FAQ
These FAQs explain our human-first approach to performance, leadership development, and using agile principles without big consulting transformation programs
What does Berriault & Associates actually do?
We help leaders and teams improve how work flows through their system—so delivery gets more predictable, priorities stop thrashing, and people aren’t carrying the whole load in their heads. Our work is behaviour-first, not framework-first.
Who do you work with?
We work with leadership teams, delivery teams, and small- to mid-sized organizations that want better outcomes without burning out their people. We’re often brought in when “agile” exists on paper, but the day-to-day still feels heavy.
Do you work with leaders directly (leadership development / executive coaching)?
Yes. We work 1:1 and with leadership teams to strengthen decision-making, clarity, accountability, and trust—especially when the organization is under pressure and performance expectations are rising.
What does “human-first performance” mean?
It means performance matters—but not at the expense of the humans doing the work. We look for early signs that the system is creating strain (overload, fear, silence, constant urgency), then help leaders change the conditions so people can do great work sustainably.
What are the early signs performance is starting to cost too much?
Common signals include: priority thrash, rising invisible work, more after-hours effort, increased conflict or withdrawal, slower decisions, more rework, and teams that look fine externally but feel stretched underneath.
What leadership behaviours do you focus on most?
Usually: setting clear priorities, making decision rights explicit, creating psychological safety, handling conflict productively, building feedback loops, and reinforcing the behaviours you want (instead of rewarding heroics and urgency).
We have strong leaders, but the system is a mess. Can you help?
Yes. Even great leaders get trapped in systems that reward urgency, overload, and short-term optics. We help you rebuild the operating system around the work, so leadership doesn’t have to rely on willpower to keep things healthy.
Do you only work with software teams?
No. We’ve supported software, accounting, marketing/sales, regulated environments, and small businesses. The patterns that slow teams down show up everywhere—especially around priorities, decision-making, and trust.
Do you offer agile coaching and agile transformation?
But we don’t run big-consulting-style transformations: long programs, heavy governance, lots of decks, and a rollout that looks busy while people get more exhausted. If you want a large-scale change initiative that optimizes for optics, we’re not the right fit.
We also don’t do process-only coaching that keeps events running while the real constraints stay untouched (priority churn, unclear decision rights, leadership misalignment, overloaded teams, low trust).
We’re a human-first performance advisor. I help leaders recognize when performance starts to exact a human cost, then rebuild the system and behaviours so teams can adapt, perform, and breathe again—with practical changes that last after we’re gone.
What makes your approach different from a traditional “agile transformation”?
Traditional transformations often focus on adopting a framework and scaling it. We focus on the conditions that make performance sustainable: priorities, decision-making, trust, team health, and reinforcement. Frameworks are optional. Outcomes aren’t.
If you’re not doing a big transformation program, what do you do instead?
We start with a clear baseline (what’s driving strain and drag), then install a small set of changes that protect priorities, speed up decisions, and reduce overload. We reinforce the behaviours and operating rules so improvements don’t fade when attention shifts.
What is the Stop Competing™ System?
Stop Competing™ is our proprietary approach to protecting priorities, accelerating decisions, and building reinforcement so improvements don’t fade after the engagement ends.
What’s the difference between agile coaching and an agile transformation?
Coaching focuses on improving how a team or its leader works day to day. A transformation goes wider: it addresses the system around the work (priorities, policies, funding, leadership behaviours, and feedback loops) so improvements actually stick.
How long does a typical engagement take?
Many engagements run about 6 months. A single-team transformation is often around 6 months, mid-sized organizations can be 8–12 months, and larger orgs can take longer depending on scope and constraints.
What does the process look like to get started?
Usually: discovery call → assessment → proposal call → statement of work → project plan → kickoff. We keep the early steps simple so you get clarity quickly.
Do you offer assessments?
Yes. We use assessments and interviews to understand what’s happening in leadership, team health, value creation, alignment, trust, and flow—then we turn that into a practical roadmap.
Do you provide training workshops too?
Yes. We offer workshops and facilitation on topics like collaboration, forecasting, systems thinking, root cause analysis, team performance, and leadership alignment—always tied back to real work.
What results should we expect?
Results vary by context, but clients commonly see improved predictability, faster decision-making, less rework, healthier team dynamics, and better throughput without pushing people harder.
Do you work virtually or on-site?
Both. Many engagements are delivered virtually (via Zoom and collaboration tools), and we can also support in-person sessions when it makes sense.
Are you framework-agnostic (Scrum, Kanban, etc.)?
Yes. We use what fits your context. The goal is not to implement a framework—it’s to build a system that helps your people deliver sustainably.
How do you price your services?
Pricing depends on scope, headcount, and the type of engagement (assessment, coaching, system install, reinforcement). After a discovery call, we’ll recommend the smallest engagement that creates meaningful traction.
What if our team is already stretched or burned out?
That’s exactly when the work matters most. We’ll look at what’s driving the strain—system, behaviour, or both—and identify the first change that helps people breathe, speak honestly, and work in a healthier way.
Is this therapy or mental health counselling?
No. This is leadership and organizational performance work. We do take human strain seriously, and we’ll address the conditions that increase the risk of burnout—but we’re not providing clinical care.