Plugin & Theme Customization

Client Name	Catalyse Consulting (Showcase Project)
Industry	Management Consulting / Professional Services (Global)
Project Duration	5 Weeks
Services Delivered	Theme Customization & Child Theme Development, Custom Plugin Development (3 Plugins), Third-Party Plugin Configuration & Extension, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Implementation, Custom Post Types & Taxonomies, WooCommerce Customization (Proposal/Invoice System), Elementor Widget Development, Gravity Forms Advanced Configuration, Performance-Safe Customization, Multisite Compatibility, Code Documentation & Handover
Tools & Platforms Used	WordPress (self-hosted), Elementor Pro, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Pro, Custom PHP/CSS/JavaScript, WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, WPML (multilingual), SearchWP (custom search), User Role Editor, WP All Import Pro, GitHub (version control), VS Code (development), Local by Flywheel (local dev), ManageWP, WP Rocket, Cloudflare, Google Analytics 4, Figma, Notion, Slack, Loom
Project Year	2025

The Overview

Catalyse Consulting is a boutique management consulting firm with 48 consultants across offices in London, New York, and Singapore. They specialize in digital transformation strategy for mid-market enterprises ($50M-$500M revenue), serving 60+ active clients across financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing. Annual billings: $14M.

Their WordPress website served triple duty — external marketing (attracting clients), internal operations (case study library, knowledge base, consultant profiles), and client-facing delivery (project dashboards, document sharing, proposal generation). The problem? WordPress out-of-the-box couldn’t do half of what they needed, and they were stitching together 14 SaaS tools and manual workarounds to fill the gaps.

Their consultant profile pages were basic — name, photo, bio. No expertise tagging, no project history, no availability indicator, no “meet the team” filtering by specialization or office. Their case study library had no taxonomy beyond “industry” — clients couldn’t filter by service type, engagement size, or outcome. Their proposal system lived entirely in Google Docs — no templates, no version control, no client-facing delivery portal. Their knowledge base was a shared Google Drive folder with 2,400 documents and zero searchability.

Every gap represented either a manual workaround (burning consultant time at $350/hour) or a SaaS subscription (14 tools totaling $4,200/month). The firm’s WordPress site had massive untapped potential — it just needed the right customizations to become the operational hub it should have been.

We delivered deep plugin and theme customizations — building 3 custom plugins from scratch, extending 6 third-party plugins with custom functionality, and customizing their Elementor theme — transforming their generic WordPress installation into a bespoke platform that consolidated tools, automated workflows, and gave the firm capabilities that would normally require a $200K custom web application.

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The Challenge

• WordPress Feature Gaps vs. Business Needs:

Business Need	WordPress Default	Current Workaround	Monthly Cost/Time
Consultant profiles with expertise tagging, project history, and availability	Basic page with text and photo	Manual updates + spreadsheet tracking availability	6 hrs/week
Case study library with multi-taxonomy filtering	Posts with single category	Clients manually browsed or asked consultants to find relevant examples	4 hrs/week
Proposal generation with templates and client portal	Doesn’t exist in WP	Google Docs templates + email delivery + manual version tracking	8 hrs/week + Proposify ($540/month)
Internal knowledge base with search	Doesn’t exist in WP	Google Drive (2,400 docs, no taxonomy, poor search)	Confluence ($680/month)
Client project dashboard	Doesn’t exist in WP	Notion shared workspaces per client	Notion Team ($420/month)
Multilingual content (EN/FR/DE)	Not native	Duplicate pages manually translated	WPML already purchased but not configured
Event/webinar management	Basic post/page	Eventbrite integration (broken) + manual registration	Eventbrite ($380/month)
Custom intake/assessment forms	Basic contact form	Typeform + manual data transfer to CRM	Typeform ($840/month)
Role-based content access (consultants vs. clients vs. public)	Basic roles only	Manual content segregation + shared passwords	Security risk + 3 hrs/week management
Advanced site search	Default WordPress search (terrible)	Consultants just asked each other where things were	2 hrs/week wasted searching
TOTAL WORKAROUND COST			$4,200/month SaaS + 23 hrs/week manual

