Kantata

06/03/2026

Most PS firms have been talking about moving beyond time-and-materials pricing for over a decade. So why hasn't it happened?

It's not a strategy problem. It's a maturity problem. And according to SPI Research, more than half the industry is still operating at a level where the data, measurement discipline, and commercial infrastructure to actually pull it off don't yet exist.

Our latest blog maps out the 5 levels of PS pricing maturity...and what separates firms that are stuck from the ones that have figured it out.

Check it out: https://okt.to/Td8ZKG

06/02/2026

The hybrid workforce — people and AI agents delivering work together — isn't a future state. It's already here. The question isn't whether it's happening in your firm. It's whether your systems, planning processes, and leadership thinking have caught up.

In her latest piece, Kantata's Chief Product Officer, Sarah Edwards, tackles the question she's hearing from services leaders almost every week: how do you manage a delivery team when part of that team isn't human?

She gets into why utilization is the wrong metric for a hybrid model, why AI has to be a growth play and not just an efficiency one, and what it actually takes to plan, staff, and govern delivery when agents are part of the equation.

Read it now: https://okt.to/GJPUaV

06/01/2026

In professional services, time tracking is more than a payroll function. Every hour logged — or logged late, to the wrong project, or not at all — creates a ripple effect through finance, billing, utilization, and project margins.

But not every firm needs the same solution. Some need a lightweight timer, while others need a fully connected PSA where time data flows directly into forecasting, resource management, and revenue recognition.

We compared 7 of the top time tracking tools so you can find the right fit for your firm.

Read more: https://okt.to/YajMHm

05/29/2026

Scope creep, resource constraints, margin erosion — these aren't random. They're the result of a gap between how work gets scoped, priced, and delivered. And by the time the warning signs are visible, it's usually too late to course-correct.

In the latest episode of the Professional Services Pursuit podcast, we're joined by Anish Udayakumar, SVP of Product Management and Customer Experience at Provus, who digs into why this gap persists and what it takes to close it.

You'll learn:

➡️ Why margin erosion hides until it's too late
➡️ How disconnected workflows create delivery risk
➡️ Why capacity planning belongs in the quoting stage
➡️ How AI and historical data sharpen scoping and pricing

Tune in now: https://okt.to/zNmhlk

05/28/2026

"SaaS professional services" means something quite different depending on which side of it you're on.

For a SaaS company, it's the team turning signed contracts into products customers actually use. For a consulting firm or agency, it's the platform running their operations. The challenge is similar in both cases: delivering consistent, high-quality services at scale, with enough financial visibility to know whether it's working.

We recently covered both sides, exploring what drives growth in each, how to think about pricing, and what it actually takes to make PS scalable.

Read more: https://okt.to/4vonEQ

05/27/2026

75% billable utilization is the number most PS firms are chasing. But is it actually the right target for your firm?

A healthy firm-wide average can mask overloaded consultants in one practice and bench time in another. And the industry benchmark only tells you where you stand relative to peers — not whether your billing model, cost structure, and service mix actually support that number.

Let's break down what utilization benchmarks really mean, how capacity planning connects to consistently hitting your targets, and the metrics that matter alongside utilization: https://okt.to/yluKjF

05/26/2026

Should your PS firm build its own software or buy a purpose-built solution?

It's a question more organizations are asking — especially those with in-house technical expertise. But the answer is almost always more nuanced than it first appears.

Before you decide, there are 4 things worth considering:

1️⃣ What are the real start-up costs?
2️⃣ Who owns each piece of operations once it's live?
3️⃣ Do your processes actually require something custom, or could buying be an opportunity to improve how you work?
4️⃣ Will a homegrown solution still serve you well in the future?

We break it all down on our blog: https://okt.to/c0muET

05/21/2026

From marine biology to Oracle to the C-suite, Sarah Edwards' path to Chief Product Strategy Officer at Kantata was anything but linear.

Sarah recently joined Kristi Faltorusso on the She's So Suite Podcast to talk about the career pivots, the moments of self-doubt, and the mindset shifts that shaped her journey — along with a candid take on AI, leadership, and what it really takes to thrive as a woman in tech.

A few highlights:

➡️ You don't have to be the loudest in the room to lead
➡️ Take the leap even when you only check 50% of the boxes
➡️ AI is breaking the "grow headcount = grow revenue" model...and that changes everything

Listen now: https://okt.to/hfgNw9

She's So Suite Podcast · Episode

05/20/2026

If your firm is still selling outputs and calling it value — this one's for you.

Join us tomorrow, Thursday, May 21at at 12pm EST/11am BST for our next Pursuit Power Half Hour, where Tom Rodenhauser (K2 Consulting Research LLC) will join Kantata's Brent Trimble for a fast, focused half hour on the operating model shift consulting firms can't afford to skip.

Register now: https://okt.to/DclrAW

05/18/2026

The old consulting growth model of "more headcount, more revenue" is breaking down. So what replaces it?

In the latest episode of the Professional Services Pursuit, we sit down with Kantata's Chief Product Strategy Officer Sarah Edwards to break down the shifts that will make or break consulting firms this year and beyond.

You'll learn:

✅ How AI is reshaping the traditional talent pyramid
✅ Why clients are raising the bar on speed, cost, and delivery risk
✅ The move toward outcome-based pricing, fixed-fee models, and productized services
✅ How connected data and operational visibility help firms make faster, more confident decisions

If you're leading a services business, this is definitely worth a listen: https://okt.to/uIbDJ3