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OPERATIONAL PERFECTION
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Performance Management
KPI and KRI design and implementation
How the quality and efficiency of business is measured is essential in delivering service excellence, managing continuous improvement, and controlling costs. At the top level, we start with a small number of ‘headline’ KPIs that are easy for everyone to understand and see how the business is performing and improving. These are the ones used in senior management reporting and general staff communications.
Behind the headline KPIs there will be many more detailed KPIs that measure specific points such as timeliness and accuracy, response times, error rates etc. that deliver clear, useful and tangible results.
KPIs may already be in place and we can assess those for relevancy and usefulness in measuring service and operational performance. We will set ongoing realistic improvement targets for each input based in existing performance and steps that can be taken to increase them.
KRI’s are also equally important and are fundamental to understanding the operational risks in any business. For example, customer complaints are likely to be linked to the risk of process errors and as customer complaints increase, the probability that there are some underlying and potentially systemic mistakes and errors of judgement being made is likely to rise.
Project recovery plans
Projects large and small fail for a variety of reasons and can usually be grouped into three main categories - people, process and communication. When a project lacks accountability, discipline and management support, then regardless of resources and project methodology, it is already in trouble.
Similarly, if the process and project methodology is not set from the start, then scope creep and ambiguity means that the delivery points are unclear, and the end result is not achieved. We have also seen projects over-run and without proper governance, they often keep going as more and more requirements are added during the project without ever having locked them down initially.
Our project recovery plans apply best practice and discipline to ensure targets are met without budget overun.
Operating Model
Target operating model design and review
Target operating models have often been designed in previous years and need to evolve to reflect the continuously changing environment in which the industry operates. With new technology, pressure on costs, and the widespread introduction of remote working, we can help with a simple refresh or complete redesign to ensure that the operating model is clear, strategic, realistic and easy to explain to clients and employees.
This enables our clients to appropriately prioritise investment for optimum outcomes, whilst being more efficient and effective.
Offshore/nearshore strategy, planning and implementation
With new ways of working established during COVID-19, the prospect of having large numbers of people in city centre sites is neither cost effective or practical. With most clients already having established nearshore and/or offshore sites, we can help the optimisation of these and manage the transition of moving people and roles to the new sites, which depending on the country, can be complicated from a staff morale point of view as well and employment law and regulatory considerations.
By having a clear roadmap of what, where and who will be working from each site, it removes uncertainty and creates clarity and explanation going forward. We also now include remote working scenarios and different recruitment models to take this into account.
Market entry analysis
New market entry is not something to be undertaken lightly and the amount of time and careful analysis beforehand will dictate the level of success of entering a new market. When a client wants to decide whether to operate in a new market, there is much to consider.
Deciding on a new market means understanding what the opportunity is, and the barriers to entry. We can help with detailed analysis on the opportunities, what the potential client base might be, who the competition is, what are the legal structures required and what the regulatory requirements and landscape looks like.
There are many other factors to consider and our approach takes all of these into account, providing our clients the information and data points to make a strategic decision on the level of investment required and the likely returns expected over a predetermined period of time.
Efficiency
Cost saving delivery
Cost pressures are forcing firms to look for more ways of saving money beyond traditional headcount cuts. The opportunities fall within ’three Ps’ of people, process and premises - which are all closely linked together.
People reductions are a quick and significant way to cut costs. Although many firms have already been doing this, there are still lots of activities and functions that can be leveraged to deliver substantial headcount saves without harming the effectiveness of the business.
With process optimisation, done properly, this can have a dramatic effect on costs by reducing or changing processes, activities and functions, and governance. We can carry out a forensic review of specific operational processes to reduce wasted activity and eliminate inefficiency. We can also review out of date governance models that may not reflect the current situation nor provide best value.
For premises, many firms still have hundreds or even thousands of people in city centre locations, even before COVID-19. We can help design a premises strategy which optimises space and reduces the footprint required going forward. We can also help identify new spaces that are more efficient and cost effective.
Team and organisational design
As part of being efficient and managing continuous quality improvement, the design of an organisation and team effectiveness is essential. By having a fresh, independent, and objective review, we can suggest ways of cutting costs and addressing long established anomalies, without disrupting the business.
Location and premises strategy
Many firms have offices in locations as a result of M&A activity or other historical reasons. Needlessly having multiple locations in one city or under-utilised offices in other sites is costly and inefficient.
We can design a location strategy taking into account targeted operating models, client and staff requirements, length of leases etc. to provide a clear route to the best use of location and real estate that suits a business, its clients and its employees
Engagement
Staff engagement and communication management
With significant investment in technology and strategy, staff engagement is often not prioritised appropriately and exposes an organisation to legal, reputational, and cost risks. Simply relying on messaging to be cascading down via managers is unreliable. Conversely good and frequent staff engagement activities can take the form of multi layer written communications, verbal and face to face and media related initiatives.
We create a full engagement plan that involves the right people, all using consistent messaging and materials, each directed at a specific audience - but all designed to create an engaged workforce - with employees who all know what goal is being achieved.
For specific events such as new client wins, M&A activity and even negative events, these can all be built around existing engagement plans to ensure everyone knows what to expect and how it impacts them. Written communication, verbal and face to face, town halls, roadshows and management interaction are just some of the critical components of an effective engagement strategy which goes way beyond what a typical corporate communications department can deliver.
Offsite and staff conference planning and management
Management offsites can be an invaluable way to build teams and generate plans and momentum. But they can also be an expensive few days away with little output or outcome. With many years experience of designing both local and global offsites that deliver tangible outcomes and realistic plans, we can help design, plan and deliver a highly effective offsite.
Diversity and inclusion
Never has it been more important to have diversity and inclusion embedded in the culture of an organisation. Whilst there will be an existing corporate policy, we can help the integration of this locally and make it day-to-day language that not only addresses and de-mystifies gender diversity, but also LGBTQ+, ethnicity, visible and non-visible disabilities and also age diversity.