• Plugin Bloat & Conflicts:

Problem	Details
34 active plugins	Many redundant, some conflicting. Two SEO plugins running simultaneously. Three different form plugins installed.
6 abandoned plugins	Plugins not updated in 12+ months — security vulnerabilities, PHP 8.2 compatibility issues
Plugin conflicts	Elementor Pro + WPBakery (two page builders!), conflicting jQuery versions, CSS conflicts causing visual inconsistencies
Performance impact	Each plugin adds HTTP requests, CSS/JS files, database queries. 34 plugins = bloated, slow site (4.2s load time)
No child theme	Customizations made directly to the parent theme — lost every time the theme updated. Custom CSS in 4 different places (Customizer, theme options, inline, separate CSS plugin)

• Theme Limitations:

Limitation	Business Impact
No custom post types beyond posts/pages	Consultant profiles, case studies, and knowledge articles forced into “pages” with no structured data
No dynamic filtering on archive pages	Visitors can’t filter consultants by expertise, case studies by industry/service, or knowledge base by topic
Limited header/footer customization	Couldn’t add role-based navigation (different menus for logged-in consultants vs. clients vs. public)
No custom Elementor widgets	Team had to build complex layouts from generic widgets — brittle, hard to maintain, inconsistent
Template hierarchy not utilized	Single template for all content types — case studies looked identical to blog posts

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Our Approach & Strategy

Phase 1: Audit, Architecture & Child Theme Development (Week 1)

• Plugin Audit & Cleanup:

Action	Before	After	Impact
Redundant plugins removed	34 active	18 active (16 removed or consolidated)	Faster load, fewer conflicts, reduced attack surface
Abandoned plugins replaced	6 plugins not updated in 12+ months	All replaced with actively maintained alternatives	Security vulnerabilities eliminated
Conflicts resolved	WPBakery removed (Elementor Pro retained as sole page builder), jQuery conflicts fixed, CSS consolidation	Clean codebase, no more visual glitches
Plugin consolidation	3 form plugins → 1 (Gravity Forms), 2 SEO plugins → 1 (Yoast Premium), 2 analytics plugins → 1 (GA4 via GTM)	Simplified stack, single source of truth

• Child Theme Development:

Component	Implementation	Purpose
Child theme creation	Custom child theme based on Elementor Hello theme	All customizations survive parent theme updates
Custom functions.php	Organized by section: custom post types, taxonomies, shortcodes, API integrations, admin customizations, frontend enqueues	Clean, maintainable, well-documented code
Custom CSS	Single consolidated stylesheet (style.css in child theme) — all CSS from 4 previous locations merged, deduplicated, organized by component	One source of truth, no cascading conflicts
Custom JavaScript	Enqueued properly via wp_enqueue_script with dependencies declared, loaded in footer, minified for production	No inline scripts, no jQuery conflicts, no render-blocking
Template hierarchy	Custom templates: single-consultant.php, single-case-study.php, archive-consultant.php, archive-case-study.php, archive-knowledge.php, page-client-dashboard.php	Each content type has its own optimized layout
Version control	GitHub repository with branch strategy: main (production), staging, development	Clean deployment, rollback capability, collaboration-ready

• Custom Post Type & Taxonomy Architecture:

