R&D in regulated environments

Speed, innovation, and compliance: not a trade-off.

We make R&D organizations in regulated environments more effective. We guide. You act as the expert you are.
Who we work with

Different roles. Same regulated reality.

Whichever seat you sit in, the pressure is the same: ship faster, stay compliant, keep the organization functional while the pipeline grows more complex.

Head of R&D

Brilliant engineers, regulatory complexity (MDR, ISO 13485, IEC 62304), silos between HW, SW, Systems, QA. Internal bureaucracy eats innovation time.

What we observe

Your organization grew. The pipeline became more complex. The working model never kept up.

R&D leaders face a common pattern. The result is friction, unclear accountability, reduced delivery reliability.

Technology

Technological pattern

More technology does not automatically lead to more productivity. The organizational set-up is often the bottleneck: not personal capability.

Organization

Organizational pattern

Regulated R&D organizations must increase innovation speed while maintaining full compliance. But existing structures are optimized for stability, not adaptive product development. The result: friction, unclear accountability, reduced delivery reliability.

Do you know these patterns?

Ten laws and effects we keep seeing in regulated R&D organizations. Once you spot them, you can stop fighting them. And start designing around them.

Conway's Law

Conway's Law

Systems mirror the communication structure of the organization that builds them.

Little's Law

Little's Law

Less work in progress = faster throughput. Mathematically proven.

Hofstadter's Law

Hofstadter's Law

It always takes longer than expected, even when you account for this law.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Too much pressure doesn't improve performance: it reduces it.

Jevons Paradox

Jevons Paradox

Efficiency gains often lead to increase consumption, not savings.

Brooks' Law

Brooks' Law

Adding people to a late project makes it later.

Goodhart's Law

Goodhart's Law

When a metric becomes a target, it ceases to be a good metric.

Parkinson's Law

Parkinson's Law

Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

Dunbar's Number

Dunbar's Number

Beyond ~150 people, informal coordination breaks down.

Ringelmann Effect

Ringelmann Effect

Individual performance decreases as group size increases.

We do not sell frameworks. We help you read your organization through these patterns. And design conditions that work with them, not against them.

What we observe

Your organization grew. The pipeline became more complex. The working model never kept up.

R&D leaders face a common pattern. The result is friction, unclear accountability, reduced delivery reliability.

Technology

Technological pattern

More technology does not automatically lead to more productivity. The organizational set-up is often the bottleneck: not personal capability.

Organization

Organizational pattern

Regulated R&D organizations must increase innovation speed while maintaining full compliance. But existing structures are optimized for stability, not adaptive product development. The result: friction, unclear accountability, reduced delivery reliability.

Do you know these laws?

Ten laws and effects we keep seeing in regulated R&D organizations. Once you spot them, you can stop fighting them. And start designing around them.

icons8-customer-insights-manager-480

Conway's Law

Systems mirror the communication structure of the organization that builds them.

icons8-curly-arrow-50

Little's Law

Less work in progress = faster throughput. Mathematically proven.

clock_five_min_left

Hofstadter's Law

It always takes longer than expected, even when you account for this law.

icons8-decline-50

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Too much pressure doesn't improve performance: it reduces it.

diamond_2

Jevons Paradox

Efficiency gains often lead to increase consumption, not savings.

icons8-personal-growth-50

Brooks' Law

Adding people to a late project makes it later.

icons8-goal-50

Goodhart's Law

When a metric becomes a target, it ceases to be a good metric.

clock_timer

Parkinson's Law

Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

icons8-staff_grau

Dunbar's Number

Beyond ~150 people, informal coordination breaks down.Ringelmann EffectRingelmann EffectIndividual performance decreases as group size

icons8-conference-50

Ringelmann Effect

Individual performance decreases as group size increases.

We do not sell frameworks. We help you read your organization through these patterns. And design conditions that work with them, not against them.

