We work for many types of organizations and help project teams dealing with a broad range of issues. Projects that have an optimal fit with the Team Based Consulting methodology are those where the internal and external complexity is high (as explained in The challenges of projects), and where the benefits of outsourcing the project to external consultants is fairly low (typically due to less time pressure and higher requirements for broad buy-in of results). A majority of our projects lie within areas where the score on these two dimensions is fairly high. Two such areas where a high proportion of our projects are carried out are a) strategic transformation / improvement of effectiveness and efficiency, and b) business development. The rest of our projects cover a broad range of other issues.
Strategic transformation
In the best of times, but certainly in today’s economic environment many businesses are having to fundamentally reassess their core business models. Today, this is typically driven by a need to structurally reduce costs. Cost reduction driven directly by reduced demand is typically easy to carry out (close factories, reduce staffing in call centers, etc). Sometimes this will be enough, but often not. In these cases, the next step will be to develop an understanding of the core markets that the organization can serve profitably, and transform the whole organization (processes, organization, governance, and IT support) to successfully and profitably meet the requirements of this core market.
This type of projects are highly complex both on external and internal factors (as explained in The two dimensions of project complexity), and are therefore often outsourced to external consultants. It is our experience that while consultants do a good job on the analytical aspects of such a project they are less good at assessing the internal environment and have difficulties in getting the required buy-in for ensuring rapid and smooth implementation of conclusions. Team Based Consulting has therefore carried out a number of projects in this area. Key examples include:
Transformation of finance processes in large Dutch multinational
As part of an overall program to reduce costs, the finance department (1200 FTEs) in this multi-national was also required to radically reduce costs and improve quality by simplifying and restructuring core processes. Team Based Consulting provided training sessions to individual teams with the goal of improving team effectiveness, and ongoing advice to a number of teams. The teams trained and counseled by Team Based Consulting achieved excellent results and met key deadlines.
Transformation of delivery processes for telecom operator
Delivery of key services to the business segment of this operator had always been difficult, resulting in high costs and unhappy customers. While a number of stand-alone initiatives had been defined and started (some with the support of blue-chip consulting companies), these were not delivering the required results. Team Based Consulting was requested to help a new internal team understand the core issues along the total delivery process and develop a coherent end-to-end program to improve the delivery process. With the help of Team Based Consulting, the team developed a coherent overview of the core issues leading to the most important problems, and developed a program to improve the end-to-end process. This program is currently being implemented.
Business development
While the focus of most companies today is cost reduction, many understand that innovation and business development is key for their future success. These companies are therefore continuing to focus on this area, but are insisting that the innovation / business development process is carried out in a structured, focused, and cost-efficient manner. Successful innovation and business development projects are by definition highly complex both on external and internal factors (as explained in The two dimensions of project complexity), and are therefore often outsourced to external consultants. While the external consultants are often very good at carrying out the required external market analytics, they are typically weak at aligning the required resources within the company itself and therefore there are often difficulties in ramping up production and aligning marketing and sales in order to meet the expected market demand. Team Based Consulting has therefore carried out a number of projects in this area. Key examples include:
Program to triple revenues from existing client segment
As part of an overall program to grow revenues, a program team was given the responsibility for tripling revenues from a given market segment. In spite of a large amount of analytics and ideas, the team had difficulties in moving forward into a market-focused program. Team Based Consulting was asked to help the team in this process, and helped them structure the overall program, develop an overall strategic business plan,, and get acceptance for this plan within their own organization. In addition, Team Based Consulting helped sub-teams within the program deal with specific issues such as developing a business model, developing a structured pricing plan, etc. The program is currently well under way to meeting its overall targets.
Carrying out a feasibility study for an investment company
The investment company had a business idea that it actively wanted to develop, and asked Team Based Consulting to counsel the project team set up to carry out the initial feasibility study. Team Based Consulting helped the team structure the overall analytics, helped in the ongoing assessment of the work being carried out, and helped the team develop its overall conclusions and recommendations. Based on the conclusions of the work-group, the investment company decided to go to the next step of developing the business.
Other projects
A broad range of other issues within companies also meet the requirements of complexity and issues related to hiring-in external consultants. Often, in these cases, Team Based Consulting is asked to suggest how we can help. Some examples of such projects that Team Based Consulting has been involved in include:
Geographic roll-out of new technology for telecom operator
The company had limited internal recources, and was facing a very complex decision process involving how to optimally roll out a new technology in a geographic area with varying attractiveness and competitive intenseness. To help the company to make these decisions a team was set up to develop and use an analytical tool. The development process required complex external analytics of the market, and coordination of resources and knowledge across the company. Team Based Consulting was asked to help the team ensure that the tool would answer the right questions and give correct answers. In addition, Team Based Consulting helped the project communicate the key results and get acceptance for key conclusions (which were often contrary to the “accepted wisdom”). The tool was successfully developed, and is currently a key part of the company’s decision-making process.
Defining IT-consequences of moving operations to another country
A project team had been working for months for a large European utility on defining the IT-consequences of moving certain key operations to another country. In spite of being correctly staffed and given ample resources, the team did not appear to be getting substantially closer to any meaningful conclusions, and the delay was holding up the total move. Team Based Consulting was therefore asked to help the team to reach conclusions and to present these to the Steering Committee. With the help of Team Based Consulting, the team was able to develop and present meaningful conclusions and recommendations with two weeks.