Custom Post Type	Fields (ACF)	Taxonomies	Purpose
Consultants	Name, Title/Role, Photo, Bio (WYSIWYG), Email, Phone, LinkedIn, Office (select), Availability Status (select: Available/On Project/On Leave), Years of Experience, Education (repeater), Certifications (repeater), Featured Projects (relationship → Case Studies)	Expertise Areas (hierarchical), Industry Focus (hierarchical), Office Location (non-hierarchical), Seniority Level	Dynamic consultant directory with filtering
Case Studies	Client Name, Industry, Engagement Title, Hero Image, Challenge (WYSIWYG), Approach (WYSIWYG), Results (WYSIWYG), Key Metrics (repeater: metric name + value + change), Testimonial (text + client name + role), Duration, Team Size, Consultant Team (relationship → Consultants)	Industry (hierarchical), Service Type (hierarchical), Engagement Size (select), Region	Filterable case study library with rich narratives
Knowledge Base	Title, Content (WYSIWYG), Author (relationship → Consultants), File Attachments (repeater), Related Articles (relationship → Knowledge Base), Access Level (select: Public/Internal/Client-Specific)	Topic (hierarchical), Content Type (Framework/Template/Research/Best Practice/Tool), Industry Application	Internal + selective external knowledge sharing
Client Projects	Client Name, Project Title, Status (select: Active/Completed/On Hold), Start Date, End Date, Assigned Consultants (relationship → Consultants), Documents (repeater: file + description + upload date), Milestones (repeater: milestone + date + status), Access Users (user relationship)	Service Type, Industry	Client-facing project dashboards
Events	Event Title, Date/Time, Duration, Type (Webinar/Workshop/Conference), Location/Link, Speaker (relationship → Consultants), Description, Registration Form (Gravity Forms shortcode), Max Attendees, Current Registrations (auto-counted)	Event Type, Topic, Region	Event management replacing Eventbrite

Phase 2: Custom Plugin Development (Week 2-3)

• Custom Plugin 1: “Catalyse Proposal Engine”

Feature	Implementation	Business Value
Proposal Template System	6 proposal templates (by service type) stored as custom post type with ACF fields: sections (repeater), pricing tables, team bios (auto-pulled from Consultant CPT), terms/conditions	Replaces Proposify ($540/month). Proposals created in WordPress using firm’s own templates.
Dynamic Content Population	Select client → auto-fills company name, contact, industry. Select consultants → auto-pulls bios and photos. Select case studies → auto-includes relevant examples.	Proposal creation time: 4 hours → 45 minutes
PDF Generation	One-click PDF export using mPDF library — branded, formatted, ready to send or download	Professional output without leaving WordPress
Client Delivery Portal	Custom page template (ACF + custom PHP): client logs in → sees their proposals with status (Draft/Sent/Accepted/Declined), can view, download, and accept with e-signature (via DocuSign API integration)	Clients interact with proposals on branded portal, not via email attachments
Version History	Every proposal edit saved as revision with timestamp and editor name — full audit trail	Version control for legal/compliance requirements
Pipeline Dashboard	Admin dashboard widget: proposals by status, total value in pipeline, win rate, average deal size	Replaces separate proposal tracking spreadsheet

• Custom Plugin 2: “Catalyse Knowledge Hub”

Feature	Implementation	Business Value
Structured Knowledge Base	Knowledge Base CPT with hierarchical topics, content types, and access levels (public/internal/client)	Replaces Confluence ($680/month) + Google Drive chaos
Advanced Search	SearchWP integration with custom weighting: title (10x), content (5x), taxonomy terms (3x), file content (2x — searches inside PDFs and docs)	2,400 documents searchable by content, not just filename
Role-Based Access	Public articles visible to all. Internal articles visible to logged-in consultants. Client-specific articles visible only to assigned client users. Powered by custom capability checks in template.	Secure knowledge sharing without security risks
Content Requests	Internal form: consultants can request knowledge articles on topics not yet covered → creates pending article for knowledge team	Identifies knowledge gaps, drives content creation
Related Articles	Automatic related article suggestions based on shared taxonomy terms + manual override via ACF relationship field	Discovery — “You read about Digital Transformation in Healthcare? Here are 4 related frameworks”
Analytics Integration	Custom event tracking: article views, search queries (logged), download counts, most-accessed content, search queries with zero results	Understand what knowledge is most valuable + identify gaps

• Custom Plugin 3: “Catalyse Client Dashboard”

