Operating Model Fundamentals

What is the OP3 Methodology?

The OP3 Methodology™ is Loop Business Consulting's proprietary framework for operating model design, covering Optimise, Perform, and Progress.

What Is the OP3 Methodology™?

The OP3 Methodology™ is Loop Business Consulting's proprietary operating model design framework. It provides a structured, repeatable approach to diagnosing, redesigning, and embedding operating models in Australian businesses — from founder-led companies scaling past $5 million to large enterprises managing complex transformations.

The three lenses of OP3 are:

Optimise

The first lens focuses on the current state. Before redesigning anything, we map where the business actually creates value and where it consumes it without return. This diagnostic phase identifies the structural friction points — duplicated roles, unclear accountabilities, processes that have grown organically without design, and governance mechanisms that slow decisions rather than enabling them.

Most consulting engagements skip this step and go straight to recommendations. We do not. The Optimise lens ensures that every recommendation is grounded in a specific, evidenced problem rather than a generic best practice.

Perform

The second lens is the design phase. Using the diagnostic findings, we redesign the operating model to deliver the business's strategy with the right level of investment. This includes organisation design (who does what and how they are structured), process redesign (how work flows from input to outcome), governance design (how decisions are made and by whom), and performance framework design (how results are measured and managed).

The Perform lens produces a Target Operating Model (TOM) — a concrete, implementable blueprint, not a slide deck of recommendations. In our work with a major Australian telecommunications provider, the TOM guided the seamless transition of over 600 roles across three merged operational units with 100% adoption of new processes and ways of working.

Progress

The third lens is the most commonly neglected. Most operating model redesigns fail not because the design was wrong but because the change was never properly embedded. The Progress lens covers change management, leadership transition support, communication planning, and the performance rhythms required to sustain the new model over time.

Our work with National Intermodal Corporation is an example of Progress in action: we did not just design the HR and operating framework — we stayed engaged through implementation, ensuring the remuneration framework was adopted, the recruitment approach was embedded, and the 77% employee engagement score was measured and sustained.

Why OP3 Is Different

The OP3 Methodology™ differs from traditional consulting approaches in three ways. First, it is operator-led — our advisors have held C-suite roles and have personally executed the transformations they now advise on. Second, it is implementation-focused — the deliverable is a changed business, not a report. Third, it is integrated — strategy, structure, and people capability are designed together rather than in separate workstreams that never connect.

Learn more about the OP3 Methodology™ at [loopbc.com.au/services/operating-model-design](https://www.loopbc.com.au/services/operating-model-design).

Ready to solve this in your business?

Loop Consulting Group works with Australian businesses scaling from $5M to $50M. If this question reflects a challenge you're facing, let's talk.