Client Case Studies

Challenge:

Client had some significant regulatory issues to deal with and the FSA were due to meet the CEO.

Solution:

Risk and business analyst in Programme Management Office (PMO) producing risk management materials on 15 financial processes under intense FSA scrutiny. Prepared process documentation, risk matrices and process diagrams for the CEO, CFO and COO in exceptionally difficult political circumstances. PMO duties included managing document producers; motivating actuaries and accountants; senior client liaison; and managing programme issues, risks and controls.

Results:

The senior clients and Partners praised our consulting team on the multi-million pound revenue project after the trial workshop and successful client meeting with the FSA.

Challenge:

Design and Delivery of a Mentoring Scheme and Training Programme to Develop Mentoring Skills and Practice Discovery IS Astra Zeneca

Solution:

Designed a mentoring system accompanied by templates and support documents for mentors. Designed a 2 day mentoring skills programme to enable mentors to develop skills and operate within the new system. Target Audience: Department Managers

Results:

Feedback From Head of Department below: Mentoring practice reduced conflict, labour turnover and absenteeism within the department, creating an environment where there was significantly less conflict due to the ability to confront and resolve Joy, The message I take from this feedback is that you ran two extremely successful events that fully met their objectives. I was pleased with the opportunities for discussion and impressed with the outcomes. I think it is quite probable that we will wish to use your excellent facilitation skills to further develop the mentoring culture (and I definitely won't forget you for other things) in our Department. Thank you.

Challenge:

Vertically integrated manufacture of air-conditioning chiller units from copper cooling coils and sheet metal through to assembly.

Solution:

Lay out the new factory in a Mixed Model flow for any product to be assembled on any day to customer order instead of in batches if similar products. Synchronise production of the majority of the machined parts to replenish components only as used in assembly. Calculate the batch quantities of manufactured components that optimise inventory and machine utilisation, reducing the former by increasing the latter using a customised design algorithm.

Results:

Order lead time reduced by 6-8 weeks. First year cash benefit $18 million with $3.7 million per annum thereafter in inventory carrying costs, reduced cost of quality and productivity.

Challenge:

Leadership style of some Headteachers and Heads of PE within specialist sports colleges identified as being too authoritarian or 'telling'. Requirement to develop softer coaching skills and a more facilitative style of leadership and teaching.

Developing Potential engaged to carry out a number of workshops to raise awareness of individual impact and the opportunities that alternative styles of leadership would bring to whole school performance.

Solution:

• Engage with participants to identify current impact of leadership/teaching style.

• Raise awareness of alternative styles to engage with and develop responsibility in others.

• Support participants in developing a clear action plan for sustainable change in their own performance and in the performance of those they lead and/or teach.

Results:

Challenge:

Already a high-performing organisation, the Youth Sport Trust needed to get wider engagement of key staff in its corporate strategy, and produce a 12 month operational plan that shifted from business as usual to strategic delivery.

Solution:

• understand the strategic intent
• engage key managers and stakeholders
• deliver a robust operational plan linked to strategy
• support and coach the internal team
• provide a repeatable, sustainable process for the client

Results:

A series of workshops with directors, key managers and stakeholders delivered a comprehensive operational plan. The process ensured that operational milestones added value and were clearly linked to strategic delivery. These milestones were internally consistent with resource, budget and dependencies and clearly owned in the organisation. Individuals understood the overall strategy and were strongly committed to the milestones as a result of the engagement. At the conclusion of the project these milestones could be linked to a vital few measures of strategic progress. At all times the process and outputs were explained to the client so that in the future Youth Sport Trust could choose to repeat the project independently.

Challenge:

A team of young entrepreneurs with Young Enterprise South East challenged to set up a business, elect a board, sell shares in their company, create, market and sell a product, create an exhibition stand, make a presentation at the end of the 6 month period relating to their experiences, successes, failures etc. To liquidate company. This was in competition with other teams across the South East.

Solution:

To mentor, advise and coach the team of young entrepreneurs through their process once a week for an hour. To support the team at trade exhibitions and train them to make a presentation and to work cohesively as a team so they could learn how to set up and run a business and learn from their successes and mistakes

Results:

The team created a product, successfully marketed and sold units, created their trade stand and made their presentation at the awards ceremony to local dignitaries. The 'MD' of the company was awarded Achieve of the Year for all his hard work.

Challenge:

To implement an effective health and safety management system across Europe

Solution:

These are three examples from an extensive set of solutions which I am working on as part of a European team:

• Achieve risk assessment to a uniform standard in each country

• Establish a monitoring process to ensure that the actions identified at the risk assessment stage are followed through to implementation in a timely fashion. 

• Establish a regime of suitable safety checks carried out by local staff and monitor this

Results:

• Simple formats agreed for European application permit concise but comprehensive documentation to be produced and translated into and from local languages where required.
• The monitoring process enables actions to be followed up centrally and encourages the involvement of local staff.
• The project remains ongoing, with results still being evaluated.
  

Challenge:

In the UK, this medium sized specialist consultancy company needed better to crystallise its marketing strategy in its important client sector: utilities, which was undergoing complex and massive change driven by new laws governing licenses to operate and free market competition.

Solution:

Our Synatus Partner was engaged as an independent sector specialist to examine the company’s product and service offerings and to develop a multi-dimensioned pictorial representation of the continuum of linked services with dimensions of type of client, stage in deregulation, and phase in the development life-cycle of new business processes and systems. He performed a gap analysis with particular existing large clients and the market in general. Not only was he was able to identify new opportunities for additional services to be offered to existing clients, but also, he was able to propose new sales opportunities to new clients.

Results:

The firm’s sales force used the recommendations to shape better its marketing plan, and realising the benefit of additional sales.