Feature	Implementation	Business Value
Client Portal	Custom page template: logged-in client sees their projects, documents, milestones, and team contacts	Replaces Notion workspaces ($420/month) + email document sharing
Project Status	Visual timeline: project milestones with status (completed/in-progress/upcoming), auto-updated from Client Projects CPT	Client can check project status without emailing their consultant
Document Library	Per-project document uploads with versioning, categorization, and download tracking	Secure, organized document sharing — no more email attachments
Team Directory	Client sees assigned consultant team with photos, bios, direct contact info — pulled from Consultant CPT	Humanizes the engagement, easy access to team contacts
Message Center	Simple threaded messaging between client users and consultant team (custom comment system on Client Projects CPT)	Reduces email volume, keeps project communication in context
White-Label Branding	Client portal uses Catalyse branding but can be subtly customized per client (logo color accent, welcome message)	Professional, branded experience that feels bespoke per client

Phase 3: Third-Party Plugin Extensions & Integrations (Week 3-4)

• Gravity Forms — Advanced Configuration & Extensions:

Customization	Implementation	Purpose
Client Intake Assessment	Multi-page form with conditional logic: Company details → Industry selection (shows industry-specific questions) → Challenge description → Budget range → Timeline → Preferred engagement model. 42 fields, 8 conditional paths.	Replaces Typeform ($840/month). Qualifies leads with industry-specific questions.
Event Registration	Dynamic form connected to Events CPT: pulls event details, enforces max attendees, sends calendar invite upon registration (via custom notification + .ics file generation), updates registration count in real-time	Replaces Eventbrite ($380/month). Built-in, no external platform needed.
Consultant Assessment	Internal 360-degree feedback form: select consultant → rate across 8 dimensions → comments. Results aggregated in custom admin dashboard.	Internal HR tool built into WordPress — no separate survey platform
Custom Notifications	Conditional email routing: intake from healthcare → healthcare@catalyse.com, from financial services → finserv@catalyse.com. Auto-assigns to practice lead. CRM webhook → sends lead data to HubSpot.	Automated lead routing and CRM integration
PDF Receipts	Custom PDF generated from form submissions (Gravity PDF with custom template matching Catalyse brand)	Professional, branded form confirmations

• Elementor Pro — Custom Widget Development:

Custom Widget	Purpose	Configuration Options
Consultant Card	Displays consultant profile card — used on team pages, case study pages, proposal previews	Select consultant (from CPT), display options: photo size, show/hide expertise tags, show/hide availability, link to full profile
Case Study Showcase	Displays case study preview with hero image, client name, industry badge, key metric highlight	Select case study (from CPT) or auto-populate from taxonomy, layout options: horizontal/vertical/card
Filterable Grid	Dynamic grid with AJAX filtering — used for consultant directory, case study library, knowledge base	Select post type, select available filters (taxonomies), columns (2/3/4), items per page, sort options
Metric Counter	Animated counter for key stats: “200+ Clients Served,” “$14M Annual Billings,” “94% Client Retention”	Number, prefix, suffix, animation duration, icon
Client Logo Carousel	Auto-scrolling client logo showcase with pause-on-hover	Select logos, scroll speed, items visible, autoplay toggle
Event Countdown	Countdown timer connected to next upcoming event (pulls from Events CPT) with registration CTA	Auto-selects next event, customizable CTA text and link

• Additional Plugin Extensions:

Plugin	Customization	Purpose
WPML	Configured for EN/FR/DE with custom string translations, language switcher in header, SEO-friendly URL structure (/fr/, /de/), auto-redirect based on browser language (with manual override)	London (EN), Paris office (FR), Frankfurt clients (DE)
User Role Editor	4 custom roles: Consultant (access internal knowledge + own project data), Client (access assigned project dashboard + proposals), Editor (content management), Administrator (full access). Each with granular capability mapping.	Role-based access control — right people see right content
WooCommerce	Customized as proposal/invoice system (not traditional e-commerce): custom product type “Engagement,” proposal-to-invoice conversion, partial payment/deposit support, branded invoice PDF, payment via Stripe	Proposal acceptance → Invoice generation → Payment collection — all in WordPress
WP All Import Pro	Custom import template: bulk import 2,400 knowledge base documents from Google Drive export (CSV + file mapping) with taxonomy auto-assignment based on folder structure	One-time migration of entire knowledge base into WordPress
SearchWP	Custom search engine replacing default WordPress search: weighted by post type (knowledge base 3x, case studies 2x, consultants 1x), searches inside PDF attachments, custom results template with type badges and relevance indicators	Dramatically better search — finds content inside documents, not just titles

