StreamCore NexWave started in a spare room in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood in the spring of 2018. Charlotte Stanton had spent the previous twelve years watching organisations spend significant money on technology projects that delivered partial results, and she had a clear theory about why: the strategy work and the implementation work were almost always handled by different people who had not spoken to each other carefully enough. She left her last employer in February of that year with two retained clients and a very specific idea of what she wanted to build.
The first two years were deliberately small. Charlotte took on three to four engagements at a time, worked without subcontractors, and kept detailed notes on every project. A turning point came in late 2019, when a mid-size logistics company in Mississauga brought her in to review a warehouse management system rollout that had gone badly wrong. The vendor had delivered the software on schedule. The problem was that nobody had mapped the existing paper-based processes before the transition, and the new system had been configured around assumptions that did not match how the warehouse actually operated. Charlotte spent four months untangling it. That engagement shaped the diagnostic methodology that StreamCore NexWave still uses today.
Four weeks of structured interviews, document review, and process observation, resulting in a written diagnostic report with prioritised findings and a recommended next step. The report is written to be shared with both the executive team and the people doing the work.
An eight-to-twelve-week engagement producing a phased technology or operational strategy, a risk register, and an executive summary. Includes one presentation session and one round of revisions after delivery.
Covers requirements definition, market scan, RFP drafting, vendor scoring, and a final written recommendation. The process is structured to produce a defensible decision, not just a shortlist.
Monthly access for strategic questions, document review, and decision support. Up to twelve hours of direct engagement per month, with written summaries of all sessions provided within two business days.
A two-to-three-week review of a completed project, measuring actual outcomes against original objectives. Produces a written assessment and a specific set of recommendations for the next phase.
A half-day or full-day facilitated session with your team to map a specific operational workflow. Produces a documented process map, a list of identified gaps, and a short written summary. Suitable as a standalone exercise or as a precursor to a larger engagement.
In late 2019, StreamCore NexWave was brought in to review a warehouse management system implementation that had gone wrong. The software had been delivered on time. The problem was everything else. Seven years later, that engagement still shapes how every project starts.
Every retainer engagement at StreamCore NexWave includes a written summary of each session, delivered within two business days. Clients sometimes ask why. The answer is less about documentation and more about decision quality over time.
Most vendor selection processes spend too much time in product demonstrations and not enough time on requirements. The demo is designed to impress. The requirements document is designed to protect you. StreamCore NexWave's evaluation process starts with the second one.
The phrase 'technology strategy' gets used in a lot of contexts, and it means different things depending on who is using it. For some organisations, it means a list of planned software purchases. For others, it is a high-level vision statement that nobody references after the board presentation. Neither of those is particularly useful. A technology strategy that does its job is a document that helps an organisation make consistent decisions over a period of two to four years, even as circumstances change.
Read more →Choosing a software vendor or technology partner is one of the decisions that is hardest to reverse. A contract signed in haste, or on the basis of an impressive demonstration, can bind an organisation to a system that does not fit its actual needs for three to five years. The evaluation process is where that risk is managed, and most organisations underinvest in it.
Read more →There is a sequence that produces good technology implementations, and it is not the sequence most organisations follow. The common approach is to identify a technology, select a vendor, and then figure out how to make the existing process fit the new system. The sequence that works is the reverse: map the existing process in detail, identify where it breaks down, redesign it, and then select the technology that supports the redesigned process.
Read more →Different organisations need different kinds of help. These four questions help identify which type of engagement is likely to be the most useful starting point.
Most clients are in the Greater Toronto Area, but StreamCore NexWave has completed engagements in Ottawa and Vancouver. Remote work is handled well for most phases of a project. Site visits are scheduled when they genuinely add value, and travel costs are discussed and agreed in advance.
Fixed-scope engagements are invoiced in two instalments: fifty percent at the start of the engagement and fifty percent on delivery of the final report. Retainer arrangements are invoiced monthly in advance. Payment is accepted by bank transfer or cheque. HST applies to all fees.