When's the last time you updated your Operations and Technology Strategic Roadmap, and at the time did you measure the financial performance of your process improvements? Is your organization learning from project problems?.


Problem Statement - Small to mid-sized companies are operating in a highly competitive environment, therefore the profitability and even ‘staying power’ in the marketplace are direct results of the success or failure of the company’s Process Excellence program. Many senior managers don’t realize that their performance in the area of process improvement is completely dependent on the quality and consistency of their operational and technology strategy efforts. Most companies leave IT decisions partially up to chance, or they fall into a long-standing pattern of ‘start and stop’ when it comes to operational and IT strategic planning. Here are some other root causes of an inadequate Ops/IT Strategy Program:

• Not enough resources or skills to give Ops/IT Strategy the proper attention to finish the job
• Not enough information gathered about technology / vendor package developments
• The planning team does not develop or regularly maintain a full Cost-Benefit model
• Technology Planning is done without considering a deep enough process analysis
• No one in the management team is accountable to measure ROI on process improvement
• Benchmarking of key process metrics is not done properly or on a regular basis
• No one has enough authority to develop a holistic viewpoint across all core functions
• The exercise of Ops/IT Strategy is thought-of as a one-time or occasional event

Right Approach – Just like other strategic planning activities, the development of a roadmap for operations and technology projects and process improvements should be based on a regular cycle with management team participation. In order to make the best decisions regarding IT, there needs to be a continuous improvement effort – one that constantly pushes out the planning horizon so that the management team stays on the same page about where the company is at and where it is going from an operational standpoint. Additionally, the operations and technology strategy must be grounded in performance measurement by rigorously using metrics and benchmarks – both internal and external kinds. In the finance area, the management team is used to rallying every quarter around the company’s financial statements and ratios. Why shouldn’t the management team also rally around a set of “operational statements” and “IT performance ratios”? There should be a clear measure of ROI discussed every quarter on all technology investments being made with personnel’s valuable time and money, along with the results of the organization’s operational changes in all core functions and across functions considering all the key hand-offs:

Solution by Info724 – Make a break-through decision by engaging our Enterprise Ops/IT Strategy Service. Our intelligent planning framework and capable staff will serve as an integral part of your senior management team so that you can experience world class analysis, strategy session facilitation, and expert guidance. Through our partnership, you will benefit from our holistic approach covering your specific workflows and technologies – both internally and externally - to improve all of your core processes in a measured and deliberate way. Our findings are developed in an objective yet confidential manner using sound techniques from the proven methodology of Six Sigma to guide the decision making of your senior team.

• For the components of your Expense Ratio, we’ll identify specific opportunities for cost reduction across your operation and map out the path to more profit in a measurable way. See the mathematical connection between your process and your expense ratio.
• In the area of Revenue Growth, we’ll figure out the best way to improve your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) process so that it’s easier for your marketing and sales force to lock in more of the profitable business that suits your business strategy. We’ll help you advance from your current CRM and marketplace model.

Our team of qualified “Insurance Best Practice” professionals will first evaluate your situation and will analyze each operational area to determine the process maturity score, so that the “lowest hanging fruit” can be pursued for operational gains, such as increased premium, streamlining billing, expanded imaging, optimal claim handling, and better customer service through the use of specific new technologies or via steps to outsource back-office activities. Next we’ll develop or fortify your current Ops/IT Strategy foundation, what we call the “Baseline”. Then we’ll work on your behalf in a continuous mode, and will perform process metric analysis on a quarterly basis using best practice knowledge and taking into account marketplace technology changes.

info724@info724.com Tel: 215-479-0724
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