Phase 4: Performance, Testing & Role-Based Access (Week 4)

• Performance-Safe Customization Practices:

Practice	Implementation	Why It Matters
Efficient database queries	All custom queries use WP_Query with proper caching (transients for expensive queries), no raw SQL, no query inside loops	Prevents N+1 query problems that kill performance at scale
Lazy loading custom content	AJAX-powered filtering loads results without page reload, infinite scroll on knowledge base, deferred loading of non-critical sections	Fast initial page load, content loaded on demand
Asset optimization	Custom CSS/JS minified and concatenated per page type (not global — each template loads only what it needs)	No unnecessary CSS/JS on pages that don’t need it
Caching compatibility	All custom code works with WP Rocket page caching, Cloudflare CDN, and object caching (Redis). Dynamic content served via AJAX (bypasses page cache).	Customizations don’t break caching = fast site
Image handling	Custom image sizes registered for each context (consultant thumbnail: 300×300, case study hero: 1200×630, knowledge preview: 400×250). Auto-generated on upload.	Right-sized images everywhere — no 2MB hero images in thumbnail slots

• Testing Protocol:

Test Type	Scope	Method
Functional testing	Every custom feature: consultant profiles, case study filtering, knowledge base search, proposal engine, client dashboard, event registration, forms, role-based access	Manual testing against 86-point checklist
Cross-browser	Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge (desktop + mobile)	BrowserStack + manual
Responsive	iPhone SE, iPhone 15, iPad, Android phones, tablets, 1080p, 1440p, 4K	Device lab + Chrome DevTools
Performance	Every custom template: load time, TTFB, database query count, asset size	GTmetrix + Query Monitor plugin
Security	Role-based access verification: log in as each role, verify correct access/restriction on every custom page and feature	Manual verification per role
WPML	All custom post types translatable, all strings translatable, language switcher works on custom templates	Manual testing in EN/FR/DE
Plugin compatibility	All custom code tested with WP Rocket, Cloudflare, Wordfence, Yoast, ManageWP — no conflicts	Verify each major plugin combination

• Role-Based Access Matrix:

Content/Feature	Public (Visitor)	Client (Logged In)	Consultant (Logged In)	Editor	Admin
Marketing pages	✅ View	✅ View	✅ View	✅ Edit	✅ Full
Consultant profiles	✅ View (public info)	✅ View (public info)	✅ View all + edit own	✅ Edit all	✅ Full
Case studies (public)	✅ View	✅ View	✅ View + create	✅ Edit all	✅ Full
Knowledge base (public)	✅ View public articles	✅ View public	✅ View public + internal	✅ Edit all	✅ Full
Knowledge base (internal)	❌	❌	✅ View + contribute	✅ Edit all	✅ Full
Client dashboard	❌	✅ Own projects only	✅ Assigned projects	❌	✅ Full
Proposals	❌	✅ Own proposals only	✅ Create + manage assigned	❌	✅ Full
Event registration	✅ Register	✅ Register	✅ Register + manage	✅ Manage	✅ Full
Admin dashboard	❌	❌	⚠️ Limited (own content)	⚠️ Content only	✅ Full

Phase 5: Documentation, Training & Handover (Week 5)

• Code Documentation:

