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SERVICE APPLICATIONS
The case studies below are samples of how we at Integral
Consulting Group have applied our services to a variety of companies
and organizations.
As you read through the cases, you may find yourself relating to
the problems and issues others have experienced, as well as discover
how Integral Consulting Group is able to help your company overcome
your problem areas.
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Case #1 — Systems/Application
Related
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Out-sourced
labor intensive end-line production
and assembly organization.
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Production
not meeting estimate levels or production schedule. Most jobs
stopped in process due to poor production planning and inbound
logistics. Multiple set-ups and tear-downs on each job. In-process
and end-line quality problems were plaguing production. Poor
materials flow through staging, inbound, production, and outbound.
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Two
consultants from Integral Consulting Group were assigned to
the project. The analysis and initial review indicated a need
for multiple interventions.
Current workflow was carefully mapped and redesigned
to maximize efficiency. Production scheduling was revamped
to allocate space and time according to estimate parameters.
Inbound and outbound logistics were revamped to facilitate
flow and meet scheduling requirements. Inventory management
processes were established. Production roles were clarified
and jobs redesigned to push accountability to the production
level and increase quality and quantity for each job.
New policies, procedures, and tracking systems were
implemented to support the workflow. New incentive/reward/reinforcement
systems were implemented to focus individual efforts on increased
quality and production levels. Finally, measurement and feedback
systems were created to assess performance of the interventions.
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"I wish we would have used Integral years before we did.
They have helped us immeasurably."
The interventions were extremely successful. In-process
work stoppage resulting in additional set-ups and tear-downs
decreased to almost zero. Productivity increased. The scheduling
system increased on-time production significantly. Quality improved
as did employee retention and satisfaction. "The project
impacted every step of our production process from the time
parts/materials entered the door to the delivery of the product
to the client."
The improvement was felt immediately by all levels within
the organization. By looking at the problem holistically and
tailoring the interventions to meet the unique needs of the
client, Integral Consulting Group, Inc. was able to positively
impact the people, the process, and the entire organization.
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Large
customer service phone center in a Fortune 500 corporation.
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Very
complex customer service jobs that experiencing high turnover.
Significantly lower employee satisfaction compared with greater
organization. Unclear job development process and career development
path. Unclear delineation of three interrelated roles. Lack
of accurate documentation on requisite job skills and knowledge.
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Consultants
with Integral Consulting Group, Inc. analyzed the problem.
From the analysis, role clarification was identified as the
root of the problem. A job competency assessment for each
of the three roles was undertaken. Through this process, it
was determined that the three roles really needed to be differentiated
into six discreet roles. Each role was analyzed and a comprehensive
competency based job description, task analysis, and development
process was developed for each position. The documentation
was reviewed carefully within the organization to determine
accuracy and implementation related issues.
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"Integral
Consulting Group's work was exceptional. We will look for opportunities
to use them again."
The competencies were rolled out with huge success. Workers
on the front line were extremely positive about the results.
"This is exactly what we needed. It will help me so much
in my job."
The tools linked knowledge and skill evaluation to specific
development opportunities, facilitated changes in new hire training
to better equip customer service representatives for the job,
linked objective analysis of skills, knowledge & expertise to
annual review processes…, and managers finally had the tools
they needed to help their people succeed.
Although recently implemented, the positive results of
the process are clear. "Working with Integral Consulting
Group was a positive experience all around." |
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Case
#3 — Organization Related
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Mid-size
high-end graphic design firm.
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A
felt need to plan for their future, determine direction and
plan strategically. Rapid growth, dependence on a small client
base, turnover, and seemingly conflicting goals all characterized
the business. Employees were strong advocates for development
and implementation of a strategic plan. The leadership team
had been trying to develop the initiatives, but to this point
had been unsuccessful.
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Integral
Consulting Group recommended the creation and articulation
of an organization mission statement, organization values,
and developing a shared vision for the future.
The consultants lead several off-site all day sessions,
and the organization was able to complete the task and move
into the development of strategy and identification of strategic
initiatives. By the end of the sessions, the leadership team
was unified around the core ideology and the future direction
of the organization.
With the help of Integral Consulting Group, the team
carefully planned for implementation.
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"We
couldn't have done it without you!"
The process has been in place for three years and continues
to drive the organization. The vision has taken hold of the
organization and the employees. The process of alignment is
well underway.
