ORIGIN Onboarding Tests
Act 03, What we do Section 10 of 14

An engagement model is the shape of our relationship with a client: how long we stay, and whether we do the work or guard it. These two models cover service work.

2Models for service work
4Roles of a guardian
5Steps in guarded work
Meet the two models
Part 1

Two models for service work

BuildWe deliver something defined, hand it over, and leave. It usually runs three to six months. Right when the client has a strong team ready to run with it, and the scope is clear.
Build & GuardWe build the strategy, then stay as its guardian while the client's own team or agency executes. It usually runs six to twelve months and can be renewed. Right when the client has an agency or a team they want to keep, and nobody is making sure the work follows the strategy.

In Build & Guard we do not do the execution. We translate the strategy into clear briefs, review the work before the client sees it, and keep it true to the plan. A brief is the written instruction a team works from.

How to tell them apart

AskBuildBuild & Guard
It sounds like"Build us an award winning website." "Create our brand strategy and identity." "Set up our CRM.""We have a good agency, but they need direction." "Build our strategy and make sure it is executed properly."
Can their team execute alone?YesYes, but it drifts away from the strategy
Do they want us to do the work or oversee it?Do it, then leaveOversee it
How long are we there?Until handoverFor as long as they need a guardian

A client loves their agency, but says every campaign "feels different from the last". What do they need?

They want to keep their agency. Nobody is making sure the work follows the strategy.

Remember

Build delivers and leaves. Build & Guard delivers the plan and protects it.

Part 2

Guardianship

Guardianship is the skill inside Build & Guard, and it is used in every long engagement. It is how ORIGIN keeps execution true to the strategy when someone else is doing the executing, whether that is the client's team or their agency. We do not replace them. We make sure they never have to guess.

The four roles of a guardian

RoleWhat we do
TranslatorTurn the strategy into briefs a team can act on: the objective, the audience, the message, the measure of success
Quality controllerReview every piece before the client sees it, against the brand guidelines, the message and the strategy
Performance monitorTrack delivery, quality and budget, and report to the client's leaders each month
Client advocateStand for the client's interest: push back on delay, on waste and on work that misses the brief

How the work flows

  1. 1We write the brief.
  2. 2The agency or team produces the work.
  3. 3They send it to ORIGIN first, not to the client.
  4. 4We review, give clear feedback, and approve.
  5. 5The client receives work that already fits the strategy.

The client stops managing an agency and returns to leading. The agency gets clear direction, fast answers and fewer rounds of changes.

As a guardian, you review an agency's draft. The headline misses the message in the strategy. What do you send back?

We do not replace them. We make sure they never have to guess.

In practice

When you give feedback as a guardian, never write "make it better". Write what is off, which rule or line of the strategy it breaks, and what a correct version would do.

Remember

We translate, we review, we protect. The team executes, and nobody guesses.

Your part

Before you move on

Three questions before you move on. Type your answer, send it, then check it.

Your answers stay on this device.

1What is the difference between Build and Build & Guard?

The answerBuild delivers and leaves. Build & Guard delivers the plan and protects it.

2Name the four roles of a guardian.

The answerTranslator, quality controller, performance monitor and client advocate.

3Where does the agency send its work first?

The answerTo ORIGIN, not to the client.

Answer all three and this section is yours.
ORIGIN

We build. Or we build and guard.

Next: Build & Operate.

📖Finished reading this section?Marking it puts it on your progress page, so you know what is left before the quiz.