Document	Contents	Audience
Technical Architecture Overview	System diagram showing: custom post types, taxonomies, relationships between CPTs, plugin dependencies, external API integrations (DocuSign, HubSpot, Stripe), data flow	Future developers
Custom Plugin Documentation (×3)	Per plugin: purpose, file structure, function reference, hooks/filters available, database tables (if any), API endpoints, configuration options, troubleshooting	Future developers
Child Theme Documentation	Template hierarchy, custom functions index, CSS organization, JavaScript modules, build/deployment process, GitHub workflow	Future developers
ACF Field Group Reference	Every field group: post type, field names, field types, conditional logic, usage in templates	Developers + advanced editors
API Integration Guide	DocuSign: authentication, webhook setup, signature flow. HubSpot: lead creation, contact sync. Stripe: payment flow, webhook handling	Developers
Code Comments	Every custom function, template, and significant code block has inline comments explaining purpose and logic	Developers

• Team Training:

Module	Duration	Audience	Topics
Consultant Profile Management	45 min	HR coordinator	Adding/editing consultant profiles, updating availability, assigning to projects, managing expertise tags
Case Study Publishing	1 hour	Marketing team	Creating case studies with ACF fields, assigning taxonomies, linking consultants, optimizing for SEO
Knowledge Base Management	1 hour	Knowledge team	Publishing articles, managing access levels, organizing topics, reviewing search analytics, handling content requests
Proposal Engine	1.5 hours	Business development	Creating proposals from templates, populating client data, adding team/case studies, generating PDFs, managing client portal delivery, converting to invoices
Client Dashboard Administration	1 hour	Project managers	Setting up client projects, uploading documents, updating milestones, managing client user accounts, using message center
Event Management	45 min	Marketing team	Creating events, configuring registration forms, managing attendees, sending follow-ups
Content Editing (Elementor)	1 hour	All editors	Editing pages with Elementor, using custom widgets, maintaining brand consistency, what to change vs. what not to touch

• All sessions recorded via Loom and stored in shared training library.
• Handover Package:

Deliverable	Format
GitHub Repository	Full codebase: child theme, 3 custom plugins, custom widgets, deployment scripts
Technical Documentation	Notion workspace: architecture, plugin docs, API guides, troubleshooting
User Training Library	Loom videos: 7 modules, accessible via internal knowledge base
CMS User Guide	PDF + Notion: step-by-step guides for every content management task
Plugin/Theme Update SOP	Procedures for safely updating when custom code is involved
Emergency Procedures	What to do if: custom feature breaks, API integration fails, role access issues arise

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Key Features Delivered

Feature	Description
Plugin Audit & Cleanup	34 plugins reduced to 18 — removing redundant, abandoned, and conflicting plugins while consolidating functionality
Custom Child Theme	Elementor Hello child theme with custom templates, organized CSS/JS, proper enqueuing, version-controlled via GitHub
5 Custom Post Types	Consultants, Case Studies, Knowledge Base, Client Projects, and Events — each with structured ACF fields and custom taxonomies
Custom Plugin: Proposal Engine	Template-based proposal creation, dynamic content population, PDF generation, client delivery portal with e-signature, version history, and pipeline dashboard
Custom Plugin: Knowledge Hub	Structured knowledge base with advanced search (SearchWP), role-based access, content requests, related articles, and usage analytics
Custom Plugin: Client Dashboard	Client portal with project status timeline, document library, team directory, message center, and white-label branding
Gravity Forms Advanced Configuration	Client intake assessment (42 fields, 8 conditional paths), event registration, consultant feedback, conditional email routing, CRM webhook, branded PDF receipts
6 Custom Elementor Widgets	Consultant Card, Case Study Showcase, Filterable Grid, Metric Counter, Client Logo Carousel, Event Countdown — reusable, configurable, brand-consistent
WPML Multilingual	Full EN/FR/DE configuration with custom post type translation, string translation, SEO-friendly URLs, and browser-based auto-redirect
Role-Based Access Control	4 custom roles (Public, Client, Consultant, Editor) with granular capability mapping — right content for right users
SaaS Tool Consolidation	Replaced: Proposify ($540/mo), Confluence ($680/mo), Notion Team ($420/mo), Eventbrite ($380/mo), Typeform ($840/mo) — total $2,860/month eliminated
Performance-Safe Code	Efficient queries, proper caching, lazy loading, minified assets, cache-compatible custom code — customizations don’t slow the site