Employees live by the values and mission of the organization
as they strive to achieve the vision. Each month the leadership
team reviews key indicators of progress, adapts to changing
conditions and seeks feedback from employees. The clear articulation
and shared meanings have become the basis for decision making.
Retention has become retaining the right people, and accountability,
teamwork and cooperation have all increased, as well.
The organization has a shared vision. This is an organization
that lives what it believes. |
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Case
#4 — Systems/People Related
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State-of-the-art
high tech manufacturer.
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Difficulty
in determining root cause of product defects and percent of
these defects caused by product handling. In turn, lack of
clarity of operator versus systems-related product handling
issues. Multiple product handling performance measures existing
with lack of consistency and clarity in use. No formal assessment
of training effectiveness/outcomes linked to organizational
goals.
Long-term goal: Reduce manufacturing defects caused
by improper product handling through the implementation and
continuous assessment of product handling training effectiveness.
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While
multiple organizational indices existed with which to measure
defects, the indices' links to their origin were unclear.
Were the defects measured by a particular index due to poor
quality raw materials, handling error, movement between buildings
at the site, machine error, etc.?
Consultants from Integral Consulting Group (ICG) worked
with a project team (consisting of module and production managers,
inspection supervisors, product, process and quality engineers,
information systems analysts, trainers, customer service representatives
and others) to determine and track root causes of specific
product handling defects. This "testing" of measures for links
to handling defects was a lengthy one as some of the measures
had multiple root causes.
Once clearly-rooted measures were derived, ICG designed
and developed a comprehensive measurement system, called an
IP Scorecard, to track the rise and fall of the defect measures.
The IP Scorecard serves as a comprehensive measurement system
that can link a function within an organization to business
outcomes. In this organization, it is used to link the training
department and specifically, product handling training, to
organizational measures such as lot rejection rates, yield,
return on training, and customer satisfaction.
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ICG
worked with the organization to implement the IP Scorecard by
providing data gathering tools and report formats, conducting
training for staff responsible for evaluating training outcomes,
and continuing to coach staff in the evaluation and refinement
of the scorecard post implementation. In addition, ICG provided
consulting expertise to the development and refinement of classroom
and on-the-job knowledge and skills assessments.
Quality of instruction improved overall as did training,
production, operator and management staff satisfaction. The
Scorecard has been embraced by the training staff, as well as
by other departments within the organization, who value the
feedback and opportunity to review the results of their efforts
in a real-time report format.
Ultimately, the power of the IP Scorecard is in its use
as an alignment tool for this organization, demonstrating the
link between the work of the training department to the organization's
overall goal of defect reduction. |
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Case
#5 — Customer Related
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Community-based
hospital and health care services provider.
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Located
20 minutes outside of major metropolitan area, causing population
growth within community as well as growth in number and type
of proximal health care service providers. Ongoing decrease
in market share and customer retention. Lack of information
regarding additional services required to retain existing
customers or attract new customers. No formal marketing plan
or strategy.
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Upon
review, ICG consultants recommended the use of a telephone
survey as the most efficient and effective method to gain
information needed to formulate a marketing plan and strategies.
The customized survey was designed to gather information about
respondent demographics, current health care service choices,
respondent use/non-use of the client's services, respondent
attitudes toward the client, respondent motivations behind
their use/non-use of the client's services, and potential
areas of service to be offered by the client. Respondents
were chosen using simple random sampling as a selection tool.
The data gathered from the survey was analyzed using
a variety of different statistical and analytical methods,
and a feedback session with the client's Leadership Team was
conducted. The Leadership Team learned that demographics were
not found to be correlated with the utilization of the organization's
services, indicating that the organization has many options
in terms of market strategy. Further, the organization learned
that not having a defined market strategy may be causing more
pain than they had realized: lack of use of services was related
to customers' lack of knowledge of the services provided.
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The
client organization received direction in the form of an outline
for a marketing plan. The survey results also identified potential
strategies for retaining existing customers and generating new
business in the form of a list of services customers would like
to see added to the existing services already provided. The
client evaluated the cost/benefit of providing the "preferred"
additions to services and has already implemented the three
top requests. An intensive market awareness campaign about these
services ran prior to their individual start-ups and continues.
The "end" result? The organization's Leadership Team
and its employees share clarity in understanding their constituency
and a fact-based approach to making common sense decisions about
their future. They are also on their way to increased market
share and retention rates. |
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