processes; those that really moved the needle in terms of compliance, control, and environmental management.

We created a focused monitoring system with a few, but relevant indicators connected to management's strategic objectives and, most importantly, a new review and accountability model for those processes. Meetings were no longer for reviewing tasks but became spaces for decision-making.

The results

In less than six months, management doubled its operational capacity without increasing its staff.

It was not about working harder, but about aligning better and focusing on the processes that really mattered. It was about designing a system that allowed leaders to operate with clarity, autonomy, and judgment.

The transformation was quiet but profound. Above all, it was sustainable.

What we learned

Organizations don't always need to grow to respond better. Sometimes, what they need is to pause and redesign how they operate. When structure, processes, and internal governance are streamlined, teams don't just do more—they work better.

Is your organization growing without reviewing its system?

Maybe you don't need more people. You need a design that allows the right people to do the right things.

Let's talk.