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Results & Impact (Projected / Showcase Metrics — 6 Months)

Metric	Before	After (Month 6)	Change
Active Plugins	34 (bloated, conflicting)	18 (clean, purposeful)	⬇ 47%
Page Load Speed	4.2 seconds	1.8 seconds	⬇ 57%
SaaS Tool Costs (Monthly)	$4,200	$1,340 (remaining: HubSpot CRM + minor tools)	⬇ 68%
Annual SaaS Savings	—	$34,320/year	—
Manual Workaround Time (Weekly)	23 hours	5 hours	⬇ 78%
Annual Time Savings	—	936 hours/year (at $350/hr avg consultant rate = $327,600 value)	—
Proposal Creation Time	4 hours	45 minutes	⬇ 81%
Proposals Generated (Monthly)	6-8 (limited by time)	18-22 (faster production = more proposals)	⬆ 175%
Proposal Win Rate	28%	38% (better proposals + client portal professionalism)	⬆ 36%
Knowledge Base Articles Accessible	~200 (buried in Google Drive)	2,400 (migrated, searchable, categorized)	⬆ 1,100%
Knowledge Search Time (Find an Article)	8-15 minutes (digging through folders)	< 30 seconds (SearchWP)	⬇ 97%
Client Satisfaction Score (NPS)	62	78 (client dashboard + portal improved experience)	⬆ 26%
Event Registrations (Monthly)	40-60 (Eventbrite friction)	120-150 (integrated, no platform switch)	⬆ 150%
Multilingual Content Coverage	100% EN / 10% FR / 0% DE	100% EN / 85% FR / 70% DE	—
Consultant Profile Engagement (Avg Page Views)	80/month	340/month (richer profiles, better filtering)	⬆ 325%
Case Study Page Views (Monthly)	420	1,800 (filterable, narrative-rich, linked to consultants)	⬆ 329%
New Client Inquiries (Website)	14/month	28/month	⬆ 100%
Plugin Conflicts/Breaks (Monthly)	2-3	0 (clean stack, tested updates)	⬇ 100%
Developer Dependency for Content Updates	60% of updates needed developer	5% (ACF + Elementor widgets empower team)	⬇ 92%

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📋 Case Study Summary

Challenge: Catalyse Consulting — a 48-person global management consulting firm with $14M in billings — had a WordPress website bloated with 34 plugins (6 abandoned, multiple conflicting), no child theme, and massive feature gaps filled by 14 SaaS tools costing $4,200/month plus 23 hours/week of manual workarounds. Consultant profiles were basic pages. Case studies had no filtering. Proposals lived in Google Docs. Their knowledge base was an unsearchable Google Drive. Client project management used Notion workspaces. The WordPress site was a generic installation doing 30% of what the business needed.

Solution: We delivered deep plugin and theme customizations — auditing and cleaning 34 plugins down to 18; building a version-controlled child theme with custom templates; creating 5 custom post types (Consultants, Case Studies, Knowledge Base, Client Projects, Events) with ACF fields and taxonomies; developing 3 custom plugins (Proposal Engine with PDF generation and client portal, Knowledge Hub with SearchWP integration and role-based access, Client Dashboard with project timelines and document sharing); extending Gravity Forms with multi-path intake assessments and event registration; building 6 custom Elementor widgets; configuring WPML for EN/FR/DE; implementing 4 custom user roles with granular access control; and writing comprehensive code documentation with 7 training modules.

Result: Plugin count dropped 47% (34→18). Page speed improved 57%. SaaS costs decreased 68% ($34,320/year saved). Manual workaround time dropped 78% (936 hours/year saved at $350/hr = $327,600 value). Proposal creation went from 4 hours to 45 minutes, increasing monthly proposals 175% and win rate 36%. Knowledge base went from 200 findable articles to 2,400 searchable in under 30 seconds. Client NPS improved from 62 to 78. Website inquiries doubled. Plugin conflicts dropped to zero. The firm’s WordPress site transformed from a generic marketing page into a bespoke operational platform.