Dutton Brown · Strategy
Every department at Dutton Brown is structured around these 6 pillars — designed for clarity, accountability, and scale. The roadmap below executes against this framework, department by department.
Litmus test: if someone new joined tomorrow, could they understand this department using only what's in Notion? If not, we have work to do.
Core Responsibilities
Defines ownership & outcomes — what breaks if this department doesn't exist.
KPIs & Goals
Creates measurable accountability with Tier 1 (Scores) and Tier 2 (KPIs).
Roles & People
Enables clear delegation, hiring triggers, and performance management.
Systems, SOPs & Tools
Ensures consistency, scalability, and documents the tech/contractor ecosystem.
Meeting Rhythm & Reporting
Maintains alignment & momentum through structured weekly/monthly/quarterly cadence.
Growth, Risks & Improvement
Exposes limitations early and embeds continuous improvement.
The top-line "what each team is working on this month." Company Theme is the cross-cutting priority that ties department work together. April is current.
| Department | April Now | May | June | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Company Theme
|
Rollout pillars & reporting system
|
Developing dashboards | Automating KPIs | TBD | TBD |
|
Marketing
Hannah
|
KPIs & Goals | Email Automations | Trade Program Improvements | TBD | TBD |
|
Production
Catherine
|
KPIs & Goals
Testing SOP
|
QC Process + SOPs | Assembly Process + SOPs | TBD | TBD |
|
Operations
Chase
|
KPIs & Goals
SKU Development
|
Scope MRPEasy | Implement MRPEasy | TBD | TBD |
|
Admin & HR
|
Rollout Updated Handbook | Performance Management structure | Company Hub buildout | TBD | TBD |
|
Design & Dev
|
Content funnel — images & .glb | Finalize Revit + product descriptions | Migrate legacy Shopify accounts | TBD | TBD |
Q3 and Q4 will be set during the Q2 quarterly planning review. Operations ERP work (MRPEasy scoping + implementation) spans May–June and will inform Q3 decisions.
Every project from the grid above, tied to an owner, a meeting cadence, and a future Playbook link. Grouped by department.
| Project | Owner | Timing | Meeting Cadence | Status | Playbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-Pillar Framework Rollout | TThomas | April | Monthly mgmt (2nd Thu) | Doing | Pending |
| Reporting System Development | TThomas | April – May | Monthly mgmt (2nd Thu) | Doing | Pending |
| Dashboard Development | TThomas | May | Monthly mgmt (2nd Thu) | Not started | Pending |
| KPI Automation | TThomas | June | Monthly mgmt (2nd Thu) | Not started | Pending |
| Project | Owner | Timing | Meeting Cadence | Status | Playbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop KPIs | TThomas/HHannah | April | Ad hoc — Week B | Doing | Pending |
| Email Automations | HHannah | May | Ad hoc — Week B | Doing | Pending |
| Trade Program Improvements | HHannah/TThomas | June | Ad hoc — Week B | Planning | Pending |
| Project | Owner | Timing | Meeting Cadence | Status | Playbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop KPIs | TThomas/CCatherine | April | Ad hoc — Week B | Doing | Pending |
| Testing SOP | TThomas | April | Ad hoc — Week B | Not started | Pending |
| QC Process + SOPs | TThomas/CCatherine | May | Ad hoc — Week B | Not started | Pending |
| Assembly Process + SOPs | TThomas/CCatherine | June | Ad hoc — Week B | Not started | Pending |
| Project | Owner | Timing | Meeting Cadence | Status | Playbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product SKU Development | TThomas | April (ongoing) | TBD | Doing | Pending |
| Launch ERP System (MRPEasy) | CChase | May – June | TBD | Doing | Pending |
| Project | Owner | Timing | Meeting Cadence | Status | Playbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Management | CCatherine | May | TBD | Planning | Pending |
| Company Hub | TThomas | June | TBD | Planning | Pending |
| Project | Owner | Timing | Meeting Cadence | Status | Playbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Renders (images & .glb) | TThomas | April (ongoing) | — | Doing | Pending |
| Revit Models + Product Descriptions | TThomas | May | — | Doing | Pending |
| Legacy Accounts Migration (Shopify) | TThomas | June | — | Doing | Pending |
Parking lot for projects that matter but aren't yet scheduled. Items get promoted into the grid above when capacity opens or a higher-priority effort wraps. Review this section first during quarterly planning.
| Department | Project | Why it matters | Blocked by | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production | Maintenance log & schedule | Prevents downtime, extends equipment life | Production SOPs first | Medium |
| Production | Cross-training plan | Reduces key-person dependency; builds team resilience | Testing SOP + QC docs | Medium |
| Production | New hire onboarding structure | Scottie & Sarah need formalized ramp; sets template for future hires | SOPs + cross-training | Medium |
| Production | Booth utilization & capacity analysis | Informs equipment investments (multi-gun, racks, additional booths) | KPI data from April | Medium |
| Operations | Parts ordering process & inventory system | Fixes communication gaps on overseas parts; gives ETA visibility | ERP scoping (May) | High |
| Operations | Customer FAQs | Knowledge base for customers and future chatbot; reduces support load | — | Low |
| Marketing | Quarterly content shoots | Organized photo/video production for product marketing and social | — | Medium |
| Marketing | Trade show attendance | Fall architect event confirmed; possible June show; direct trade growth channel | Confirm June show | Medium |
| Marketing | Blogs | Content marketing channel; SEO value | Brand Guide completion | Low |
| Marketing | Unboxing experience improvements | Better packaging and touches to elevate the brand at delivery | — | Low |
| Marketing | Local designer outreach | Build relationships with local interior designers; personal touch delivery | — | Low |
| Design & Dev | Trade Program Automation (Make · AI) | Auto-approve 70–80% of trade applicants instantly vs. 1–2 day manual review | June trade program kickoff | Medium |
| Design & Dev | 3D Viewers (.glb / 360° turntables) | Interactive product views for Shopify; AR-ready assets for trade and retail | Content funnel (April) | Medium |
| Design & Dev | duttonbrown.com UX improvements | Ongoing site UX, performance, and design updates from deep research audit | — | Medium |
| Design & Dev | Improved trade portal | Better login, approval, and resource access for 6,500+ trade members | Trade Program (June) | Medium |
| Admin & HR | Write Offboarding SOP | No documented exit process; needed for compliance and consistency | — | Medium |
| Admin & HR | Escalation framework check-in | Rolled out April 2026 — needs feedback loop to confirm adoption | 1–2 months usage data | Low |
| Facilities | Landscape improvements | Rock bed weed barrier + parking lot treatment; curb appeal and maintenance | Vendor quotes | Medium |
| Facilities | Skylight upgrade | 10 skylights need repair/replacement; quotes range $3.5K–$25K | Contract clarification | Medium |
| Facilities | Compressor & dryer system | Clean, dry air at 90–120 PSI for sandblasting and powder coating | — | High |
Rules of the road
Weekly
1:1s
Each DRI reviews their row in the Focus Grid and their projects in the detail table. Is the focus still right? Any blockers?
Monthly
Review
Thomas reviews the full grid, updates statuses, and adjusts the following month's focus cells as needed.
Quarterly
Planning
Open the Backlog first — promote items into the grid before planning anything new. Then set the next quarter's theme and cells.
When a team finishes early
Promote from Backlog
Check the Backlog for a promotable unblocked item before inventing new work. Pull the highest-priority item with no red dependency.