For Businesses
Portage helps owners and leaders work out whether to hire, clarify responsibilities, change a process, or reorganize the work.
Recognizable situations
The decision at stakeWhich decisions should still sit with the owner?
Evidence to examineApproval categories, exceptions, role authority, and the completeness of requests.
Possible outputsOwnership map, decision rules, or a practical test of delegated authority.
The decision at stakeWould another hire create usable capacity?
Evidence to examineWorkload, handoffs, rework, role capability, and management time.
Possible outputsWorkload view, hiring decision support, or prioritized operating changes.
The decision at stakeWhat needs to change before the next stage?
Evidence to examineExpected demand, current capacity, role boundaries, and leadership routines.
Possible outputsA near-term change plan with owners, review measures, and decisions to revisit.
The decision at stakeWho should own the work from start to finish?
Evidence to examineRole boundaries, handoffs, duplicated effort, and work that has no clear owner.
Possible outputsClear responsibilities, decision authority, or a handoff plan.
Illustrative scenario—not client work
A service business adds staff, but routine pricing decisions keep returning to the owner. Adding a manager is one possible response.
Approval thresholds, incomplete intake, available capacity, or capability could produce similar pressure. Portage would examine those explanations before recommending a change.
Fictional demonstration. No measured findings or predicted results.
See the illustrative readoutEngagement choices
Leadership is considering another hire, manager, or software purchase and needs to understand what would actually solve the problem.
Explore the DiagnosticThe workReview selected evidence, test plausible explanations, and recommend a practical next move.
What you receiveExecutive brief, evidence map, prioritized recommendations, 30–60 day action plan, and leadership readout.
When the issue is sufficiently understood, but leadership needs help turning it into a decision, clear responsibilities, or a practical plan.
Discuss a Working SessionThe workWork through a bounded decision, clarify ownership, or plan a practical test.
What you receiveA written decision or change plan with owners and next steps.
Scope, timing, and fee are agreed before work begins.
When findings have been accepted and the business needs help putting a defined change into practice—for example, redesigning roles, clarifying decision authority, or establishing management routines.
Discuss Implementation SupportThe workSupport the agreed redesign and help leadership assess whether it is working.
What you receiveDefined operating tools, responsibilities, and review measures suited to the scope.
Scope, timing, and fee are agreed before work begins.
A diagnostic helps when the cause is unclear. It is not required before every engagement.
The person behind the work
Dawon Bahtuoh brings experience across frontline service, restaurant management, finance, and enterprise workforce strategy.
At Target, he served as a Senior Business Partner in Strategic Workforce Planning, helping senior leaders connect business priorities with workforce capacity, organization design, and investment decisions.
His earlier experience includes running a restaurant business, customer service, and financial analysis—giving him a practical view of how decisions affect the people doing the work.
He holds Cornell certificates in Human Resources Management, HR Transformation, and Business Strategy.
About DawonStart here
Bring the situation, what you have already tried, and the change you are considering. You do not need the diagnosis before the conversation.
