Professional services firms are leaving growth on the table. A report launched today ‘Inside the leadership growth agenda’ from Dayshape, including research of 200 senior leaders across mid-to-large firms in the UK, reveals that one of the greatest threats to growth isn’t market volatility or client demand, but internal inefficiencies that can be controlled and fixed.
The study found that 44% of firms failed to hit their revenue targets last year. While external pressures such as economic uncertainty and competition played a role, internal blind spots were just as disruptive. Inaccurate forecasting was cited by 30% of firms whilst 27% blamed capacity constraints and project overruns/write offs were an issue for 14% of firms. The result is growth slipping quietly through the cracks.
Only one in four (25%) leaders said they were confident in their firm’s operational discipline and ability to plan long term. That lack of visibility has real consequences. Without reliable data on capacity, profitability or workload balance, firms risk overcommitting resources, misjudging which clients or services deliver profit, and designing growth strategies on incomplete information.
The visibility gap runs deeper than revenue planning. Eighty-six per cent of leaders believe their people are utilised to their full potential, yet almost a third (31%) of leaders say they don’t have a clear view of team-level capacity. This “utilisation mirage” masks hidden inefficiencies, project overruns and burnout in large firms (42%). At the same time, lack of fairness and autonomy are emerging as retention risks, with 24% of leaders citing unfair workload distribution and 29% of leaders pointing to poor management and lack of autonomy.
Technology offers hope but progress remains uneven, and firms are prioritising the use of technology to solve this issue. While 32% plan to invest in AI for scheduling and capacity modelling, many are held back by poor data quality (34%) and integration challenges (32%). Despite this, technology tops the leadership agenda for 61% of firms, signalling growing recognition that operational efficiency and visibility are now strategic boardroom priorities.
Matt Cockett, CEO of Dayshape, said: “Professional services firms are leaving growth on the table. The problem isn’t a lack of opportunity, it’s a lack of alignment between people, planning and performance. When internal systems don’t talk to each other, and leaders can’t get the crucial insights they need, growth stalls – no matter how strong the market looks from the outside. Every firm has blindspots, but shining a light on them brings opportunities. The leaders who act on them will capture growth others leave behind.”
The report, Inside the leadership growth agenda, highlights how internal planning weaknesses are as damaging as external pressures. Firms that close these gaps can turn ambition into performance through real-time forecasting, joined-up data and predictive resource management.
Cockett added: “In what is an increasingly pressured and volatile market, predictability is a company’s (and its growth prospects’) greatest ally. Firms that invest in a future looking view of their resourcing and operational efficiency will not only protect revenue but build the confidence and resilience to grow, even when the market shifts.”