How we work

Conditions, Behavior, Mindset

Sustainable organizational development only works across all three levels at the same time. Pull on one: the other two snap back.
Verhältnisse-2
Level 1

Conditions

Organizations shape the conditions people accept as reality. We identify where conditions block performance. And build structures that enable lasting success.
Level 2

Behavior

Behavior is visible: individually and collectively. Through targeted observation, we make patterns tangible and address them together.
Verhalten-2
Haltung-2
Level 3

Mindset

Inner attitude is the real gamechanger. As sparring partners, we help leaders and teams translate their potential into real, measurable performance.

dot.coaching

How we develop your organization

Four phases. Evidence over gut feeling. Custom interventions over off-the-shelf playbooks.

Identify

We examine the status quo together: team dynamics, structures, decision paths.

Activate

We activate recognized potential with customized interventions.

Unfold

We ensure clarity, structure, and orientation.

Reflect

We measure effectiveness jointly, using clear criteria and continuous feedback.

What we offer

Three sharp offerings: one regulated reality.

Consulting that works on the organization. Diagnostics that replace gut feeling with evidence. A two-week benchmark to find your starting point.

Consulting

dot.consulting

Organizational & Team Development. Leadership coaching, team development, agile transformation, and organizational design. Always grounded in the regulatory reality of your R&D environment.

Diagnostics

tschegg.io

Evidence-based team diagnostics. Our proprietary team-health platform. Continuous, data-driven insight into team dynamics. Giving leaders a real-time basis for decisions, not gut feeling. Standalone or integrated.

Benchmark

dot.benchmark

Maturity & potential analysis. A structured, rapid assessment of your R&D organization's current state: concrete fields of action delivered within two weeks. The right starting point for every transformation.
Featured case study (coming soon)

Our flagship R&D transformation. The full story.

A multi-year engagement with a leading regulated R&D organization. The full case study, with challenge, approach, and measurable outcomes, will be available as a downloadable PDF.

When growth outpaces structure: how a global MedTech organization regained its delivery reliability.

Growing regulatory pressure, increasing complexity, and organizational silos were slowing down development. Read how we worked across R&D, quality, and leadership simultaneously to create the conditions for sustainable performance.

With strong methods, social competence, and creativity, dot helped us address organizational silos, sharpen cross-functional priorities, and make our development processes more effective.

Quote 2 small

MedTech, ~3,000 employees

Challenge. Growing regulatory pressure, increasing complexity, and internal bureaucracy were significantly slowing down development. Organizational silos prevented cross-functional alignment. Speed and compliance felt like a permanent trade-off.

How we worked. dot combined leadership enablement, team coaching, and targeted organizational adjustments. Working across R&D, quality, and leadership simultaneously.

Result. Stronger decision-making, greater self-organization, and a noticeable increase in overall performance across the R&D organization.

What impressed us most was the ability to quickly grasp complex situations and develop solutions, not the ones we asked for, but the ones our organization actually needed.

Quote 1 small

MedTech software, ~90 employees

Challenge. The organization came to us asking for agile team training. After a thorough diagnosis, the real problem was structural: no shared working model, unclear roles, and no coordination rhythm connecting strategy to delivery.

How we worked. Rather than delivering what was requested, we designed what was needed: a complete operating model with defined roles, a multi-level ceremony structure, portfolio management, and a leadership framework aligned to strategic direction.

Result. Teams gained clarity, accountability, and a shared rhythm. Leadership steered priorities effectively for the first time. The organization moved from reactive execution to structured, self-organized delivery.

MedTech software, ~90 employees

"What impressed us most was the ability to quickly grasp complex situations and develop solutions, not the ones we asked for, but the ones our organization actually needed."

Challenge. The organization came to us asking for agile team training. After a thorough diagnosis, the real problem was structural: no shared working model, unclear roles, and no coordination rhythm connecting strategy to delivery.

How we worked. Rather than delivering what was requested, we designed what was needed: a complete operating model with defined roles, a multi-level ceremony structure, portfolio management, and a leadership framework aligned to strategic direction.

