Results achieved through Synaptus engagements

Exectives who have bridged the gap between strategy and performance


Case Study - Strategic Alignment

Customer

This Fortune 500 Logistics Company operates worldwide with revenue exceeding US $14 billion.

Business Situation

The company had multiple lines of business each with its own systems and IT support group. The understood that there would be benefit from aligning the technology enablement across the lines of business. They also wanted to better integrate their customer experience across lines of business and synchronize their strategic improvement efforts to accelerate growth. However, they were not able to establish a common framework to align the organizations and strategies.

Solution Description

Synaptus developed a common Business Architecture that articulated the business models as a set of business capabilities, service level expectations and interdependent relationships. They identified the common capabilities between the businesses and were able to prioritize capabilities to improve and where technology would appropriately support the execution of their strategy.

Benefits

  • Estimated 20% reduction in annual IT spend totaling multi-million dollar savings from reporting and platform consolidation
  • Provided common perspective of business to facilitate business IT alignment
  • Provided common semantic map to clarify terms and operational definitions and facilitate business conversations
  • Articulated common business capabilities, service levels and relationships providing a roadmap to services oriented architecture
  • Created a clear structure for ongoing business performance management
  • Provided model to assimilate future acquisitions

Other Qualifications

Synaptus has conducted Strategic Alignment engagement across multiple industries and for companies ranging from $4 million to Fortune 500. Synaptus contributed significantly to the development of Microsoft's strategic business architecture services offering which allows businesses to clearly align IT investments with strategic and operational requirements.

Case Study - Pragmatic Process Improvement

Customer

This $2.4 billion specialty packaging company employs over 10,000 people and has operations throughout North America and in Europe and Asia.

Business Situation

Procurement was dealing with concerns regarding with obsolete inventory of fragrances at the specialty packaging company.

Solution Description

A Synaptus consultant initiated a strategic sourcing event by documenting the current sourcing processes and the concerns of all parties. A supplier that had adopted lean thinking took the opportunity to explain that they could provide exactly what was needed, when it was needed and at a competitive price. The Synaptus consultant recognized the value for the client and after negotiations including a business review, the supplier signed an agreement satisfactory to all stakeholders. As part of the initiative, the Synaptus consultant also negotiated product development support specific to their materials so the client R&D acquired expert development support.

Benefits

  • Operations reduced inventory, effort and obsolescence by ordering exact amounts required
  • Because the supplier now had a majority of the business, the packager was a key account and pricing improved
  • Lean concepts were introduced into procurement and R&D and provided benefit beyond the engagement

Other Qualifications

Synaptus has conducted Process Improvement engagements across multiple industries and for companies ranging from $4 million to Fortune 500. They have experienced Six Sigma, Lean, Supply Management, and Business Process Improvement consultants. An Six Sigma Black belt who is also an APICS certified instructor leads the Process Improvement group at Synaptus.

Case Study - Productive Collaboration

Customer

This online application service provider delivers real estate management applications to corporations, retailers, landlords, and real estate service providers. They have been recognized as a Deloitte and Touche Fast 50 (GA - #4) and a Fast 500 (US - #45).

Business Situation

The company was dealing with a high level of conflict within the organization. They were not able to execute effectively on cross-departmental efforts. They had tried mapping processes and putting strong controls in place without effect. This problem jeopardized the ability of the organization to meet its strategic objectives.

Solution Description

Synaptus consultant conducted an organizational assessment to determine where the customer service, product management, and development processes were breaking down. The identified a lack of shared purpose within the work centers that resulted in organizational conflict. Through facilitated sessions and participative design the Synaptus consultant helped identify the root causes of the breakdowns in coordination and commitments and a new approach to collaborating was established within the company. Synaptus delivered training and skills development to help integrate the new communication processes.

Benefits

  • Understanding and trust was established between groups
  • Knowledge of challenges facing employees was spread to other groups and up to management
  • The new perspective of the business proved to be the stable frame of reference needed to align improvement efforts across groups and meet organizational objectives
  • A clear roadmap to streamlining product management and solution delivery was established
  • A new work management process was implemented with initial measurements showing increased throughput (for different work types) between 20 and 40%.
  • For one of the most important work types, small customer change requests, throughput has more than doubled.
  • The reliability of customer and internal commitments has improved dramatically.

Other Qualifications

Synaptus developed the productive collaborations approach based on their research and practical application in performing enterprise strategy projects, executive coaching, and in executive roles in organizations.

Case Study - Talent Management

Customer

This financial protection, accumulation and income management company headquartered in Springfield, MA has more than 13 million clients and over $395 billion in assets under management at year-end 2005.

Business Situation

The financial services company designed a revolutionary approach to retirement planning that focused on a behavioral approach to retirement planning for individual 401k participants. The approach moved well beyond the standard demographic data that most organizations use. They also were the first to use a handheld device called in enrolling employees.

Solution Description

Synaptus designed, developed and delivered the initial training to educate the marketing, sales and enrollment personnel and successfully promoted this new and unique approach. We used videotape and 1-on-1 meetings to customize each individual's ability to deliver the program.

Benefits

  • The training program received rave reviews and is still being used today
  • Through rapid adoption in marketing, sales, and enrollment the sales estimates for the 401k plan were exceeded
  • The rollout of the handheld program dramatically increased employee enrollment

Other Qualifications

The Synaptus Talent Management approach is developed by Nathaniel Boughton, the author of Stop Managing, Start Coaching and The Performance Challenge. Synaptus has successfully implemented Placement, Learning and Development, and Performance Management programs from $4 million companies to Fortune 500.

Case Study - Effective Project Management

Customer

This award winning internet bank was undergoing rapid growth after acquisition by a large Canadian Financial Institution.

Business Situation

The enrollment growth had outstripped the ability of the current systems to keep up. A new integrated enrollment and servicing platform had to be developed and implemented in a short time frame for the bank to meet its strategic objectives. The large project ($8 million) to develop an on-line web application integrating five trading partners using real-time XML interfaces was behind schedule and over budget.

Solution Description

Two Synaptus consultants engaged to clarify requirements and improve project planning, collaboration, and execution. Challenges existed between technology and the business regarding a number of issues that were slowing the project down. These critical issues were brought to light and resolved. The consultant then established reasonable project tracking and control to bring order to the project and eliminate wasteful efforts. He focused his attention on identifying and managing interdependencies and risks.

Benefits

  • The project was brought under control and efforts were re-aligned on achieving the strategic objectives
  • Staffing was actually reduced and the project was delivered on time and under budget
  • The investment into the enrollment platform achieved desired strategic objective

Other Qualifications

We have successfully implemented PMO's and performed project recovery for many industries. Dennis Stevens is the Deputy Project Manager on PMI's OPM3 standard update team.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly email, "Synaptus Insights" and we'll send you tips, stories and strategies about how to improve the performance of your organization and get our free leadership workbook, "Pragmatic Leadership; Reasonable People Don't Do Unreasonable Things."