Spotlight on Paul Dunlop - Director of Delivery and Services

We’re lucky to have a team of people who bring deep experience, curiosity and real heart to the work they do. This month, we’re shining a light on Paul Dunlop, our Director of Delivery and Services, known for his high standards, his people-first approach, and (as you’ll soon see) a serious streak of nerdiness. 

How would you describe what you do at smart/tasking in one sentence? 

I’m responsible for making sure our teams deliver work to the highest possible standards - the right people, the right behaviours, and outputs that consistently meet and exceed client expectations. 

What’s the part of your role that people think they understand, but usually get wrong? 

People often assume our delivery work is just task control or classic project management. In reality, we’re more like a Swiss Army knife of skills and talent. Yes, we steer projects through our internal PMO to ensure governance, quality and control, but we’re also former C-suite leaders and business experts across transformation, operations, data, and IT. 

So, because we understand every layer of an organisation, from operational through to tactical and strategic, we can see what’s really happening and offer the right guidance. I like to think we’ve earned the right to be called experts in our field. 

What’s the most surprising thing about you outside of work? 

I’m a complete nerd. I love comic cons, I 3D-print things for fun, I play guitar, and I’m endlessly curious about different cultures. I’m even heading to Japan next year to soak up the tech, the design and everything in between. I like making nerdy things… because I am one. 

What’s most important to you at work?  Standards. I come from a quality background, and I’ve seen first-hand how the right processes can make work easier, and how the wrong ones can tie businesses in knots. I care deeply about consistency, clarity, and doing things properly. 

When you get the foundations right, everything else becomes easier: delivery, relationships, outcomes, and even morale. 

You see so many different organisations up close - what’s the most common blocker you spot instantly? 

Two things actually: 

1. People being afraid to challenge, and 

2. People accepting inefficient ways of working simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it.” 

A classic example: Project managers spending six or seven hours a day doing admin in systems that were never designed for project management. It’s a huge waste of talent and time, but people just accept it. Sometimes the biggest blocker is simply not stopping to ask, “Why are we doing it this way?” 

What’s one small operational habit you wish every business adopted? 

Stop building everything around one person. People often create complex Excel files or unique processes that only they can run. It feels empowering at the time, but ultimately it creates risk. If that person is away - or leaves - the business suddenly has a huge gap. I’d love to see organisations share knowledge more openly, build resilient processes, and avoid making people “indispensable” by accident. 

What’s a recent project that made you particularly proud, and why? 

Through a recent discovery piece, I saw first-hand the challenges around information exchange, systems incompatibility and the everyday frustrations that staff across HM services deal with. Their persistence, positivity and impact - despite these barriers - are genuinely humbling. They really are truly amazing people and being able to support work that makes their roles easier and more effective is something I’m incredibly proud of. 

 It was meaningful, human work, and it made a real and measurable difference. The repeat business we continue to receive tells us that what we do works - but more importantly, the impact reaches far beyond one organisation. That’s something that genuinely matters to me. 

Another thing I’m proud of is the ongoing relationships we have. Even when a formal engagement ends, clients often call us for advice or a quick steer. That aftercare is a really natural part of who we are and what we stand for. 

What makes smart/tasking special? 

Our people! Their quality, their experience, their attitude - all first class. 

I’ve worked with consultancies who drop a 150-page report, disappear, and call the job done. We’re nothing like that; we work alongside teams, we embed, we explain, train, show, refine. We create outputs that are clear, useful, and genuinely actionable. 

We’re small, nimble, and fast. We care about relationships as much as delivery. We give clients a first-rate experience, the kind that makes them want to come back, just like visiting your favourite restaurant. You go back because the experience was great, that’s what we aim for every time.