Result. Teams gained clarity, accountability, and a shared rhythm. Leadership steered priorities effectively for the first time. The organization moved from reactive execution to structured, self-organized delivery.

MedTech, ~3,000 employees

"With strong methods, social competence, and creativity, dot helped us address organizational silos, sharpen cross-functional priorities, and make our development processes more effective."

Challenge. Growing regulatory pressure, increasing complexity, and internal bureaucracy were significantly slowing down development. Organizational silos prevented cross-functional alignment. Speed and compliance felt like a permanent trade-off.

How we worked. dot combined leadership enablement, team coaching, and targeted organizational adjustments. Working across R&D, quality, and leadership simultaneously.

Result. Stronger decision-making, greater self-organization, and a noticeable increase in overall performance across the R&D organization.

dot in numbers

Senior consultants. Deep R&D experience. Deliberately small.

Every engagement is led by a senior consultant with direct R&D experience: not delegated to a junior team. Our clients work in MedTech, mechanical engineering, complex system engineering, security & defense, and early research & development.
> 150
Customers
> 300
Teams
7
Successful transformations
100 %
Senior consultants
Our path

From agile transformations to R&D specialization

Help visitors get the basic idea within a few seconds, so they understand what this section is about.

2017

Founding

First agile transformations.​ First projects in R&D
organizations.​

2017
2019

Leadership Program launched


Lean Change Management established.​

2019
2021

Strategic shift towards R&D

Academy trainings in R&D established.​

2021
2023

1,000+ employees trained

Agile transformations in R&D at scale.​

2023
2024

Agile transformations at leading MedTech organizations

SME Lean Change Management launched.

2024
2026

Growing impact in R&D organizations

Could your organization be next?

2026
Meet the consultants

Practitioners, not theorists.

Based in Switzerland, working onsite and online across DACH. Six senior consultants. We deliberately stay small. The person scoping your engagement is the person delivering it.

Detailed profiles on our team page (in German): dotag.ch/team

Networks & Partnerships

We are part of a strong network

Active member of industry associations and partner of leading academic institutions in the DACH region.

Industry associations

Swiss Medtech

Swiss Medtech

swiss made software

swiss made software

swissICT

swissICT

SAQ

SAQ

SKMF

SKMF

Academic & method partners

Scaled Agile

Scaled Agile

IREB

IREB

agilist.cooperative

agilist.cooperative

ZHAW

ZHAW

Perspectives

Thinking out loud about R&D organizations

Articles are in German. We are happy to discuss any of these in English.
dot.coaching - Warum Organisationsdesign über AKV hinausgeht
dot.coaching - Warum Organisationsdesign über AKV hinausgeht
Agile Coaching

dot.coaching - Warum Organisationsdesign über AKV hinausgeht

17. Februar 2025 9 min
dot.research - Hypothese Matrixorganisationen im Comeback?
dot.research - Hypothese Matrixorganisationen im Comeback?
Agile Coaching

dot.research - Hypothese Matrixorganisationen im Comeback?

11. März 2026 5 min
dot.research - Die 5er-Potenz in der Organisationsentwicklung - Oder wie gross darf eine Organisation sein?
dot.research - Die 5er-Potenz in der Organisationsentwicklung - Oder wie gross darf eine Organisation sein?
Organisationsentwicklung

dot.research - Die 5er-Potenz in der Organisationsentwicklung - Oder wie gross darf eine Organisation sein?

02. April 2026 17 min
dot.research - Wie können Projekte agil im regulierten Umfeld geführt werden?
dot.research - Wie können Projekte agil im regulierten Umfeld geführt werden?
Agile Coaching

dot.research - Wie können Projekte agil im regulierten Umfeld geführt werden?

02. November 2023 4 min

Ready to talk?

Reach out for a no-commitment discovery call. We respond within one business day.

dot consulting AG
Ringstrasse 9, CH-4600 Olten

Or start with a free team-health check on tschegg.io.